Cosmic Suckerpunch

Artist Information

Biography

When your band is called Cosmic Suckerpunch, you had better be prepared to back that name up with some pounding, stellar rock and roll. Good thing songwriter Ari Welkom and company deliver on spacey licks and heady songs, rooted in blues and funk, and indebted to imaginative fantasy rock music in the spirit of Led Zeppelin. With a driving rhythm, Cosmic Suckerpunch has invaded the L.A. scene, and with their self-released debut, Good Morning, the band plans on waking up the rest of us with a primal scream.
There's a reason L.A. has become synonymous with making your dreams come true. Hollywood and the Sunset Strip having been cranking out stars for more than a century, whether purposefully or coincidentally, and new discoveries come every day. Take the case of Welkom, discovered as an actor before teaming up with guitarist Fabien Hameline on a movie set. The two realized their shared interests and respected talents could lead to a different kind of artistic avenue, and they first formed the musical act Ghost Robot in 2009. While that moniker's cuteness dried up pretty quick, they eventually recruited drummer Adam Timmerman and bassist Sebastian Hameline, Fabiens twin brother, for the full line up of what is now Cosmic Suckerpunch.

At first holed up and honing their chops in coffeehouses and small clubs, the band's popularity grew in the city of angels and they soon graduated to historic venues like The Viper Room and the House of Blues. Their eclectic and tightly packed sound easily brings in a wide fan base of both geeks and casual listeners. The group plays up a sparkling tongue-in-cheek science fiction vibe throughout their otherwise straightforward music, with themes like robot love and time machines popping up regularly and Welkom often adopting a Ziggy Stardust like swagger when he endearingly croons and stutter-starts his lyrics. Combining that nod to the original space oddity, the group zeroes in on perfectly timed effects and a nonchalant, happily head banging rhythm that never fails to produce a sing-along/jump-along kind of atmosphere.

Cosmic Suckerpunch is expanding their universe, starting by self-releasing their debut record, Good Morning. Even with the understated album title, the band transforms their live sound into a classic rock album, full of the same glimmering exuberance they've become known for. Having recently found themselves opening festivals and seeing bigger stages, the group is now ready to rock on a level of, ahem, cosmic proportions.

by Charles Swanson (MySpoonful) 12/27/11

Instrumentation

Ari Welkom - VOX, Rhythm Guitar.
Fabien Hameline - 12-String Guitar, electric lead guitar
Adam Timmerman - Drums, Percussions
Sébastien Hameline - Bass

Discography

Breathe (to be released in March 2013)
Good Morning (2011)
Ghost Robot EP (2010)

Official Website

http://www.cosmicsuckerpunch.com/

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• MySpace
• Band blog

Audio

• The Great Divide
  Listen  
• Cosmic
  Listen  
• In Love With A Robot
  Listen  
• The Devil Song
  Listen  

Video

Cosmic Suckerpunch - "Cosmic" - official video

Cosmic Suckerpunch - "The Great Divide" - Live @ The Independent

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Hot! Hot! Hot!" [+ Show ]
  

  "... the HOT HOT HOT alternative LA rock band that killed it at Outside Lands Festival this summer o..."... the HOT HOT HOT alternative LA rock band that killed it at Outside Lands Festival this summer opening for the likes of Black Keys, Arctic Monkeys, The Roots, Muse and much more... If you like Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and Nirvana...you will definitely dig Cosmic Suckerpunch's unique sound."

• About "In Love With a Robot" [+ Show ]
  

  Catchy tune and video that might be suggestive or full blown NSFW for some (if you work somewhere la...Catchy tune and video that might be suggestive or full blown NSFW for some (if you work somewhere lame). I love the guitar solo by Fabien Hameline at the 1:20 minute mark and the Mick Jagger-esque facial expressions of Ari Welkom."
  

• Music video world premiere! [+ Show ]
  

  A really good band will have tunes so good to back up whatever it is their doing that the idea of th...A really good band will have tunes so good to back up whatever it is their doing that the idea of them being risky is practically organic. Cosmic Suckerpunch is a band that excels at this...

• The flare of psychedelia of debut album "Good Morning" [+ Show ]
  

  The flare of psychedelia becomes noticeable immediately as even the gentlest of melodies bounce of t...The flare of psychedelia becomes noticeable immediately as even the gentlest of melodies bounce of the farthest of walls... It is as if one great force is being acted upon by another and the result is a massive worm hole of rhythmic junction and inevitable vacuum-like effects.

• On CSP part of Outsidw Lands announcement [+ Show ]
  

  The descendant of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Led Zeppelin, which sounds like one hell of a lovechild....The descendant of Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Led Zeppelin, which sounds like one hell of a lovechild... Kicking all sorts of ass across the musical cosmos.

• Dark horses from Outside Lands [+ Show ]
  

  For every big name like Arctic Monkeys and Big Boi, there were groups like Cosmic Suckerpunch... The...For every big name like Arctic Monkeys and Big Boi, there were groups like Cosmic Suckerpunch... Their live presence is the main reason such groups were chosen to appear at this prominent festival.

• Outside Lands festival wound up [+ Show ]
  

  The LA quartet played a kickass, interstellar set ...as their galactic wails and screeching guitar c...The LA quartet played a kickass, interstellar set ...as their galactic wails and screeching guitar continuously drew the audience in... Suckerpunch gave an incredibly powerful performance.

Setlist

Natural High
Great Divide
Good Morning
In Love With a Robot
Devil Song
At The Crossroads
Breathe
Mindbender
Glad You're Here
That Voice
I Don't Know
Cosmic

Basic Requirements

Calendar