Guitarist and producer Cory Wythe (A.K.A. Marvel Years) gave us a glimpse behind the curtain in this interview. In July 2013, Wythe had his first live performance supporting Pretty Lights in Boston, MA. Later that year he supported GRiZ on his Rebel Era tour. In the Spring of 2014, Marvel Years began his first national tour–The Retro Electric Tour. Fast forward and he has played with amazing acts including: The Floozies, Exmag, Break Science and even Gramatik.
The Beginning
Wythe began playing guitar at eleven years old. “I played in a few bands for fun throughout middle school and high school,” he said, “I started messing around making beats in my senior year of high school just to pass the time and ended up posting it on my YouTube channel.” This snowballed into his first offer to play a show in college and taking a leave from college and playing shows as his career.
When asked about his growth, Wythe said, “I just try to make music that I enjoy creating and listening to. I feel like you have a better chance to stand out making music that is true to yourself.” Obviously, a major part of the Marvel Years sound stems from guitar. “I try and make that a focal point throughout my work.”
Behind the Curtain
Next we ask, they can’t all be bangers right? “I just recently started to accept this fact,” Wythe said laughing, “I spent so much time lighting myself up when every new track I was writing wasn’t my best track.” In some regards, this can push an artist to be better. “I have accepted the fact that not every track is going to be amazing and that is ok. It’s all a part of the process.” he tells us. Wythe gains inspiration from traveling and experiencing new places. Additionally, his musical friends push him to work harder and keep pumping out music.
Wythe has said each song takes a different amount of time to finish. “It really depends on my creative head space at the time. Some songs kind of just flow out of you where you know exactly what you want to make. Other times I start with a cool idea like a guitar or drum loop and then build on it over time.” No matter how long the song takes, Wythe is confident in his music.
“What makes a good song is definitely subjective and different for everybody, but for me it’s the emotional reaction I feel,” he said. This holds true with his song, Friends–released a few months ago. The song originally began as a beat challenge Marvel Years put on Instagram. He later began the song and added his friends to it. “It ended up turning into a monster collab with 9 artists in total and it’s something I’m really proud of.” Wythe says.
Marvel Years has performed with legends like Pretty Lights, GRiZ, and Gramatik. He shared that all of these artists are major inspirations in his life and music. “It’s obvious that they are putting 100% of themselves into their [music], but it’s also the amount of time and effort they put into the behind the scenes that makes them the best in the game.”
Quarantine and the Road Ahead
Quarantine has affected us all. Marvel Years has stayed busy by performing ten live streams and he even played a socially distanced halloween festival. Wythe regarded his New Year’s Eve stream as his favorite.
“I’ve really been using this time to make music and collect myself mentally.” I’ve spent the last couple years on the road so it’s been nice to have some downtime and time to create.” While Wythe has stayed busy, he has many plans for the upcoming year including: New music, merch, and there have even been rumors of vinyls. “We are in the process of choosing the songs and getting the mixed and mastered for wax,” Wythe tells us. We are looking forward to everything Marvel Years has in store for 2021. Click the links below to learn more about Marvel Years and stay up to date on all of his plans ahead!
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