David - guitars
Brad - bass
Dex - drums
Scott - vocals
Influences
Bubo, The Bonapartes, The Kraken, Death by Sexy, Medusa, The Third Programme, Harry Hamlin, Ambassador Now!, Joy Division, that Three-headed Dog-thing, The Verve, Pegasus, Guided By Voices, Coalie Harry’s, Buzzcocks, New Order, Jed Eckert, The Fall, The Wolverines, The Stone Roses, Russian gunships, The Cure, Phil Constantino and New Bern suck, Toxic Armless-upper-torso-less Spiderman, The Cult, At the Drive-In, Pavement, Tommy Dick, The Smiths, Crime, Urban and ex-Urban poverty, Thomas Frank, Mark Crispin Miller, Joe Bageant, the obvious disconnect between the Christian right and the corporate right in America, latte drinkin’ liberals, latte drinkin’ conservatives, the sun, the moon.
Formed in the spring of 2007, Cobra Collective is named not for any serpentine predilections, but for an obscure mid-20th century art collective. Made up of members from notable Washington, DC area groups such as The Bonapartes, Death By Sexy, and The Third Programme, its music might be defined as a combination of post-punk, straight ahead rock, and garage. Although the band, hopefully not in earnest, refers to its music as “P quad rock” or “polit-pop-post-punk,” it is in reference to its tendency towards writing songs evoking a sense of political populism, rather than anything resembling mainstream “pop;” all of which is delivered, of course, in a muscular, if effete, and decidedly rock-tinged post-punk vehicle.
Occasionally prone to bouts of what it refers to as “tethered wanderlust,” Cobra Collective’s music is just as liable to incite audience members into watching films such as 24 Hour Party People, as it would be more sobering films such as The Fog of War or The Corporation. While it is true that a great deal of influence comes from bands like Buzzcocks, Joy Division, and The Fall, not to mention more diverse groups such as The Replacements, The Cult, Guided By Voices, The Verve and Husker Du (to name but a few), any apparent derivation, ala Robert S. McNamara, would seem somewhat of a stretch.
In its short existence, the band has, thus far, been fortunate enough to have played nearly all of the foremost rock venues in the DC area, including 9:30 Club, RNR Hotel, Iota Club and Café, and Black Cat. The band’s live performances have been described as teetering on the brink of complete chaos… never polished, never perfect, and always a bit raucous. Currently, the band is working on recording its first full length CD.
Shows of Recent Past:
July 17th, 2009 - IOTA(Arlington, VA)
April 24th - Black Cat (Washington, DC)
April 9th - Last Band Standing @ Jammin' Java (Vienna, VA)
March 27th - Black Cat (Washington, DC)
January 31st - Rock and Roll Hotel (Washington, DC)
January 9th - Iota Club and Cafe (Arlington, VA)
November 21st - Iota Club and Cafe (Arlington, VA)
August 30th - Black Cat Mainstage (Washington, DC)
August 4th - FORT RENO (Washington, D.C.)
July 19th - Iota Club and Cafe (Arlington, VA)
June 29th - WMUC 88.1 FM In Studio Performance (College Park, MD)
June 21st - Velvet Lounge (Washington, DC)
May 14th - Black Cat (Washington, DC)
March 28th - 31st Street Pub (Pittsburgh, PA)
March 22nd - Iota Club and Cafe (Arlington, VA)
March 7th - RNR Hotel (Washington, DC)
February 1st - 9:30 Club (Washington, DC)
January 18th - Iota Club and Cafe (Arlington, VA)
December 27th - Iota Club and Cafe (Arlington, VA)
Monday - May 18, 2009 At The Black Cat (Washington DC) XMC - Ex - HOLY ROLLERS - Ex - NEGATIVE APPROACH - Ex - MEATMEN - Ex - HYAA! with PUP TENT 9:00pm - $8.00
You guys played a great set, and the sound was really good too. A great way to get my first (hopefully of many) Cobra Collective experience. Awesome playing with you.
