This is the second in a periodic series of profiles called “Even Musicians Have Day Jobs.”

InsideWarren’s Cathy Miller recently spoke with Gary Corde, vocalist/guitarist for the past four years with the Asbury-based quartet Blaming Amy. Aerospace meets rock’n’roll – it’s time to shimmy and shake on that spaceship to Mars.

By Cathy Miller

Gary Corde studied aeronautical science in college. He also acquired a pilot’s license. His plan was to fly, but he realized “in my junior year, although I really loved to fly, I didn’t want to do it for a living. I took everything I learned and turned it into a career. It’s better to be adjacent to something you love than to try to turn what you love into a career.”

Corde made a career in the aerospace business, working for a company called Frontgrade, and it’s something he truly enjoys. He explained, “We make components for satellites and deep space missions. For instance, the reason the Mars Perseverance Rover moves across Mars is because of my company. We made all the actuators, we made everything that moves on that Rover! It’s a cool job. I took a love of flying and turned it into a career in aerospace.”

A native Long Islander, Gary Corde and his wife Malia have three sons. They’ve called Asbury home since 1994.

His job and his music are completely separate – they don’t complement each other, they don’t interfere with each other, they exist on two different planes.

Some musicians don’t like to admit they have a day job, but Corde shared his truth about a career in music, “I like to pay the bills.”

His most memorable concerts tend toward local performers. “Some of the greatest musicians I’ve ever seen are local. They’ve never cut a record. They do it simply because they love it and it’s that love for music that allows them to play such a pure form of music. You do things that you can do to make a living. You do things you love to make you happy.”

Around 1976, at the tender age of 14, Corde first stepped onto the stage, playing guitar at a Battle of the Bands at Jerusalem Avenue Junior High School on Long Island.

Did he have stars in his eyes as a teenager? “No, not at all,” he said with a laugh.

He and his older brother Danny traveled the same musical path for a while. Danny picked up trumpet in fourth grade. Corde followed in his footsteps two years later, playing trumpet from fourth through sixth grade, until he became “bored to death” with it.

That summer, Corde’s best friend Bobby began playing guitar. Corde was intrigued. Bobby lent him his guitar and sheet music for “Stairway to Heaven,” the very first song he ever played on guitar. The next day Corde returned the guitar and strummed the song, leaving Bobby so impressed he recommended Corde take guitar lessons.

Corde remembered, “After each lesson my brother wanted me to teach him what I’d learned. After six months, when I stopped taking lessons, Danny and I began to play music that we enjoyed.”

In the mid-90’s, he and Danny started an original blues/southern rock band called Billy Can’t Cope. His roommate from college was the drummer. Danny played guitar. Corde played bass. They’d penned lots of great songs!

Being New York-based, they played all over Manhattan. Unexpectedly, their last show was at Tribeca Blues on September 8, 2001. Three days later the band broke up…because of 9/11.

Although he enjoys many styles of music, his heart belongs to the 90s. Ironically, he was so busy listening to country and blues, he didn’t catch up to the 90s until they were passed! He quipped, “At least I didn’t have to wait for any albums to be released, they were already there. I’ve been playing 90s music ever since.”

One of Corde’s favorite performers from the 90s is Dave Grohl. “I own a Dave Grohl DG-335 ‘tribute’ guitar,” Corde said happily (note the featured photo by Cathy Miller above). “It cost me about $300 to buy, with an additional $400 put into it to get it right. That’s far less than the $12,000 it would cost to buy one today. It’s a great guitar for a 90’s cover band and a joy to play.”

Corde and Jeff DeAngelis, the lead guitarist in Blaming Amy, have played together in assorted bands for 20 years. Mark Lapos, bass, and Amy Esch, drums, signed on a few years ago.

Corde admitted, “It’s a great band. I can honestly say I get to play music with my best friends. We rehearse every week, whether we need to or not, because we just like hanging out.” They play out two to three times a month, an agreement they reached with their families.

He continued, “We’re always listening to 90’s music to ‘debate’ which songs should be added to our catalog. I love learning new music. It keeps the band fresh and the audience entertained. The synergy between the audience and the band is like a drug, a ‘gig high,’ and it lasts for days.”

When it comes to music, Corde started young and is still going full tilt. He said, “There’s a song constantly playing in my head, whether it’s one I’m learning or one that’s just stuck there.” He added, “I’m 60 years old and still excited about playing music, it’s some kind of fountain of youth. When you’re up and performing, especially for people that are responding to it, you’re not 20 or 60, you’re just in that moment, and it’s an awesome moment to be part of, playing with your best friends for people who enjoy the music you’re playing.”

Look for BlamingAmyBand on Facebook