The Cobrahawks
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The Cobrahawks

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada | SELF
Established on Jan, 2010
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"KW underground sound: Local bands to rock Canada Day"

Local music stems from passion for a certain musical genre and it doesn’t get caught up in the hype of questing for fame in the big leagues. For this reason, local bands from the K-W area are the perfect combinations of “rock star of the universe” personas and humble musicians-next-door.
Even the former are less cocky and more quirky than your average Adam Levine or Jordan Rudess.
A combination of these quirky, humble local personalities are slated to tear it up this July 1 outside of Kitchener’s City Hall for the Canada Day celebration that will be headlined by The Trews.
Wayfarer
Described by 21-year-old lead vocalist and guitarist Kyle Krische as “emo post-beard teen art rock,” Wayfarer entered the Kitchener scene circa 2009. Even after three years on the scene, Wayfarer maintains its attitude of keeping things low key.
Krische describes the band as “subtle” on the horizons of the local music scene and for him, the music is about having fun.
“We fit in well with our friends’ bands and enjoy being part of the local scene that Kitchener has to offer,” Krische said, commenting on their part-time efforts making them “less active than most bands around.”
Even so, bassist Geoff Albrecht will not be joining Krische and lead guitarist Steven Sloane, 22, on stage for Canada Day — you can catch him on The Decay’s east coast tour this July. Sloane and Krische will be joined on Canada Day by close friend Marcus Wanka on lead guitar and Dakota Wotton on drums. For more Wayfarer, stayed tuned for this September’s KOI Music Festival in downtown Kitchener.
Courage My Love
Some things are better left for women and when it comes to getting noticed on the local music scene, twin sisters Mercedes and Phoenix Arn-Horn, 18, are living proof. Founding Courage My Love is one thing; recruiting bassist David Blake-Dickson, snagging management from Nicole Hughes and Chris Perry, and tearing up stages at the Vans Warped Tour, NXNE, and Canadian Music Week is another.
For lead vocalist and guitarist Mercedes Arn-Horn, the strong female duo is one of many reasons to pay attention to Courage My Love.
“There aren’t a lot of female-fronted bands out there, let alone locally. If there are, they usually aren’t heavy. If they’re heavy, they don’t have a female drummer,” she said pointing out their femme fatale force.
But as heavy as they come, they’re all about having fun, according to 20-year-old Blake-Dickson.
“The band is my greatest source of joy in life,” he said. They may have got their break with talented management, but they are still humble to their roots.
Even now, Blake-Dickson says the important thing to keep on your horizons as the years pass is the new talent:
“There is a new generation of bands coming through that are doing very new and original things. It will be interesting to see how that changes the local scene.”
For more Courage My Love, keep your eyes and ears out for their acoustic EP, slated for release July 3.
The Cobrahawks
If you’ve been to a local show in the past couple of years, you know The Cobrahawks, without a doubt. In bassist Josh Wise’s words, “Talent-wise, the [local] scene is full of kickass bands,” and The Cobrahawks have earned their spot on that list time and time again. Whether it’s through their unique live show, their general rowdiness, or their fun-loving nature, The Cobrahawks are guaranteed to put a smile on your face, at least once.
Self-described as “rock and roll that’ll make you sweat,” The Cobrahawks are definitely on the upbeat side of the scale in every aspect. Forming in late 2009 from two previous local efforts, Two Liner and The Charge, the band decided to come together to do what they do best: entertain.
“People want to be entertained and it’s our job to get them there,” Wise said. “We understand this, and that is what sets us apart.”
The first song they ever wrote as a collaborative group, “Never Touch,” is proof enough of this deep understanding. “It’s a rock and roll tune about t - The Imprint


"Cobrahawks entertain with sweat and leather"

Formed in 2009 after the dissolution of local mainstays Two Liner and The Charge, Kitchener-Waterloo’s The Cobrahawks began with immodest goals.

Singer-guitarist Christian Ventura, bassist Josh Wise, lead guitarist Mat Piche, and drummer Taylor Cooper had tired of the self-conscious seriousness of their scene and decided that The Cobrahawks would not vent their social concerns or pine for lost love with their songs. Rather, their songs would celebrate sex, volume, and the brotherhood of The Cobrahawks.

“We all agreed that the rock ‘n’ roll attitude is missing from the modern scene,” bassist Wise said. “That ‘We’re going to entertain you whether you want it or not’ mentality. Taking that and mixing it with the sexual energy of ’80s hair metal really sets our live show into action. The tight leather vests, the matching white headbands, mixing in some choreographed dance moves and playing some in-your-face rock ‘n’ roll is a pretty good (way) to get your music and image into somebody’s head.

“It’s all about entertainment,” Wise said. “We take the greatest pride in our live show. A lot of preparation goes into planning each set. To us it’s more than plugging your instrument and playing for thirty minutes. When the timer starts, it’s our job to win the audience over. We want to be loud, fun, crude, and talked-about.”

It is an exciting time for The Cobrahawks; on June 1 their newest EP, Volume One, was released digitally on iTunes, and on June 8, supported by a partnering with the KOI Music Festival, their EP will be released on CD. It is their third release in as many years, but Volume One is perhaps the first evidence of the band’s true capabilities. Wise is thrilled with the finished product and excited to work with the KOI Music Festival team to make the release party a memorable event.

“The KOI Music Festival is organized by Curt and Cory Crossman,” he says. “They’ve been an integral piece in a lot of the local success we’ve had. The brothers (Crossman) approached us with an idea to make it a double-release type of event, (The Bosswich will also be releasing a new EP at the party), where we can promote our new album with a live performance. It’s a great and unique idea that we think will be a success.

“The final product turned out a lot better than we had hoped, by far our proudest achievement,” he says of the EP. “Many of our previous recordings had been very clipped and clean and the sound just didn’t match the rough style we have established. When we met Adam (Wathan, engineer and producer), we had mentioned how we wanted to make an album with a more raw sound. He helped us through the process, giving helpful hints that added to the overall sound. It was by far the most fun we’ve had producing new music. We’re now working with our new management team at Industry Corp. who will provide experience in terms of pushing this product further than ever.”

Like the Canadian cousins of Scandinavian sex-party rockers Turbonegro, The Cobrahawks’ Volume One is all amps-to-11 anarchy, with tongue firmly in-cheek. This is shirts-off heavy rock that you can dance to, (presuming you can dance really fast), and laugh with. Since Day 1, the goal has been to entertain, and with this EP as their calling card don’t be too surprised if the masses start lining up to witness the spectacle of these leather-clad party-boys.

“The Cobrahawks are in full ‘go’ mode right now,” Wise said. “Along with the new album, we’re in the initial planning stages of our second music video, to be shot by director Lee Ventura. He produced our first video, (Too Young (To Rock ‘n’ Roll), and we were thrilled with the final product. We play to win, and so do our fans. Let’s get sweaty!”

WHO: The Cobrahawks EP Release Party w/ The Bosswich

WHERE: Walper Hotel Ballroom

WHEN: June 8, 2012

DOORS: 8 p.m.

Tickets: $10 adv.
- The Record


Discography

2012 - "Volume One" - 5 Song EP Release - Industry Records
2010 - "Cooper" - 5 Song EP Release - Independent
2009 - "Songs In E" - 3 Song EP Release - Independent

"Too Young (To Rock & Roll)" is a single off of the EP "Cooper". The song has airplay on 88.3 CJIQ and 100.3 SoundFM. The song is also in heavy stream on CBC Radio and LastFM.

In August 2011, a music video was released for "Too Young (To Rock & Roll)" and amassed over 1000 unique plays in the first 3 days on online availability. The video is currently awaiting approval for rotation on Much Music.

Photos

Bio

The Cobrahawks little-tykes soccer team was a vicious force to be reckoned with in its heyday of 2005. Now, the teammates honour those legendary battles by performing some of the most savage music and dangerous dance moves ever to grace planet Earth, with more ravishing riffs than a starving village could eat.

The Cobrahawks have taken their sexually-charged act on over 100 dates, including Vans Warped Tour 2012, Canadian Music Week 2012, Beat Rocks The Block 2010, KOI Music Festival 2010 through 2012, and direct support slots with The Trews on Canada Day 2012 and Treble Charger 2013.

The crew takes a strong influence from the band KISS, as they truly strive to entertain the crowd. Utilizing up-tempo songs, the band - dressed in matching Warriors-derived leather vests and black jeans - incorporates synchronized dance moves, a hype monkey-man, confetti cannons, toilet paper blasters, a talk-box, and tons of rippling muscle. Other influences are Turbonegro, Motorhead, Iggy & The Stooges - and surprisingly - Prince, Jackson 5 and James Brown.

If you want to see musicians stare at their feet or play silly breakdowns, please do not book The Cobrahawks. They're too busy working out and watching Princes' Purple Rain.

Band Members