Cory Pensa Project

Rock, Pop, R&B, & Hip-Hop

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