Cobalt Cali

Cobalt Cali formed in February of 2006 when a chance encounter of guitarist/vocalist Chris Hartfield and drummer Jeff Laurenzo led to an impromptu jam session. Immediately feeling musical chemistry, the duo then recruited bassist Klint Keown, a friend and fraternity brother of Hartfield.

Meeting in an old classroom turned studio at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS, the trio wrote music to which Hartfield put lyrics. They subsequently added keyboardist Erik Taylor to the mix. The newly formed quartet performed their music at the first annual Otherfest in Cleveland. As they had gathered a decent following by inviting potential fans to sit in on practices, their appeal was so significant that they wound up playing right before the headliner in a lineup of over ten bands. In the following weeks they would play two private gigs and land a spot in the DSU chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia's "Rock the Quad" event.

In the summer, Hartfield and Laurenzo decided that the band may have more commercial success in the indie rock Mecca of Portland, OR. Keown and Taylor were unable to accompany the two due to complications with school. Hartfield and Laurenzo lived in Oregon (bouncing from Newport to Corvallis to Portland) for a little under a year. Playing several gigs as a duo, the two realized that their music called for a fuller sound than two people could produce. While playing for tips at a beachfront ice cream shop in Newport, Hartfield met Gabriel Surley (then front man for Unstable Atmospheres). Impressed by the music, Surley agreed to play bass for the group. The new trio never actually got to play a live show together, and after only two months, Surley left the band as a result of creative differences with Hartfield.
The duo then recruited hard rock drummer turned bassist Jake Martin to comlete the ensemble sound. The group played one show, and Martin relocated to Eugene.

Meanwhile, Hartfield signed on playing bass with A Frightful Night, a hardcore band out of Newport.

The duo felt they needed the depth of Keown's bass to complete their sound, so they decided to return to the Mississippi Delta. After a harrowing journey across the country that was riddled with car trouble, belly laughs and strange events, they reached Mississippi and promptly resigned Keown. The time spent on the West Coast had altered the band's sound such that a keyboardist sounded obtuse, so the trio decided not to retain Erik Taylor.

The group has been playing festivals, clubs and private parties ever since.

Hartfield's guitar sound is heavily influenced by John Frusciante (formerly of Red Hot Chili Peppers) and John Mayer. His role in a trio is that of an orchestrator, as screaming solos would thin out the sound of the band. He played a Fender Stratocaster through a Fender Blues Junior.

Keown is a straightforward bassist with a penchant for setting up a groove. He plays with a very warm tone, at times emulating an upright bass. His influences include Victor Wooten, Jaco Pastorius, and Bootsy Collins. He plays a Peavy Grind Series 6 String bass through an Ampeg head and Avatar 2x10 cab.

Laurenzo learned to play drums by syncing up with a Dave Matthews Band DVD. His style has evolved into a very funky backbone groove inundated with inner beats and ghost notes. He plays Mapex drums with Sabian cymbals.