Cogswell

Cogswell began in the summer of 2002 when Justin K. Smith put up an ad for a bassist in Amoeba Records. After numerous responses Justin received a call from Jared Christoffersen. An arrangement was set up and Jared came down and rehearsed with Justin and Brandon Whisler, the drummer at that time. They shared common influences such as Radiohead, Jane's Addiction, and Pink Floyd, and brought their own to the table as well. While Justin was rooted in rock acts, such as Pearl Jam, Led Zeppelin and The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jared brought an English influence with his love for bands such as Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, and Joy Division. Playing under a different name at the time this trio played some shows throughout Southern California, but as the year wrapped up Brandon became happily married and decided to move on to other things.
Throughout 2003 Justin and Jared continued playing and auditioned many different drummers, but could never find their ideal match. In 2004 the duo decided to employ a drummer, Zoltan Fzentkiralyi a friend of Jared's, to help record four tracks at Jungle Room Studios with Brian Reeves, whose credits include U2 and Rooney engineering and mixing. After the four tracks were recorded and mixed they were taken to Capitol Mastering to be mastered by Mark Chalecki, whose credits include Sublime and The Polyphonic Spree. With a new demo in hand Justin and Jared set upon a new name, Cogswell, and began their search for a permanent drummer.
The final piece of the puzzle was added when they found Matt Oloffson, a drummer that the duo felt was amazing, and John Baldwin, a guitarist that brings all the necessary elements to the musical table, including back up vocals. Matt is a very energetic and explosive drummer who adds the rhythmic elements Cogswell desires. He brings a very live and complex rhythmic feel with Dave Grohl (The Foo Fighters), Matt Cameron (Soundgarden, Pearl Jam), and Danny Carrey (Tool) as primary influences. John has a very melodic influence, citing guitarist such as Andy Summers (The Police), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) and Omar A. Rodriguez-Lopez (The Mars Volta) as musical inspirations. He is the final layer of sound that Cogswell needed and a guitarist that everyone should experience live.
When the four members of Cogswell play together they achieve a sound that they have dubbed “progressive garage rock”, which means a very live, garage rock sound, with an added element of diversity from other musical styles. When recording they use the studio to their advantage, much like an instrument, and when playing live they strive to use the audience to help create memorable performances. Cogswell is continuing to grow and develop a wider and broader audience through the use of their website (www.cogswell.la), stickers and performances.