Cory Briar

Cory was born on land stolen from the Salish, Crow, Bannock, and Blackfeet tribes, present day Helena, Montana. He grew up listening to Bruce Hornsby, Fleetwood Mac, Traffic, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, and Steely Dan on the way to the ski hill. He began playing his father's guitar at age eight, and studied modern instrumental finger-style through high school. Around the same time, Cory picked up the mandolin to contrast his 10th grade folk-duo band mate, Corlin Reed (together, Bigfoot and Frodo), and quickly gravitated towards progressive bluegrass influences such as Béla Fleck and Chris Thile, as well as songwriters like Josh Ritter, Justin Vernon, Connor Oberst, and immortals like Joni Mitchell and Paul Simon. Plugging into the surprisingly vibrant Helena jazz scene, Cory also became interested in the music of Chick Corea, David Brubeck, and other greats. 

Cory moved to Bellingham, Washington for college, playing in various small projects in the area while pursuing a BA in economics with a minor in math. In 2017, Cory relocated to Eugene, Oregon to attend a doctoral program in economics. His research focused on spatial models of cities and causes of gentrification and housing market change in the western US. While attending graduate school, Cory played in several projects. Stepping in to fill in on guitar and eventually on mandolin, Cory joined the community fixture Sugarpine, contributing an original song to their forthcoming album. Cory is also one of the founding members of The Vineyard Collective, a fellowship of songwriters who co-create intricate arrangements of each others' material.

Since obtaining his PhD, Cory has located in Olympia, Washington, and currently conducts non-partisan public policy research for the state. He plays in the progressive bluegrass band Briarfinch where he writes and arranges material with songwriter and guitarist Erin Finch, fiddler player Josh Grice, and bassist Tom Roalkvam. He also plays with members of the ongoing Vineyard Collective and is a regular sit-in at local shows. In his free time, he continues to study jazz on the mandolin and peak-scrambling followed by craft beer. 

Cory is open to engaging with new and existing projects, as well as performing solo, sitting in on others' performances, session recording, and (time allowing) lessons for mandolin and guitar. Please use the contact form if interested!