Former owner of Cory’s Grilled Cheese trades restaurant concerts for garage sessions

HANAHAN — The abandoned Cory’s Grilled Cheese truck, wrapped in aluminum and slapped with the former James Island restaurant’s familiar golden sandwich-shaped logo, sits in a backyard in the Eagle Point neighborhood. It once served unique takes on the favorite lunchtime combination of carbs and dairy to the Charleston community, a mobile option for the full-time shop that operated out of a strip mall on Maybank Highway.  For those who frequented that shop, they knew it wasn’t just about making sandwiches. Cory’s Grilled Cheese was home to an indie music scene that catered to the under-21 crowd.Sign up for the Charleston Hot Sheet Get a weekly list of tips on pop-ups, last minute tickets and little-known experiences hand-selected by our newsroom in your inbox each Thursday. By Kalyn Oyer koyer@postandcourier.com Hip-hop acts, hardcore bands and rock and rollers alike would take the microphone in the front left corner of the tiny restaurant and jam out for a couple dozen or so fans who were often high schoolers. Owner Cory Schwartz said goodbye to his cheesy restaurant dreams in 2018, but his hopes for supporting local music live on, just a few feet away from the old food truck — in his garage. There, an oversized grilled cheese logo dangles beside sparkling string lights atop black curtains. The cement floors are covered in cords, guitar pedals and music gear, and a soundboard and computer station are set up in the far corners.  1 of 9 Cory Schwartz films the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Joey Haines with the band Cry Baby hangs out with Cory Schwartz, in his house, prior to filming an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cory Schwartz and Cameron Johnson prepare to record and film the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cry Baby singer Jamie Gray and guitarist Carter Long are recorded by Cory Schwartz and Cameron Johnson for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Carter Long, with the band Cry Baby, plugs in his pedals for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cheese band set up.jpg Cameron Johnson (left) helps bass player Joey Haines set up to play with the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show Thursday July 16, 2021 in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com The band Cry Baby is filmed for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cameron Johnson prepares the garage studio for a session with the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com The band Cry Baby (left to right) Josh Kozic, Joey Haines, Jamie Gray, Matt Allegreza and Carter Long play for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show Thursday July 16, 2021 in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Photos: Grilled Cheese Show spotlights Charleston musicians Cory Schwartz and Cameron Johnson film episodes The Grilled Cheese Show to feature local musicians. Cory Schwartz films the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Joey Haines with the band Cry Baby hangs out with Cory Schwartz, in his house, prior to filming an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cory Schwartz and Cameron Johnson prepare to record and film the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cry Baby singer Jamie Gray and guitarist Carter Long are recorded by Cory Schwartz and Cameron Johnson for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Carter Long, with the band Cry Baby, plugs in his pedals for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cheese band set up.jpg Cameron Johnson (left) helps bass player Joey Haines set up to play with the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show Thursday July 16, 2021 in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com The band Cry Baby is filmed for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Cameron Johnson prepares the garage studio for a session with the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com The band Cry Baby (left to right) Josh Kozic, Joey Haines, Jamie Gray, Matt Allegreza and Carter Long play for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show Thursday July 16, 2021 in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff Grace Beahm Alford gbeahm@postandcourier.com Schwartz and his roommate, an old grilled cheese shop co-worker Cameron Johnson, record a variety show in the garage called The Grilled Cheese Show. Central to the show are the duo’s live sessions with local bands. Schwartz videos, while Johnson runs sound. Music isn’t the only part of the show, though it’s been the recent focus. There’s also been standup comedy and skits, conversations about pop culture and snippets from videos at venues around town where Johnson hosts between sets, news reporter-style. The program started out as a podcast and developed into a variety show video format, modeled after late night TV talk shows. Live sessions with local artists are released consistently on YouTube and Facebook.Schwartz enjoys the creative outlet that serves as a part-time escape from his full-time 9-to-5 job. “So I’m a video guy,” he told The Post and Courier from his living room couch before a live session with local pop group Cry Baby on July 15. “I studied video before I got into food and beverage, actually.” He broke out a suitcase full of video cameras and fuzzy microphones, beaming. It’s a major upgrade from his iPhone, where they started out. Johnson brings the goofy side to the table — he said his initial idea was to have the bands perform stunts during interviews, like making them juggle or evade dodgeballs. Cameron Johnson prepares the garage studio for a session with the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff When the pandemic happened just after the endeavor began taking off, the duo had to improvise by hosting phone interviews and podcast sessions that were livestreamed to Facebook. Now it’s back to video, to Schwartz’s satisfaction. And the duo is cranking through live sessions, often recording two or three a week and then releasing one at a time after editing. “We’re trying to catalog all the local artists, so it can be a resource for people,” said Johnson. “You know, you think of a local band, look it up and hopefully we have it.”  By Kalyn Oyer koyer@postandcourier.com Cry Baby recorded five songs in the garage that night that will be released at the beginning of August. It was the first live session recording for the band whose debut at Austin’s 2020 SXSW festival was waylaid by COVID-19. The band showed up around 7 p.m. and after a half-hour or so of loading in gear and another half-hour of sound checking, the setup looked and sounded like a small venue performance.”A house show for two,” Johnson calls it. The band Cry Baby is filmed for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff The members of Cry Baby compared it, with glowing reviews, to a local version of Audiotree or NPR’s Tiny Desk series. “It was a super cool experience,” lead singer Jamie Gray said after recording. “The Grilled Cheese guys worked super hard to make sure everything was looking and sounding great.”Schwartz and Johnson’s plans don’t end at quality live sessions, though. They want to offer their space to bands for song and album recordings and eventually expand the show into a record label that supports all genres.Currently the live sessions, of which the duo have recorded around 30, are free to artists. To keep it that way and keep up the content, the duo started a GoFundMe page with a goal of raising $5,000 to help cover some of the equipment and marketing costs. “We love making videos, recording bands and showcasing the art community,” the donation caption reads. “We can’t help it and we probably won’t stop even if we are broke, living in a ditch somewhere.”Cory Schwartz and Cameron Johnson prepare to record and film the band Cry Baby for an episode of The Grilled Cheese Show on July 16, 2021, in Hanahan. Grace Beahm Alford/Staff It’s true that The Grilled Cheese Show has been a by-the-bootstraps effort, which takes up anywhere from 20 to 40 hours a week. It’s a real pro bono part-time job, says Johnson. But the reward is hopefully putting Charleston on the music map and elevating it to a name that stands on its own among cities like Portland, Seattle, Nashville and Austin. “Hopefully we can reach out to a broader audience that starts paying attention to our music scene,” said Schwartz. “Charleston deserves that kind of exposure.” The Grilled Cheese Show’s live sessions and variety show-style videos can be viewed on Facebook at facebook.com/TheGrilledCheese and YouTube at youtube.com/c/TheGrilledCheese/videos.