Cory Young at Altered State (By Frank Sabatini Jr.)
Musician and Entrepreneur Cory Young Brings an ‘Altered State’ to Downtown San Diego
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
Cory Young proves that you don’t have to make the final rounds on American Idol to create a name for yourself. The multi-talented singer-songwriter, who also plays guitar, drums and the ukulele, recently teamed up with two other local musicians to open Altered State, a two-level coffeehouse that doubles as a music lounge.
Located near his residence in downtown’s Core-Columbia District, the shop has become the talk of the town because of its artistic décor, crafty coffee drinks, and wholesome noshes. It opened in July and is gaining steam, thanks in part to the musical elements the owners bring to the business.
Young’s career as a solo musician includes 45 seconds of national television exposure that he received on American Idol, on Season 17 in 2019. He made it only through one pre-round. But that didn’t stall him from securing his songs on major streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, or attracting millions of viewers to his catchy, online music videos.
As we were reminded when chatting with Young, who has some exciting local musical gigs on the drawing board, some people have that envious ability of combining their creative talents with a savvy knack for business.
Downtown Condo Guys: When did you and your fellow musicians open Altered State? And what led you into doing it?
Young: We opened in July of this year, although we’re still technically in our soft launch. I bought the shop last year, which used to be Old Gallery Cafe. I thought at first it would be a passive investment. But I instead teamed up with Anastasia Lynn and Chris Halo, who are also musicians. We spent six months renovating the place and turned it into a music lounge/coffee shop with impromptu jam nights.
The design was a full-on collaboration, but Anastasia had a majority of that vision. She spent hours and hours picking out furniture, art, colors, and setting the flow. Chris and I did a lot of the physical work and built stuff.
Downtown Condo Guys: Why the name ‘Altered State?’
Young: We arrived at this because coffee alters your state with energy; beer and wine at night gets you loosey-goosey; and of course music helps change your state of mind. It’s a place where you can reset and almost lose yourself.
Downtown Condo Guys: Do the three of you perform there regularly, either as a trio or individually?
Young: It is always individually. On average one of us is performing about every other week. We’re still adjusting our hours and events. On weekdays we’ll be open until 3:00p and reopen from like 6:00p to 11:00p. We just started open mike nights from 6:00p to 9:00p on Thursdays. On weekends we’ll feature local artists. We will post upcoming changes on our website and on Instagram @alteredstate.sd.
Downtown Condo Guys: Tell us about your coffee and food offerings.
Young: We use Goldchild Coffee Roasters, which is downtown. The owner has been a great mentor to us and we love his coffee.
Anastasia curated the coffee side of the business and makes all the syrups and cold brews. She came up with some cool recipes such as the Golden Lady, which has a floral, smooth taste with honey, lavender, cinnamon and steamed milk. And the Orange Colored Sky is bright, mellow and a little unexpected with orange-cardamom syrup. There are at least five others that she created.
Chris and I collaborated on the food menu, which is still evolving. Right now we have panini sandwiches, empanadas, healthy pita wraps and avocado toast.
Downtown Condo Guys: Are you a working musician outside of the business?
Young: Yes. My main thing is solo. I have 23 songs out that I wrote and composed. They’re all self-published through various companies. I’ve turned down a few boutique deals, but I prefer to be independent. My songs can be found under Cory Young on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and every streaming platform you can think of.
Also, I’ve played in bars in Los Angeles and I played at Prohibition in the Gaslamp Quarter. I’m in the process of setting up dates for later this year at House of Blues and to maybe open for a well-known band in Waterfront Park in the spring for a music festival.
Downtown Condo Guys: What are your favorite genres of music when performing?
Young: Blues and rock-soul music. But I like playing all different types of music. It depends on my mood. I really love when I can let the music play for itself, like in jam style.
Downtown Condo Guys: How did you land a singing spot on American Idol? And what was the outcome?
Young: It was back in 2019. I had this little goal that I wanted to be on TV, so I tried out for America’s Got Talent four times, then The Voice twice, and American Idol three times. Nothing happened and I got frustrated and stopped trying. And then with the help of 75,000 followers I had on Instagram, I suddenly went viral. I also had gotten over 10 million views on my videos. That’s about when American Idol reached out to me inviting me onto the show. I was chosen for one pre-round, and that audition aired for 45 seconds because they ended up editing the last section of it. I had a huge zooming party thinking I was going to get a full slot. It is what it is—and I’m not super angry about it.
Downtown Condo Guys: Will you give it another try at some point?
Young: Absolutely. I’ll reach out to one of the guys at the show—maybe next season. But I have a whole bigger plan with my manager to make a run for the Grammys next year to get nominated and hopefully win for best new artist. But I would be happy with ‘best blues’ or any category.
Downtown Condo Guys: Did you discover you were musically inclined at an early age?
Young: Yes. I’m self taught on all the instruments I play. When I got to a certain level on guitar about 11 years ago, my parents found me a great guitar teacher. I took lessons from him for about three years. He taught me music theory, the names of the scales, and how to read notes. He definitely progressed my skills.
My singing came when I was around 19. My guitar teacher actually encouraged me to sing, which was a work in progress. But once I was put on American Idol, I said, ‘I’m a singer now.’ [Chuckle]
Downtown Condo Guys: Getting back to Altered State, is it your goal to brand it as a music lounge first, and a coffee house second? Or do you prefer its identity to be the other way around?
Young: I would like it to be equal. But we’re still trying to find our identity. What pays the bills right now is the coffee. I think I’ll know the answer to this question in about five months.
