Cory Cross - Texas Country Musician | Instagram Live | Rugged Revival
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When Cory Cross settled into an Instagram Live chat to discuss everything from stage presence to the philosophy of what you wear, he brought the kind of authenticity that's become increasingly rare in country music circles. Here's a Texas musician who's spent over a decade crafting his sound, playing everything from church to sold-out venues in Los Angeles and New York, yet he speaks about fashion and identity with the thoughtfulness of someone who understands that what we wear tells the story of who we are.
The conversation that emerged wasn't about ego or image curation—it was about evolution, comfort, and the sentimental weight we carry in our wardrobes. Cross represents something vital in the independent Americana landscape: an artist unafraid to strip away pretense, both literally and figuratively, in pursuit of authenticity.
These days I'm way more about comfortable denim shirts and tank tops—it's also so hot, you know? I'm like covered in sweat just walking from my car to the venue.
— Cory Cross
Growing up in Texas, Cross found his initial inspiration in the church, learning guitar before discovering the songwriting masters who would shape his artistic vision. Townes Van Zandt and John Prine weren't casual influences; they were blueprints for how to tell truth in song. That foundation, built on spiritual ground and refined by studying some of the finest lyricists American music has produced, gives Cross's work a depth that transcends genre categorization. He's operating in that vital intersection where country music becomes something larger than itself—where it becomes art that moves the body and the soul simultaneously.
What's striking about Cross is his comfort with contradiction. He's a performer who started wearing cowboy hats as part of the visual spectacle, understanding instinctively that live music demands a complete sensory experience. Yet he's also evolved past the notion that stage presence requires costume. Now, he gravitates toward practicality: tank tops and jeans, a baseball cap, the kind of uniform that lets the music speak without visual distraction. It's the mark of a mature artist, one confident enough in his abilities that he doesn't need rhinestones to command attention—though he'll absolutely wear that custom powder blue jacket with the gates of heaven stitched across the back when the moment demands it.
90% of the stuff I wear has some sentimental value—whether it's a sweatshirt from a Disneyland trip with my family or a cap from a brand I believe in.
— Cory Cross
That jacket, featured on his recent album cover, emerged from collaborations with Austin-based artisans like the designer behind the Kennamer brand and Texas Rhinestoner. These aren't mass-produced stage wear; they're pieces created in dialogue with the artist, custom expressions of vision. Cross clearly understands the difference between fashion as uniform and fashion as storytelling, between looking the part and embodying it.
What genuinely stands out is how Cross views his everyday wardrobe: not as a separate concern from his artistic identity, but as an extension of it. Nearly everything he wears carries sentimental value—a Disneyland sweatshirt from a family trip, caps from tours and collaborations, band merchandise that connects him to the community of musicians and listeners who've shaped his journey. This isn't affectation. This is someone who's thought seriously about the relationship between memory, identity, and presentation. In an era of carefully curated Instagram aesthetics, it's refreshing to encounter an artist whose approach to what he wears is rooted in genuine experience rather than algorithmic calculation.
Cross performs across Texas honky tonks and dive bars, places where the air is thick with authenticity and the crowd demands nothing less than truth. That's the terrain where his music lives—equal parts rough-n-rowdy and tenderly intimate, using classic country instrumentation to channel both the rowdiness of a Saturday night and the quiet vulnerability of 3 a.m. reflection. It's the kind of music that reminds you why Townes Van Zandt and John Prine mattered in the first place: because they understood that country music, at its best, is just life with a melody attached.
Whether you're discovering Cory Cross for the first time or you've caught him tearing through a Texas honky tonk, this conversation offers insight into how an independent artist thinks about presence, legacy, and the small gestures that create meaning. The full Instagram Live conversation deserves your attention—it's the kind of unfiltered, genuine exchange that reminds you why independent music matters.
I'll help you. I'll help you start a revolution for this Monday morning situation. >> There he is. >> What's up, man? Sorry. I'm I don't know what I'm doing on this thing. >> Me neither. You're doing better than I am. That's great. >> What's up, dude? >> Well, thanks for taking a few minutes to come and talk with me, dude. I really appreciate it. >> Of course, man. So, it's a it's a high honor. So, you know what we're going to do is save this video chat and uh we'll plug it in at the Rugged Revival guys and that'll go up in my little segment that I do with them. So, they're based out of the UK. >> Cool. >> And uh may maybe get you a little cross promotion over there. >> That's what's up. >> So, you you ready to talk a little little fashion here? >> Yeah, let's do it, man. I'm just going to make a little tea. >> You make some tea and we'll spill the tea at the same time. That's good. >> All right. So, so Mr. Cross. >> Yeah. >> Tell me about your favorite onstage attire. What do you What do you like to wear? What's your favorite outfit? >> Man, these days I'm comfort. >> Oh, did you get kicked out, Corey? Are we back? >> I think we're back. Sorry about that. My favorite thing to wear right now. Like my favorite stage. >> So we lost you right as you're about to tell us about you being all about comfort. Comfort on stage. >> Yeah. So these days as in like you know the past few months I've been way more about like com comfortable denim shirts. >> Yeah. I to be honest I've been wearing like you know I I was wearing like cowboy hats every time I played and I like that. I like putting on a sort of like a not a costume but you know something flashy you know it's show >> uh and so I like doing that but these days man I've been like wearing a ball cap and a t-shirt you know >> for most of my shows. I mean, if there's something kind of special or really big or, you know, something like that, I have some uh some people that I've I've had some like original work done uh like there's this one brand called Kennamer that's out of Austin, >> and then uh there's this uh and so she's and they're amazing and I mean they've you know, they've done stuff for uh for like Nikki Lane and you know, so they're they're great, but uh they've made me like um this uh shirt with like rhinestones and and you know frills and uh all all sorts of stuff. Uh and then there's another uh woman in Austin named Haley and her handle is Texas rhinestoner. >> Okay, I'll write that. >> Yeah, she made me uh man this custom rhinestone like powder blue jacket that has the gates of heaven on the back with like doves like right here >> and it's beautiful. So, I like wearing that kind of stuff, but these days, man, I'm more like jeans and a t-shirt. It's also so hot, you know? I'm like covered in sweat just walking from my car to the, you know, the the doors of the venue. So, these days, I've been doing a lot of tank tops and jeans, man. >> So, that um that that jacket, that's the one on the cover of your album, right? The most recent one. >> Yeah, that was on the cover of theirs more. Uhhuh. >> Yeah. That's that's a fantastic album. Um All right. So, you got comfort on stage now. Are are you are you blurring those worlds into offstage as well? Like what what do you like to wear like when you're kicking around the house? >> Man, actually my wife and I were talking about this talking about this this morning. She was asking me about the podcast and I told her that you had sent me the um the uh the questions. So we were kind of the questions >> and right now like 90% of the stuff I wear is like has some sentimental value. So if I'm like if I like today was my day off for example. >> So like >> you know I I actually wasn't wearing this. I had like a a sweatshirt from Disneyland that I got you know on this last Disneyland trip with my family. Uh you know so stuff like that or like caps like I'm wearing Cindereo right now because I wanted to plug them because they're great. >> Cindereo. Okay. Then Daro is great. But, you know, a lot of times like I'll put on a I have so many cats like baseball caps and uh a lot of them are from like trips um or they remind me, you know, just so a lot of the stuff I wear right now, man, you know, I always >> I always think about what I wear, you know, I've always like thought about style and stuff, but right now most of what I wear is like, you know, something that's kind of nostalgic. >> Yeah. Yeah, I get that. And that's um you know a lot of the I try to wear shirts and hats from the bands that I've worked with and even just in like the honky tonk hair machine thing that I do for bands and um you know my wife and I even talk about this where I'm trying to get to a point where I can boil down my wardrobe to just like legacy pieces. You know, >> I want like a set of things. That's my thing and that's what I got. But you know, I'm a sucker for band merch. You know, I see those cool hats. you posted that awesome uh pre-order for your new hat, you know, I was I was on it. I was like, that's such a sick design. >> You got to get it. >> Um, you know, and having supported you for a while now as a fan, >> you know, you put out those patches. I had to get the patches, you know, so on and so on. So, yeah, I get the sentimental thing. That's super cool. >> Yeah. >> All right. So, let's uh let's talk boots. What What are your favorite pair of boots? What do you got? I wore Justin ropers for the longest time because they were comfortable. >> Uh so comfortable. But I for my wedding I got um my first pair of Tokovas. >> Oh yeah. >> Yeah. And they're ostrich skin. >> Honestly, I mean I wore them I wore them for my wedding and then they've been my like go-to boots for you know going out to eat or shows or whatever. And they're pretty comfortable too, man. I mean, obviously it's a cowboy boot, so it's got a higher heel. Um, so it took a while to get used to them, but now they're they're really comfortable. And I also just got another pair of Tovas uh that are like they're not suede, but they kind of look like suede, so it's something else. >> Okay. >> But it's kind of got soft texture. >> Is that um Did you get those? You played an event recently. There was a restaurant opening. Was that at Tokova's restaurant? Dude, that was a Chili's bar and grill because Tacovas did a a collab with Chili's a like a limited edition boot that's like I guess it's supposed to kind of look like the u the booths at a Chili's Bar and Grill. So, and they're red. So, it's got like red and some green. So, this party for that. But yeah. >> Yeah, that's really cool. >> Yeah. I never thought I'd ever play a Chili's Bar and Grill. Is that what inspired you to pick up a pair of Takovas? Is that where you got those or had you already had those? >> No, I actually No, I I just decided on them for my >> um and that's another thing, you know. So, now those are my favorite boots. Not only because they look really cool and they're comfortable, but they were >> Yeah. >> know I wore them to my wedding. So, I love stuff like that. I love how >> can you know travel through time and get real nostalgic and sentimental. Someone's wanting you to uh fill them up with some blue margaritas. That's the jet jet black roses. >> Cool. >> All right. So, that all sounds great. Yeah. Yeah. I love ostrich boots. Um I like snakeskin boots. Once you get them broken in, man, they're like wearing socks. They're beautiful. I love it so much. >> Yeah. >> Um All right. So, we we talked about your ball caps. Um what about your favorite uh cowboy hat? What what do you got? Uh, I wore um, uh, Stson for a long time and then I got a resistor, a George straight uh, resistol that. But there's a this brand that I just found. It's called uh, I think it's called Two Roads. Can you look at Do you know how to like >> Yeah, Two Roads. They're cool. >> Yes, man. >> I got a a felt hat from them and it's it's cool, man. It looks western. It's It's obviously like a western hat, but it's it's got like a a smaller brim, so it looks a little more I don't know, like maybe old school maybe or Yeah. But it's a nice hat. So, Two Roads is, you know, they're probably not >> sounds like um maybe that could sound like the Stson open road maybe like similar cut to that >> kind of but more western because I I wore roads, you know, for a while and >> yeah, they're great, but um you know, I do prefer something that looks a little more cowboy, you know what I'm saying? >> Yeah, I got you. >> I liked that Two Roads hat that I got. Yeah, I um I was following Two Roads for a little while there a couple years ago and I bought one of their hats and it almost looked too uh like cartoonish. I felt like, you know, the comic book The Shadow, that's kind of what it felt like on my head. Um but yeah, they seem like they're getting some traction, you know, more and more and uh more and more folks like yourself seem to be leaning towards them. But I'm like you, man. I I like Stson. I have a Resistol. Um, I like to go on eBay and buy like beat up hats and try to reshape them a little bit. Um, I failed a Cody Johnson resist all. It still looks all banged up, but makes good decor. >> That's cool. Oh, um, Kennamer, that brand I mentioned, uh, out of Austin, um, they do hats, too. Uh, yeah. And that they do them like from scratch. It's kind of wild to to see like the whole process, you know, just getting a raw piece of felt or whatever. Yeah, >> it's very artistic, but yeah, Kennamer does does really hats, >> dude. Watching hat makers is it's really cool, man. I I would love to learn how to do it. Um I love Charlie Overbay's hats, you know? He does a lot of the stuff for the shows and everything. >> I don't know him. >> Uh he does Lone Hawk hats. Um I can send you a link. His stuff is fantastic. That's those are legacy pieces. You'll have those your whole life, you know. Um, you know, uh, it's one of those where you you you cry now and then enjoy it for the rest of your life kind of thing. >> Um, all right. So, uh, cool. We got clothes. Um, when when you're on the road, >> Yeah. >> what kind of, uh, hair products and maybe even skin care products you like to take with you on the road? >> Yeah. Uh, I mean, whatever saves space. I you I've been using the same face wash face wash forever. >> Uh that works, you know, for me. Also like just a like a $2 bar of Dove soap really well on my face. My face >> and then hair stuff. I use a lot of dry shampoo because you can't >> you can't shower and my hair is kind of long so if it gets sitting in a car for 20 hours, you know. >> Um Yeah. >> Yeah. You got like the feathered the feathered look that kicked out. Do you um do you ever use any like hair powder or texture powder? >> No, pretty much never. The only stuff I put in my hair is uh yeah, dry shampoo and then you know I have a couple like ligh pastes, you know, if like you know to go out to dinner or something if I'm not going to wear a hat and I just slick it back, man. It's like my just slick it back. >> Dude, I'm with you, man. If I use anything that's meant to wash your face and it it'll mess me all up. >> Yeah. >> I got to keep it simple. Just like you're saying, like find the bar of soap from the bottom of the tub and just go at it. >> So, do you use the same products when you're at the house or do you use like maybe higherend stuff when you're when you're at home? My wife has some cleaners and moisturizers that I use when I'm or when she comes on the road with me, but if it's just me, it's Sarah face wash and that's about it. >> Did Did we just tattle on you by accident? Is she not supposed to know that? >> He's not dipping into your stuff. Don't worry. >> I do. >> All right. So, growing up, you know, I think um you know, we all have different points of inspiration as we grow up. Like, you know, for myself, my first style inspiration were the Ramones, you know, and then, um, later as a teen, the punk scene, it was like the casualties and things like that. So, when you think back, who were some of your first style inspirations? You saw somebody like, I want to pull from that as much as I can. >> Yeah, man. I I've honestly been kind of like obsessed with clothes since I was like in like fourth grade. Fourth or fifth grade. Like I remember I remember going on a Disney World trip with my family when I was in like fifth or sixth grade and we were like getting merch and I wanted to get the hat that said dopey on it just because it kind of like dope and I was like dope, you know? So like when I was uh in middle school it was a lot of what I saw in like music videos. You remember music videos when you could just >> Oh yeah, >> it would just be constant. So yeah, uh I was also huge into uh skateboarding. So, I think that was like my biggest like flash for like, okay, this is the character that I'm putting on, you know, was like >> sporting guy, Nike jeans, you know, uh DC shoes, you know, all that stuff. And then, >> and it really after that, it always had to do with the music that I was listening to, >> you know. So when I was in eighth grade, kind of like you, I was into like punk punk like pop punk. So it was like u like No effects and Rancid and >> Yep. >> those guys. So I I literally had like uh Red Chuck Taylor that I drew all over. >> That's right. >> I bleached my hair because there was this band MXPX that I really liked and >> Oh yeah. >> had bleached hair. So, I bleach my hair and I remember going to sleep with rubber bands in my hair so I could do the liberty spikes. >> Awesome. >> Well, that's like, you know, when you're when you're building a look, you know, there's a way to put it together and then not feel costumey, >> you know, like sometimes you see somebody and it's like, well, it looks like you're literally wearing a costume >> and it should flow seamless and it should fit you and it should look put together. But yeah, I mean, I'm with you. I think we're about the same age. So yeah, I remember seeing MXPX, what's my um uh responsibility, you know, and you see those guys, even if it wasn't even necessarily my type of music, I could still see it and say, "Oh, I like the way they look, you know, like um >> uh the the Twin Brothers and Good Charlotte, you know, those guys always had a good look and that kind of thing." And then I think when I saw uh Steve Earl, you know, Copperhead Road, he kind of had that heavy metal meets western thing going on and it just, you know, >> Yeah, man. >> And then and some of those guys like, you know, um you know, the 80s hair metal guys always had a little bit of like a western with the boots and the jeans and that, you know, long hair. Um yeah, man. That's that all sounds great. So, listen, I don't want to take up too much of your time. I'm having fun talking to you. I think we could talk all day, but you know, let's cap this off. You've got some stuff coming up. Is there anything you want to plug real quick before we call it a day? >> Yeah, man. Yeah, for sure. I have a new album coming out uh in like three weeks. It comes out September 5th, I think. >> Okay. >> And we're doing an album release show at the Post in Fort Worth. That's on September 6th. All right. >> And that's the one that you've been posting with with the flyer with the uh chrome to it. >> Yeah, man. >> Yeah, dude. That that flyer is pretty boss. That looks so sick. >> Yeah, that's a that's a buddy of mine, Russell, out of Yeah, he he he does those he does a lot of my graphics. A lot of those graphics. So, >> well, hopefully we'll get you out here in the DC area soon. And uh you know, sooner than later. And like I said, man, I really appreciate you coming to hang for a few minutes. Yeah. >> And uh let's do it again sometime, brother. >> Okay, man. Thanks for having me.
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