I had the opportunity to have a one-on-one interview with the enigma behind the hit “Don’t Cry for Me.” The multifaceted singer/songwriter Cobi, is currently touring with the band Run River North across the country. After performing live on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. He opened at The Social in Orlando, on Thursday, May 18, 2017, which is where we first were formally introduced by his manager Jon. Cobi was manning his gear with the rest of them. It was a humble view of the beginnings of a rising Rock Superstar.
Review: Cobi Performs Live At The Social In Orlando
Cobi is a very humble and witty individual. He grew up in Minnesota, in a small town of about 1,300 people. How he handles city life, was a question I was eager to find out. He said, “I went to high school and college in the city, and feel really comfortable there. I had to be there to push my music. Although, I love nature and the woods. I grew up around and in them.”
I asked which particular artists awoke the inner musician within him, and his answers were long. He went on to list musical influences ranging amongst the great B.B. King, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Jimmy Hendrix, Happy Apple, and more. When I asked if he could narrow it down, he said, “There wasn’t one voice," that did it for him. "It was all of them,” he concluded.
His sound is intertwined with a bit of the old and the new. His music style compiling of synth, strings, keys, and percussion. All in a mix of soul and rock alike in each of his songs. As if Hall & Oats had a baby with B.B. King, and Janis Joplin. That baby would be Cobi.
When asking about his muses and origins for his songs, he revealed that most of it comes from the gut. “They can be spurned from any life event or thought, from grieving or praising. Rarely will I write about the same thing twice. I try to come at it from a different emotional angle if I do."
” Emphatically making it that once lyrics and chords are set, that’s the end of the chapter for that book. He continued to explain his process by stating, “I like to write in metaphors and hope my music helps someone through something.” He adds, “I truly hope each song has a different interpretation and hits somewhere in the heart.”
He speaks about his work as if he takes no homage to them. He insists that as long as, “you have some sort of reaction to the music,” he is content. When asking how long it takes him to write a song from start to finish, he says, “It can take a couple minutes. To a few weeks. To a few months and even years. It just depends on the song.”
For a man who willingly bleeds his soul into every performance, he is shy to embark on a conversation about himself and what inspires the music within. At least for his more racy songs. One thing is certain, he is a man not afraid to tackle the hard topics of society in his music. He feels passionate about racial and social injustice. In the time he wrote “Don’t Cry for Me,” which is the most viral song on Spotify, showcases how he uses music as a force for activism. The video depicts the plight of what happens if one idly watches a man be hung, and what it can do to the world. The strength of one man can make a difference, even in the most unlikely of places.
Cobi is the kind of man who is deeply guarded, except on stage, or when with the family he’s made within his tour band mates: Sheldon Thwaites (drums), Jeff Kinsley (bass and keys), and his uncle Byron. He warmed up to me after a few of my own self-deprecating declarations and we made the whole thing more of a human experience. We were then able to laugh at each other and ourselves. He was pretty funny. His carefully chosen crew I met, were loyal and loving towards one another. Each man was an absolute pleasure to be around. They concurred that it was a much-needed element to ease the loneliness of touring for months on the road.
Cobi’s performance was life changing to watch. Every fiber of his being was laid out on that stage. An unbounded soulful voice arose from the shy and guarded man, I had spoken with before. He was a force to be reckoned with, especially when in his element of voicing his truthful musical declarations.
Who Cobi is can be inferred in each resounding echo of his voice. His presence was loud and godly as he made love to his music and the audience with his beloved guitar. His song “In the Arms of a Goddess,” made all of the women in the audience believe it could have been her.
There was a theme of loneliness in his lyrics. As he depicts his views on love in his song “Cosmopolitan Man,” as “a loaded gun” and thus leaves us to believe his goddess to keep him has yet to be found. He continued to open another song with the statement, “Love not meaning to last.” Perhaps it’s a love he has yet to find that makes his musical experience so intimate.
Whatever may be the truth behind his new songs “Church of The Lonely,” “In the Arms of a Goddess,” and his renowned hit “Don’t Cry for Me,” I can’t wait to hear more. Stay tuned for his next ventures. He is one to watch. To follow him on tour, check out his site and await the release of the songs only to be heard first on this tour. He will be singing at BottleRock Napa this Memorial Weekend amongst Maroon 5, Foofighters, Tom Petty & The Heart Breakers, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and others.
Future shows include the sold out Lollapalooza show with artists such as Muse, Arcade Fire, Lorde, The Killers, Chance The Rapper, Bishop Briggs, Jacob Banks, and many more. Follow Cobi on Facebook, Instagram, and twitter. His website for all tour dates is here. http://cobimusic.net/
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