Bobaflex
| Bobaflex | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Point Pleasant, West Virginia, United States |
| Genres | Nu metal,[1] heavy metal, alternative metal |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | TVT, Eclipse, Megaforce |
| Members |
Shaun McCoy Marty McCoy Dave Tipple Jymmy Toland Tommy Johnson |
| Past members |
Chris Grogan Drebbit (Chris Drummond) Mike Steele Lutz (Aaron Lutz) Ronnie Casto Jerod Mankin |
Bobaflex (bō-bŭ-flĕx) is a band from Point Pleasant, West Virginia, United States. They were part of Gigantour in 2005 and Rock on the Range in 2008 and 2012.
History
Formed in the 1990s, the band has released six full-length albums and one six-track EP, and is featured on the Gigantour DVD/CD. The band released the six-song EP, Chemical Valley which was released on 7 March 2010, and a 15-track full-length album Hell in my Heart, which was released on February 4, 2011. The unique thing about the band is the two frontmen, brothers Shaun and Marty McCoy, who trade guitar and lead vocals, depending on the song.
Bobaflex was established in 1998 by the McCoys. The idea for Bobaflex happened in 1997 when Shaun, Lutz and Drebbit met at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. The brothers were no strangers to the press, having ancestral ties to the most infamous family feud in American history, between the Hatfields and the McCoys, which almost caused a war between the states of West Virginia and Kentucky in the 1880s.
Shaun said in an interview that the band's name was inspired by the bounty hunter Boba Fett from Star Wars.
Continuously co-headlining Ohio's largest independent rock festival Woodshock three years in a row, the band performed for crowds of over 5,000.
After playing out of state for months at a time, the band returned to West Virginia to find itself booked on 106.3-FM's X-Fest, West Virginia's largest Rock festival, sponsored by Huntington's largest commercial rock radio station, WAMX).
Performing to an audience of 12,000 and sharing the stage with Nickelback, Disturbed and many others, Bobaflex played there three years in a row, thus landing a spot on the renowned Locobazooka tour in 2002 playing with Filter, Sevendust, and Mushroomhead just to name a few.
With its first label gone bankrupt shortly after signing them, Bobaflex spent the next few years engaged in legal battles, cost, turmoil and expenses. Some of the band members called their E 350 Ford van home for a short time. They lost all rights to their songs and even the band name, but eventually got them all back.[2]
In 2002, Bobaflex's cover of Bob Dylan's "Mr Tambourine Man" was a worldwide success.
The band continued to hit the road throughout 2002, independently booking tour dates through more than 13 states.
Primitive Epic sold all 1,000 copies of the initial pressing in its first four weeks strictly through live performances, word of mouth, and mail order, which quickly caught the attention of New Jersey's Eclipse Records.
Bobaflex began selling Chemical Valley EP at a concert at the V-Club in Hutington, West Virginia on February 19, 2010. The six-track EP was only available at concerts but in April 2010 the band started selling the EP on Amazon.com. The EP features tracks from their upcoming full-length record which is due later in the year. On May 28, Bobaflex was on Blazor and Mo in the Morning. Shaun has said that people should buy the EP because the songs might not be on the full album due to label issues.
The band released the full-length album Hell in my Heart on February 4, 2011, at the V-Club in Huntington, West Virginia. The Album contains four remastered tracks from the Chemical Valley EP, as well as an updated version of the song "Slave", a live recording of the song "Pretty Razors" (previously available only as an iTunes Store exclusive from Tales from Dirt Town), and nine previously unreleased tracks. It also features a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence" which has been well received by audiences and has received airplay on Satellite Radio, as well as many radio stations across the country.[3]
Charlatan's Web' was released on September 10, 2013, and the first single, "Bad Man" was released to the iTunes Store.[4] Long-time bassist Jerod Mankin announced his departure from the band on July 26, 2014, releasing a statement on the band's Facebook page stating that their upcoming west coast tour would be his final with the group.
The band toured and played regionally on the success of "Charlatan's Web", and released videos for, "Bad Man", "Never Coming Back", "I'm Glad You're Dead", and "Losing My Mind", the latter of which was the band's first animated music video. "Never Coming Back" was the band's first video with former Roxy Mae bassist, Jymmy Tolland, who joined after Mankin's departure in late-2014.
In 2015, the band entered the studio and is preparing to release a new full-length album, Anything That Moves.
In early 2016, the ensemble plans to travel the southern, southeastern and Midwestern United States along with Bridge to Grace, The Veer Union and Artifas.[5]
Record labels
On March 10, 2001, Bobaflex signed with Eclipse and went back into the studio to record.
On July 28, Eclipse officially released the band to TVT Records. For more information, check out TVT's website.
In 2009 TVT filed for bankruptcy. Bobaflex got all rights to their songs back and are searching for a new record label.
In 2011, Bobaflex announced that it would be releasing Hell in My Heart through BFX Records/Megaforce.[6]
Personnel
Members
- Shaun McCoy (vocals, guitar)
- Marty McCoy (vocals, guitar)
- Dave Tipple (guitar, back up vocals)
- Tommy Johnson (drums)
- Jymmy Tolland (bass)
Former members
- Jerod Mankin (bass, back up vocals)
- John Hoskins (guitar, back up vocals)
- Chris Grogan (guitar, back up vocals)
- Lutz (Aaron Lutz) (vocals)
- Mike Steele (guitar, back up vocals)
- Drebbit (Chris Drummond) (vocals)
- Ronnie Casto (drums)
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Release date | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primitive Epic | August 19, 2003 | Enhanced CD | Eclipse Records |
| Apologize for Nothing | August 2, 2005 | TVT Records | |
| Tales From Dirt Town | October 30, 2007 | TVT Records | |
| Hell in My Heart | August 30, 2011 | BFX Records/Megaforce Records | |
| Charlatan's Web | September 10, 2013 | BFX Records | |
| Anything That Moves | July 17, 2015 | #17 Heatseekers Albums | BFX Records |
Extended plays
| Title | Release date | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Valley EP | 2010 | BFX Records |
Singles
| Title | Release date | Album | Notes | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Tears Drip" | 2003 | Primitive Epic | Enhanced CD | Eclipse Records |
| "Better Than Me" | 2006 | Apologize for Nothing | TVT Records | |
| "Home" | 2007 | Tales From Dirt Town | TVT Records | |
| "Bury Me With My Guns On" | 2010 | Hell in My Heart | BFX Records | |
| "Chemical Valley" | 2011 | Chemical Valley (EP) | BFX Records | |
| "Bad Man" | 2013 | Charlatan's Web | #35 US Mainstream Rock Songs | BFX Records |
| "I'm Glad You're Dead" | 2013 | Charlatan's Web | #32 US Mainstream Rock Songs | BFX Records |
| "Never Coming Back" | 2014 | Charlatan's Web | BFX Records | |
| "Mama (Don't Take My Drugs Away)" | 2015 | Anything That Moves | BFX Records | |
| "A Spider in the Dark" | 2015 | Anything That Moves | BFX Records |
References
- ↑ Prato, Greg. "Bobaflex – Tales from Dirt Town". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
- ↑ "A Rock Band And An E 350 15 Passenger Ford Van". Ford Motor Company. 2012-01-17. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
- ↑ Alice Roques (2012-11-17). "INTERVIEW: BOBAFLEX". RockRevolt Magazine. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
- ↑ "Facebook Bobaflex". Bobaflex Facebook. 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
- ↑ "The Veer Union to Release 'Decade' Album in January". Loudwire.com. Retrieved 2016-01-05.
- ↑ "Bobaflex: New Bobaflex Album on PledgeMusic". Pledgemusic.com. Retrieved 2016-01-05.