Singer-songwriter Dylan Cotrone rolls into the Charleston Pour House on Oct. 2 for a solo acoustic show on a wild ride. The Florida-born performer has come up with a winning musical formula, and he’s gone viral because of it.
Thanks to a loveable cover version of Zach Bryan’s “Burn Burn Burn,” Cotrone’s life changed a year ago, getting him more than 12 million views and launching an unexpected career. He’s already connected with Columbia Records and released two EPs and a string of singles, some of which have been streamed over 1 million times.
Cotrone’s music is an infectious, upbeat mix of gentle acoustic rock, irresistible hooks, danceable beats and hilarious hip-hop accents.
At one point on “Weekend Religion,” the title track for Cotrones’s new five-song EP, overdubbing lets him battle with himself, with both voices lamenting his sorry state.
“Corn dog from the freezer, eat a Caesar without dressing,” he sings, before immediately answering himself with a horrified, spoken, “Oh my God.”
The song is about finding spirituality in expected and unexpected places.
“I grew up super-religious,” Cotrone, 22, said in a recent interview with the Charleston City Paper. “But the second I finally moved away from Tampa to the Boca Raton-Miami area for college, I was experiencing life not in the bubble of my family and I was just finally my own person. I just couldn’t wait for the weekend, to get a text from all my best friends: ‘We’re going out.’
“That brought me peace,” he added. “But what I believe in brought me peace, too.”
All five tracks on the Weekend Religion EP strike that same thoughtful but upbeat tone, making the whole experience feel like 20 minutes of good vibes. And now that it’s catching on, Cotrone is just trying to hold on as best he can. Remember: This all started one year ago.
“The very first video that I posted on social media blew up,” he says. “I was signed to Columbia Records the next week, and I am now a singer, songwriter and artist. It’s surreal.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Doors open at 5 p.m., Oct. 2, Charleston Pour House, 1977 Maybank Hwy., Charleston. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15at the door: charlestonpourhouse.com
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