Bobaflex from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, was formed in 1998 by brothers (vocalists/guitarists) Shaun and Marty McCoy. When their former record label TVT went bankrupt in 2008 the band didn’t call it quits like some expected them to. Instead, Bobaflex knuckled down behind closed doors and continued to write songs. With the bank inheriting the rights to the band’s contract, back catalogue and any future material they produced, the band – completed by Jerod Mankin (bass/vocals), Chris Grogan (guitar) and Tommy Johnson (drums) - waited until they were finally free from the ties of the bank to officially release the new songs. The result of their labour is held within their fourth album ‘Hell In My Heart’ – an outburst of emotions delivered with true rock 'n’ roll grit.
Rock & Rose recently gave Marty a call. We talk about Pledge Music, growing up in ‘Chemical Valley’ and becoming the biggest band in the world.
Many people had written Bobaflex off but times are changing and attention from both labels and media has started to gain momentum since the first single from ‘Hell In My Heart’ - ‘Bury Me With My Guns On’ - made its assault on radio airwaves Stateside. “Things are going great for us” states Marty. “We’ve been doing this for a very, very, long time. We’ve been on record labels and we’ve toured with big bands, and just had a great time. We we’re on TVT records and they went bankrupt so we decided to do it on our own. I think it is the best thing that we’ve ever done and our fans have kept us alive; it’s really starting to take off.”
To fund the making of ‘Hell In My Heart’ Bobaflex turned to Pledge Music, a unique fan to band experience which enables fans to donate money to help their favourite artists. In Bobaflex’s case the incentive list includes: signed goodies, handwritten lyric sheets, partying with the band, VIP Passes and sound check, an acoustic house party and more. “I would like to say something about Pledge Music and get it out there” Marty says; “It was really cool for us; it worked really, really well. The goal that we asked for we hit it with ease, our diehard fans came through and just took care of us.”
One of the best experiences for the band was when one fan pledged money for a VIP pass, driving from Minnesota to Spokane, Washington to hang out with the band. Marty recalls: “She was a really cool lady. It’s nice to see and meet the person that pledged a lot of money - it’s just nice to be face to face. She drove all that way to hang backstage with the band and that kind of made me feel like a rock star! I was like ‘wow this is really cool’.”
Marty reveals that another aspect of Pledge he enjoyed was surprisingly re-handwriting lyric sheets for the fans. “It brought back memories… where I was at when I was writing the song, what we were doing when the band was writing the song. It was really cool to see what songs fans wanted and what songs kept popping up.”
With artists choosing to stay independent and record labels slowly fading into the background, many musicians, including Bobaflex, see Pledge Music as the way of the future.
Having reached their project target, the quintet will be donating 10% of any further money raised to the American Cancer Society, chosen because it is close and personal to everybody: “It’s kind of alarming how fast in our area…you get out to the Midwest and the West Coast people aren’t really talking about cancer all that much, and you get back to our home town and it seems like they’re shovelling it out for lunch every day.”
Their home town [Point Pleasant] was the inspiration behind the song ‘Chemical Valley’, featuring the lyrics: Power plants help the cancer to spread, with medicine that they sell to the dead, through the needle gonna fall in love.
Marty reveals: “Growing up there was great, it was a nice place, everybody was really cool, you didn’t have to lock your doors, but once the OxyContin came to town it turned into a different place altogether.” [OxyContin is an opiate used to treat pain, normally prescribed to cancer and chronic pain patients, but because of its affordability and the heroin-like high it produces it became a popular street drug]. “That’s what ‘Chemical Valley’ is about. We’re surrounded by chemical plants; it’s where everybody works and where everybody’s Dad works. You get out of high school, you hope to get a job there, you know; there is kind of a double meaning. But when OxyContin came to the town it went to shit quickly, it took a lot of good people out.”
Talk leads to song writing. Each band member of Bobaflex is involved in the writing process. Marty tells Rock & Rose that having all the different influences and creative minds working makes things exciting: “Everything moves really fast, everybody’s ideas are just flying out. There are so many ideas that you better say something quick or you are not gonna get your part on the song!” he laughs. Over the years their lyrics have become more personal. After going through divorces, bankruptcy, and more, they stopped writing songs about spaceships and aeroplanes and things got more real. In turn Bobaflex found that people connected more with the music. The band wants people to feel like they are going on a journey beginning to end, when they listen to the music. With Marty, Shaun and Jerod sharing singing duties and everybody participating in writing the material, you certainly don’t feel as if it’s the same song being played over and over again. “It’s something we pride ourselves on,” Marty comments. “We try to write a record that you don’t skip around on or you buy one or two songs and you’re over it. We try to get a record that stays in your CD player for six months then you’re ready for a new one.”
Rock & Rose enquire about the new material they have been working on. Are there any major differences in comparison to the band’s previous work? “It’s definitely got a little more rock 'n’ roll,” Marty responds. “We’ve been on tour with a lot of metal bands. When we first started playing our music we were a little wilder, a little less structured. The older we’ve got the more experience we’ve gained, a natural progression. It’s more straight rock 'n’ roll, with metal tinges; it’s the stuff we grew up on but a little more modern…but you know, long black hair and tattoos, kick ass rock 'n’ roll!”
The band is currently in the middle of a tour in the US with good friends Royal Bliss, Marty tells Rock & Rose that the tour is going great and with things looking up for both bands they are attracting quite a crowd each night. We ask Marty whether having three people sharing vocal duties comes in handy when on tour: “Yes absolutely! Neal [Middleton – Royal Bliss vocalist] has to watch his voice all the time; he has to take certain measures so that his voice stays in check. Whereas we can get as drunk as we want and everyone is fine” Marty laughs. “I don’t have to sing all night; my brother doesn’t have to sing all night so we can get away with it a little bit more because there are three singers.” Receiving a host of great reviews for their live performances we wonder when the UK will get to see Bobaflex in action. “It’s coming, it’s definitely coming!” Marty reveals. “I’ve been there [UK] because of my family - my mother is from Scotland and my family is spread out all over; but we have never been there as a band. I know we have a lot of fans over there but we’ve never been able to make the trip. Now that we’re doing everything on our own that is something we are going to focus on and I think it’s going to be really big for us. I can’t wait to go” Would there be a proper tour or will it just be a couple of shows? “I would like to tour the whole…I would like to do every nook and cranny!” Marty enthuses.
Bobaflex aims to show the world who they are and why they deserve to be here. Marty laughs: “I want us to be Metallica huge and be the biggest band in the world, where we have to go to Europe and there will be girls screaming outside the windows wanting to get to us!”
On April 17th 2012 Evans Blue will set free their fourth studio album entitledGraveyard of Empires. The album, produced by Trevor Kustiak, is set to contain the most aggressive Evans Blue material to date. Frontman Dan Chandler answered some questions Rock & Rose put to him about the much-anticipated forthcoming release.
Rock & Rose: On Evans Blue there is a song titled ’Who We Are’ – as musicians how do you think you have changed in comparison to who you were when you made the self-titled album?
Dan Chandler: As musicians, we would love to believe we're constantly growing. It's not really about getting better to me...it's about capturing the sound and direction you envisioned and really discovering your growth. We have come a long way since the self-titled record, and I'm sure Graveyard of Empires will prove this to be true.
R & R: Parker recently wrote on his Facebook status that Graveyard Of Empires is the band’s most aggressive album to date – is that musically, lyrically or both? Was it a conscious decision to incorporate more aggression into the band’s sound?
Dan: The aggression is both musically and vocally. I still sing, but there are more screams and raw emotion on this album. It's very real and personal. I don't think it was necessarily a conscious decision, but I think we were all headed in this direction so it felt natural.
R & R: So far, the songs that you’ve released - ‘This Time It's Different’ and ‘Halo’ - appear to be going down well with fans. Are these songs a good indication of what can be expected from the rest of the album?
Dan: I'd say that's a pretty fair statement, although it's just the tip of the iceberg to me. This album has a theme and it's very human and honest. I don't mean "human" in the generic sense. It's genuine, and speaks for a lot of us and after hearing it, you will know if you're one of us. Wow that totally sounded like a cult. Haha
R & R: In November drummer Howard "H-Bomb" Davis’ departure was announced. Did the musical differences between the band and Howard come to head while you were in the studio or did you all realise you were no longer on the same page prior to starting the recording process?
Dan: I think we all felt a little something happening leading up to the departure. It was not a quick gut decision. This was necessary for all of us. I'd say we knew without question, we were unhappy when we got into the studio.
R & R: You’ve had two drummers come to play on the album [Mike McClure a friend of the band and Paramore’s touring drummer Jason Pierce]. How has working with these different musicians affected the dynamics of the band while recording?
Dan: The dynamics were affected in the most positive way. Jason is a pro in the studio and one of the nicest and easiest guys to work with; much of the same could be said about Mike McClure. I think their contribution to the record has definitely helped shape what I think is our best work to date.
R & R: The album is called Graveyard of Empires, which is also a label given to Afghanistan. We read an article which described Afghanistan as having “a reputation for undoing ambitious military ventures and humiliating would-be conquerors. It's a hard place to fight, to conquer and rule.” This could also be said about the music industry. Are you hopeful that the new album will have what it takes to solidify Evans Blue’s place within today’s music scene? Are there any plans to conquer new territories?
Dan: We're all hopeful for growth but we also feel fortunate to be a band surviving in this industry. We have an amazing team. We get to create what we want, and I think if we stay true to ourselves and our music we will be heard. The plan to conquer new territories is always in motion. Not exactly sure when, but it will happen, and soon!
R & R: What is the likelihood that you will tour outside the States/Canada with this record?
Dan: I'd say the likelihood is pretty good. It may not be the first leg of the tour or even the 3rd, but we are all really excited at the thought of going overseas.
