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Cobra Starship

 
Artist: Cobra Starship
See Cobra Starship Lyrics
  • Formed: 2005, New York, NY
  • Genres: Rock
  • Representative Albums: "Hot Mess," "While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets," "¡Viva la Cobra!"
  • Representative Songs: "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)," "The Church of Hot Addiction," "Send My Love to the Dancefloo"

Biography

As the legend of Cobra Starship would have it, frontman Gabe Saporta fled into the deserts of Arizona one day to find the true meaning of his existence away from his emo-rock band, Midtown. Saporta spent days and nights pondering life, mysterious lights constantly plaguing the nighttime sky above him. One distinct night, the lights became so mesmerizing that Gabe became catatonic and started levitating into the air. A snake suddenly came out of nowhere, bit his neck, and he awoke to find a talking cobra from the future nursing his wounds. This enigmatic cobra went on to explain the end of the world (no salvation for anyone) and disclosed Gabe's purpose in life -- to ensure that mankind went out in style. As the cobra revealed, Gabe must complete this "by teaching hipsters to not take themselves so seriously and by telling emo kids to stop being pussies." Hence, Cobra Starship were born...uh, back in New York.

After taking their name from words written on the back of Saporta's favorite vintage jacket, the band burst onto the scene with an über-catchy dance-pop-rock single named "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)." The song -- which featured Saporta performing alongside fellow vocalists Maja Ivarsson (the Sounds), Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), and William Beckett (the Academy Is...) -- was the lead track off the 2006 soundtrack to Snakes on a Plane, a horror comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson. Its video hit the MTV airwaves that July and featured cameos from Jackson and Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz. Meanwhile, Cobra Starship continued work on a full-length album of their own.

The band signed to Decaydance that same year and spent part of the fall touring with Gym Class Heroes. While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets hit stores that October, marking the band's official debut, and Saporta continued to tour alongside his newly expanded band. After several changes, the lineup returned in 2007 with ¡Viva la Cobra!, followed two years later by Hot Mess. The latter album was preceded by "Good Girls Gone Bad," a Top 40 hit co-penned by Kara DioGuardi and sung by Saporta and Gossip Girl actress Leighton Meester. ~ Corey Apar, All Music Guide
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Cobra Starship

Background information
Origin New York City, New York, United States
Genres Pop music
Dance Pop
Years active 2005–present
Labels Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen
Atlantic Records
Associated acts Midtown
Panic! at the Disco
This Is Ivy League
The Academy Is...
Gym Class Heroes
Fall Out Boy
Hey Monday
The All-American Rejects
The Sounds
Armor For Sleep
Kite Flying Society
Leighton Meester
Website CobraStarship.com
Members
Gabe Saporta
Ryland Blackinton
Alex Suarez
Victoria Asher
Nate Novarro
Former members
Elisa Schwartz

Cobra Starship is an American Pop music group created by former Midtown bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta, who is also lead vocalist for Cobra Starship.

Other members consist of guitarist Ryland Blackinton, bassist Alex Suarez, Nate Novarro on drums, and Victoria Asher on keytar, all of whom provide backing vocals.

Contents

History

While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets (2006-2007)

Cobra Starship became a full-time project for Gabe Saporta after the dissolution of his previous band, Midtown. The band signed with Decaydance Records in July 2006.[1]

Their first album, While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets, was released October 10, 2006. It featured the single "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)", of which a video had been featured during the closing credits of the film Snakes on a Plane earlier that summer.

¡Viva La Cobra! (2007-2008)

Cobra Starship released their second album, ¡Viva La Cobra!, on October 23, 2007. It was produced by Patrick Stump, who was also credited as singing some backup vocals.[2]

The album has been toured heavily worldwide. Cobra headlined the Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking Tour with guests Metro Station, The Cab, and We The Kings from January to March, 2008. They also played on Warped Tour 2008 and headlined the SassyBack tour, which toured from October 7 through November 30, 2008, with guests Forever the Sickest Kids, Hit the Lights, and Sing it Loud!.

The album art for the ¡Viva La Cobra! album has also been used to promote the latest edition of Apple's iPod nano in purple. It shows Gabe's trademark American Apparel purple hoodie, which matches the iPod color.[citation needed]

Hot Mess (2009-present)

Following the success of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl", Cobra Starship recorded their own cover version, "I Kissed a Boy," in summer 2008. The song was released on August 25, 2008, on Fall Out Boy's Citizens For Our Betterment mixtape Welcome To The New Administration. Cobra Starship is one of 9 artists who participated in thetruth.com’s Remix Project, where they remixed the Sunny Side song "Magical Amount".

Cobra Starship also began the "Believers Never Die (Part Deux)" tour in the beginning of April, opening for Fall Out Boy, with other bands All Time Low, Metro Station, and Hey Monday. They spent time performing many shows in the US mostly all in April and the beginning of May, however they also played a few shows in the UK at the end of May 2009, supported by Sing It Loud, Cash Cash, and UK band Mimi Soya.

In 2009, the band went to a cabin in Pennsylvania, attempting to lay down some tracks. They broadcasted live throughout their stay on the live camera feed site Stickam, thus creating the Shelf Kids club. After their stay, a new album was announced with a tentative release in the summer. The band worked with Kara DioGuardi, Kevin Rudolf, KarateE! Mouse, S*A*M, Sluggo, and song-writers Benny Blanco and Patrick Stump on Hot Mess.[3] Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is featured on the song "Good Girls Go Bad", which is produced by Kevin Rudolf and co-written by Rudolf and Kara DioGuardi.[4] The song is the album's first single, and was added on iTunes on May 11 and available to listen to on the band's official MySpace page. Other songs include "Pete Wentz Is the Only Reason We're Famous", which has been released on their YouTube channel[5] and Bebo page. On May 8, the album title was confirmed as Hot Mess, with a release date of August 11.

The band began its tour to promote the new album on August 3. The tour, called Hot Mess Across The US Tour, has 21 stops and features guests such as Friday Night Boys and DJ Skeet Skeet. After Plasticines dropped off the tour, Cobra Starship listed a number of candidate bands for the fans to vote for online in a blog; The Audition won.[6] On their official video podcast (CobraCam.tv), the band released humorous tentative titles for the album (which parodies several other notable albums) "Griller", "Tha Ryland III", and variations of their ¡Viva La Cobra! album.

They made a stop on the Warped Tour in 2009, playing in Salt Lake City, on August 8, 2009. In Fall 2009, they are signed on to Boys Like Girls' "Love Drunk Tour" along with The Maine and A Rocket to the Moon.

Cobra Starship played[7] at a September 11, 2009 MTV Video Music Awards weekend competition and pre-party at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. The competition was for The MTV "VMA Best Breakout New York City Artist Award", and took place before MTV Video Music Awards performers and in between performances from MTV Video Music Awards artists.[8]

On October 13, 2009, the band performed on the Jimmy Kimmel's outdoor stage.

Cobra Starship appeared at "Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009" along with Mexican superstar Paulina Rubio performing Good Girls Go Bad and Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes. Cobra Starship and Paulina won an MTV Award for "Best Performance", for Good Girls Go Bad and Ni Rosas Ni Juguetes at the Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2009, voted by the public, beating other artist such as Shakira, Nelly Furtado, and Wisin y Yandel.

On October 21, 2009 Cobra Starship took their first trip in a private jet [2], which reportedly enthused the group. Cobra Starship took the private jet to Bloomington, Indiana to attend a charity event at Indiana University which also featured Girl Talk. The charity event which took place October 22, 2009 benefited a local shelter for battered women and was sponsored by Victoria's Secret. Indiana University students competed against five other institutions during the summer to win a visit from Cobra Starship and mashup DJ Girl Talk.

Band members

Current members

Former

  • Elisa Schwartz - keytar (2005-2006)

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
US US Indie US Heat CAN AUS NZ
2006 While the City Sleeps, We Rule the Streets 125 7 1
2007 ¡Viva La Cobra!
  • Second studio album
  • Release date: October 23, 2007
  • Label: Fueled by Ramen/Decaydance
80
2009 Hot Mess
  • Third studio album
  • Release date: August 11, 2009
  • Label: Feuled by Ramen/Decaydance
4 19 51 18
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Album appearances

Year Album
2006 Snakes on a Plane: The Album
2007 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Music From the Motion Picture
2008 Warped Tour 2008 Tour Compilation
2008 Welcome to the New Administration
2009 Jennifer's Body

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions[9][10][11][12] Album
US US Pop US
Alt.
CAN NZ AUS UK
2006 "Snakes on a Plane (Bring It)"
(with William Beckett, Travis McCoy and Maja Ivarsson)
32 While the City Sleeps,
We Rule the Streets
"The Church of the Hot Addiction"
2007 "Send My Love to the Dancefloor,
I'll See You In Hell (Hey Mister DJ)"
"The City Is at War" ¡Viva La Cobra!
"Guilty Pleasure"
2008 "Kiss My Sass"
2009 "Good Girls Go Bad" (with Leighton Meester) 7 7 7 2 5 17 Hot Mess
"Hot Mess" 64 58 40
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

External links


 
 

 

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Artist. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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