The Band Bobaflex
More Show Photos: HERE
Venue: Rhode Island’s Rock Junction
Photographer: Ilya Mirman
Review By: Ilya Mirman
It’s always fun to discover new bands in small clubs, and last Thursday was a special treat: catching Bobaflex at Rhode Island’s Rock Junction. Here’s a melodic rock / metal band that hails from West Virginia, founded by Shaun and Marty McCoy (yes, of the Hatfields & McCoys feud).
Interestingly, and to my surprise, the brothers trade off guitar and vocals. I realized this when – after several songs – the “singer” picked up a guitar, and the “guitarist” traded his axe for a mic. The brothers have a distinctive approach when on vocals, and it works great, with a continuity and a natural flow to the show.
The band exhibited a great range in every way – thematically, musically, stage presence, energy. At times fast and aggressive, at times slow and sensitive with barely whispering vocals, with their set Bobaflex wove an interesting, complex tapestry. Lyrically, I found the songs to evoke interesting imagery (e.g., “Bury Me With My Guns On”) – perhaps due to the band’s roots. Noteworthy are the arrangements, the song dynamics. Thoughtfully and artfully done, there’s a fine balance between fast and slow – both within a song, and across the entire set.
As rockers, Bobaflex lacked neither confidence nor swagger, but at the same time exhibited great humility and humor. They readily connected with the crowd – before, during and after their set. And were not just friendly, but also fun and funny. There were constant smiles on the stage, they were clearly enjoying themselves, and this feeling was infectious. This is not a band where there’s a front-man and four supporting musicians; rather, the entire band has personality, and time is made to highlight every band member.
Smaller clubs can be a mixed-bag, both sound- and quality-wise – though here I found the band to have a great sound and stage presence. Bobaflex sounded fantastic and put on a great, energetic show.
The songs don’t take too long to get stuck in your head. I’m just a few plays into their most recent CD, “Hell In My Heart” – and the songs I’m particularly liking are “Chemical Valley,” “Last Song,” “Bury Me With My Guns” and their Simon-Garfunkel cover, “Sound of Silence.”
Bobaflex may be a band you haven’t heard of yet – but check out their music, and catch a show while they’re still touring smaller clubs. I suspect they’ll soon be graduating to larger venues, and wider exposure.