Hailing from North Jersey, Cory Pensa grew up with music in his blood. A classical piano player, Cory picked up the guitar at the age of 9 and never looked back. Cutting his teeth on virtuoso 80’s guitar players such as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Cory fined tuned his chops for hours a day. He spent 10 years of his life listening to nothing but instrumental guitar music. By the mid 90’s, Cory started to appreciate “vocal” music. Band’s like Matchbox 20 and Tonic would influence him significantly. Cory started an original band and called it “Nine Circles.” The band, which includes his little brother Eric, signed a record deal in 2000 and toured the country extensively playing venues such as Hammerstein ballroom and Roseland Ballroom in NYC.
Nine Circles hopped on a few national tours and began to sell records. Currently finishing up their third full length album, Nine Circles is planning smaller national tours for 2016.
In his spare time, Cory began to dabble in the Jersey “Cover Scene.” He joined The Benjamins, a popular Jersey cover band and spent 4 years traveling up and down the east coast playing shows from Key West to Maine and everywhere in between. The Benjamins cover venues in over 15 states. Playing 35 weddings a year and doing corporate shows for Johnson and Johnson, Sony Music, MSNBC and Anheuser Bush, Cory learned real quickly how to engage a crowd. Over the years, Cory always found an outlet in playing solo acoustic shows.
“I love the stripped down rawness of one acoustic guitar and one voice,”
he says after a gig at Maxwells in Hoboken.
“I try to play solo shows at least once a week and lately have found myself booked 2-3 times a week.”
Cory puts on a high energy solo show and really engages the crowd, telling stories and taking requests all night.
3 Doors Down
When I'm Gone
Andy Grammar
Fine By Me
Backstreet Boys
Quit Playin Games With My Heart
Blink 182
Small Things
Capital Cities
Safe And Sound
Collective Soul
December
Cracker
Low
Darius Rucker
Wagon Wheel
Dave Matthews
Crash
Deep Blue Something
Breakfast At Tiffanys
Don Henley
Boys Of Summer
Duncan Sheik
Barely Breathing
Eagle Eye
Cherry
Save Tonight
Ed Sheeran
Bloodstream
Elton John
Rocket Man
Eric Clapton
Cocaine
Eve 6
Inside Out
Florida Georgia Line
Cruise
Florida Georgia Line
Round Here
Foo Fighters
Times Like These
Foo Fighters
Everlong
Fuel
Bad Day
Fuel
Shimmer
Gavin Degraw
I Don't Wanna Be
Gavin Degraw
Best I Ever Had
Gavin Degraw
Not Over You
Gin Blossoms
Hey Jealousy
Goo Goo Dolls
Slide
Green Day
Good Riddance
Green Day
Basket Case
Imagine Dragons
Radioactive
Jason Mraz
I won't Give Up
John Mayer
Why Georgia
John Mayer
Waiting on the World To Change
John Mayer
Say What You Need To Say
John Mayer
Heartbreak Warfare
Josh Kelly
Amazing
Kenny Wayne
Sheppard
Blue On Black
Kings Of Leon
Sex on Fire
Lifehouse
You And Me
Lit
My Own Worst Enemy
Luke Bryan
Country Girl
Maroon 5
Payphone
Matchbox 20
3:00 AM
Matchbox 20
Push
Michael Jackson
Billie Jean
Michael Penn
No Myth
N' Sync
Bye Bye Bye
Neon Trees
Sleeping With A Friend
Nick Jonas
Jealous
Oasis
Champagne Supernova
Oasis
Wonderwall
Passenger
Let Her Go
Pearl Jam
Jeremy
Peter Gabriel
Solsbury Hill
Peter Gabriel
In Your Eyes
Pharrel
Get Luckey
Phil Collins
In The Air Tonight
Plain White T's
Rhythm Of Love
Queen
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Red Hot Chilli
Peppers
Under The Bridge
Safety Suit
Never Stop
Stevie Ray
Vaughn Pride and Joy
Stone Sour
Through The Glass
Stone Temple
Pilots
Interstate Love Song
Sublime
What I Got
Taylor Swift
You Belong With Me
The Eagles
Hotel California
The Lumineers
Ho Hey
The Police
Every Little Thing
Third Eye Blind
Semi Charmed Life
Tom Petty
American Girl
Tom Petty
Last Dance
Tonic
You Wanted More
Tonic
If you Can Only See
Tracey Chapman
Fast Car
Train
Drops Of Jupiter
Vertical
Horizon
Everything You Want
Violent Femmes
Blister In The Sun
Zach Brown Band
Chicken Fried
Justin Beiber
Sorry
Solsbuty Hill
Peter Gabriel
Contact NC Entertainment for Booking