NEW STUFF!! ~New Record "Jump the Fence" on iTunes Music Store and CDBaby.com ~Chicago Sun-Times Profile! ROAD JOURNAL: 11.5.08 - November Update: VOTING, CBGB Fest, A Welcoming, and much more! 1) We are delighted that our official endorsement of Barack Obama for president had such far-reaching effects. I'm pretty sure that we tipped the scales in Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado, and that one electoral vote for Omaha. For nostalgia's sake, here is the aforementioned super-important endoresement: "We of Cobalt & the Hired Guns feel very strongly about this election. We've been registering new Illinois voters at our recent live shows, trying to do our part in this democratic process. It's difficult to talk about the importance of this election without sounding cliché, but hey, its really freaking important. On that note, for what it's worth, Cobalt & the Hired Guns officially endorses Barack Obama for president. On every major issue – the environment, health care, education, foreign policy, the economy – we think that Obama has the insight, creativity, and political skill necessary to bring about positive change. We really like him and believe he would be a great leader for our nation. So that's what we think. Go act on what you think and cast your ballot on Tuesday!" 2) For everyone who voted for us in the "Last Banjo Standing" contest for the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival – THANK YOU! We did not come out on top, but it's all good. Many of you have sent us encouraging emails and professed your daily voting – and we REALLY appreciate it. It's going to be a great show at 1:00 pm on the Pavillion stage and we are super-pumped to be playing such an awesome event - the largest independent music festival in Chicago's history! Check out www.cbgbfestival.com for more info on the event! 3) Those of you who have made it out to a show recently have noticed a new face on stage. As of August, our beloved Mike Roth has been at Duke University in Durham, NC (new Obama state! whatup!) earning a masters degree in environmental management with a focus on alternative energy. He'll be back in Chicago during breaks, still working hard on the band, and we went to visit him at Duke and played a show a few weeks ago. In the meantime, we have been super fortunate to have the handsome and talented Larry Bailey playing bass with us. We wanted to formally welcome him to the Cobalt family and thank him for all his hard work so far! 4) Recent headlines: - We have been playing a whole lot of benefit shows lately for great local organizations – the Organic School Project, Green City Market, etc – generally featuring our upbeat acoustic set. Are you involved in putting together a fundraiser, benefit, or any other kind of event? Need a band? It's a ton-o-fun! - We recently had great shows in Chicago at Martyrs', the Double Door, and Bottom Lounge. We also hiked out to Indianapolis to play a youth conference. 5) Up next for Cobalt & the Hired Guns: -Weekend club shows in December/January at the Elbo Room, Abbey Pub, and Martys' -Looks like we're going into the studio in December to record two of our newest songs, "You Left your Sweater," and "Of Summer." These songs have been frequently opening and closing our sets to rave reviews. Hooray! -We're hoping to put together at least one Summer 2009 tour. So if you live in the Midwest, East Coast, or Middle East (ha) and want to help us play a show near you, please let us know! 9.19.08 - DOUBLE DOOR + y’all = !!!!!!!! to our most beloved: thank you for coming to the legendary Double Door with us. it felt like an arrival. the DD has been a destination goal since we moved to Chicago, and for some of us, for our whole lives, and because of you it lived up to what we were hoping it could be. it was one of those shows where everything clicked and we could all feel it. there isn't a moment we enjoy more than sharing our best efforts with our friends and fans that are there to experience these shows with us, and last thursday was just that. our crowd was excited and engaged and energetic - you were all the things we could hope for you to be. please keep coming, all of you. and bring your friends, you have amazing friends. It was also a proper debut for Larry Bailey - the dude with the funny t-shirt who's playing bass with us in the live show these days. Special thanks to Jesse the soundguy who made us sound so good, we're looking forward to working with you again. Y'all make these shows special. 9.22.08 - WHO LOVES CHEESECAKE!?!?! On Saturday we played the Eli's Cheesecake Festival and it was a blast. The stage was the size of a barge but the three members filled it full with energy and emotion. and a dancing person in a cheesecake costume (photos are coming). Keep your ears to the ground: it looks like we might be featured on television with a short interview and parts of the performance from the show. We'll keep you updated. it was a lot of fun playing for a crowd that was young and old and probably not lactose intolerant. We're lookin' forward to doin' it again next year. 7.24.08 - MARTYRS' - You, Me, and all your friends! Thank y'all SO MUCH for coming out on a Wednesday night to make our show at Martyrs' a huge success! We were blown away by the turnout and your enthusiasm. We especially appreciate those of you who brought 3, 4, 5, or even more freinds along who had never seen us play before. YOU are the difference makers for this band and we cannot thank you enough. Big news - we will be playing the world famous DOUBLE DOOR in Wicker Park on September 18, so mark your calendars! Thanks a lot to the real nice dudes in both Alive Day, and Majesty. It was a fantastic night! 7.1.08 - Q101 Radio Play, Chicago Sun-Times Profile, and iGo VICTORY! Wow – June was quite a month! As you know, it started with you all helping us win $5,000 and national recognition in OurStage.com. But since then even more awesome things have happened: 1. Our song "Rome" got played on Q101 (101.1FM) Chicago Sunday, June 22! That's the big time Alternative radio station all the kids in our generation grew up listening to. We were played on Local 101 as a post-MOBfest show with Chris Payne and Bret Bassi of KMA Management. You can listen to the broadcast at their MySpace site only for a few more days: www.myspace.com/local101 go down to the audio player, click "June 22 part 3" and go to about the 8:30 mark! They had a little trouble with our name – apparently Bret's assistant's handwriting is not so hot. What you can do to make this even more awesome: If you're on MySpace, leave them a comment thanking them for playing us and asking for more – "Rome" again or maybe "Spotlights," "Up to You," or "Boston and Alone" – they've got our whole CD. Otherwise you can request more from us old-school style: the request line at (312)591-8300, especially Sunday nights from 10-11 CST. 2. We just got a profile piece in the Chicago Sun-Times that you can read here. Doing the interview was a very cool process for us – reflecting on this past year in Chicago and the past five years as a band. 3. Thanks to you we WON the iGo contest! Like, first place. "Spotlights" will be on the Audio Emissions compilation with Wilco, Neko Case, Kid Sister, Studs Terkel, Brighton MA, and a few other bands from the contest! The disc will be waiting in the CD players of all the iGo cars and passed out at the iGo booths at festivals – so look out for them and get your copy. 4. For Chicago folks, we have a big show coming up at Martyrs' – Wednesday, July 23. Mark your calendars! It is the most prestigious club we've played yet and we want to knock them out on a Wednesday night. It's our one big Chicago show in July - we'll have some new songs and some surprises! You are all amazing. We are in awe of your support – it is amazing to be believed in so strongly. 6.1.08 - Holy Cow! We won the OurStage.com NUMBER 1 song GRAND PRIZE!!! Wow. After topping the Male Singer/Songwriter chart for most of May, winning the quarter and semi-finals at the 1 spot, last night at 11pm CST we locked in at 1 for the finals - making us, with your help, the May Grand Prize winners! AHH! ThankYouThankYouThankYouThankYouThankYou to everyone who took some time out to vote for us! This is so ridiculously exciting - we cannot even describe what it was like watching the charts last night and frantically voting up to the very end, only to come out on top! It was crazy and surreal and awesome! All of your votes added up to only a fraction of the total votes in the contest, but we believe that your support really tipped the scales in our favor! Check out our 1 chart-topping glory and listen to the other great songs from the finals here: http://www.ourstage.com/winners/2008/5/ The $5000 grand prize is going to make a huge difference for us - cutting a big chunk into our post-album-making debt. And hopefully the prestige of this big win will carry over to many more opportunities for us! Already, through the contest process "Up to you" has over 11,000 plays on OurStage (it had 108 at the beginning of May)! So again, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. So many of you have sent us notes or comments of congratulations and encouragement - little notes of "I voted for you!" - and we truly could not have done it without you! 5.3.08 - Y’all are the BEST - Record Release Party a Huge Success! To our most loved friends and fans: You braved the rain and the heat, you sweated with us in the basement of the Elbo Room all night long and you made last Saturday a night we will always remember. You were a fabulous audience, thank you all for coming and being a part of our big night. We had folks from New Orleans, Connecticut, Arizona, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Washington DC, Madison, and many other locales to celebrate with us. Over 100 people showed up for us, and it really meant a lot. The show was a huge success, and as tired and sore as we all were when we woke up (especially matt, who sprained his ankle right before the show), you made all that hard work feel worth it. It was really exciting to get to meet so many new people that are friends with our friends. Keep bringing your friends to the shows! That's the way we want this community to grow. It's all about making friends and loving music. To those of you that got up on stage and danced with us- we're gonna need you and all your people to be at every show you can from now on. Cobalt & the Hired Guns loves blurring the line between performers and audience. You are as beautiful as you are enthusiastic. Andrew Plotsky made a beautiful green, vegan, chocolate cake- and it was delicious. Thank you to the people who came and joined us from Urban Habiat Chicago - your presentation about green roofs and green lifestyles was fun and interesting- you really helped us create an atmosphere at our show. They left us with a ton of seedballs, so you can get some more at our next gig! Thanks to the people from A Cooler Planet for giving us so many cool samples- and remember "Jump the Fence" counts at a 10% off coupon at the store. Oh, and guess what? OUR ALBUM IS NOW OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE ON CDBABY AND iTUNES MUSIC STORE!!! If you can't get one from us at a show, make sure you pick it up that way! Stay tuned for pics, video, and audio from our big night at the Elbo Room! Thank you So much. We love you. 4.19.08 - Oh-Hi-Oh-Hi-Oh-Hi-Oh Just wanted to give a quick shoutout to everyone who saw us in oberlin and Akron this weekend! We had an awesome little mini-tour and we're so glad y'all loved all the new tunes. Drop us a line and tell us what you think of the new record! check out our facebook group for some great Akron pics that Carly took! Tag yourself in the group shot! 3.17.08 - SouthBySouthBy Thank you, Austin. Thank you for the shows. Thank you for the sun. Thanks for the free food and the free beer. Thanks for the friends we made. South By Southwest was incredible. I think. What I remember of it. There’s always a lot to take in. This was our first time down there as a full band but for 5 days and 5 nights, we made that city home. There was a lot to learn- sometime you learn from watching a band try to play a set when they’re too drunk, other times it’s some guy with white hair in a panel that throws you free blueberry muffins and proves he knows what he’s talking about, teaching you more in an hour than you’ve learned all year. Thanks to our friends in Austin that drive us around and take us out for pancakes and queso at 3 in the morning and drive us to the airport while we sing along to our own cd at the top of our lungs, throwing free demos to people in cars next to us at red lights. You know who you are, and you are loved. Thanks to the good weather that didn’t rain but a little while we were down there. Thanks to our softball team, who won it’s first game but lost in the semi-finals to the "talent buyers and venue owners" which was really just a bunch of ringers. There are a lot of REALLY good bands out there. At times it’s exhilarating and exhultant, at others it’s totally intimidating and you wonder why anyone would ever chose you, and why did you get into this business in the first place and shouldn’t you maybe just listen to dad and go to grad school. And then you remember that there’s nothing else you’d rather be doing, and to enjoy the little space you’ve made. And that if it wasn’t this band, it’d be another band. And you’d rather have it be this band. Go Cobalt & the Hired Guns. Clap your hands if you believe in us! (oh- and come to shows! please!). and HEY if we met you down in that craziness give us a HOLLER! tell us what you think of the record. Tell us stories of your crazy times down at SXSW. 2.2.08 - Love Live Shows - the Abbey and the Jackhammer Just wanted to give a big shoutout to everyone who came to our Jan 26 Abbey Pub show, and Feb 1 show at the Jackhammer - part of the Flesh Hungry Dog Show. We had a fantastic time at both! It was SO GOOD to play life again after taking some time off to record the new CD (release date = may 3). Both shows got great reviews, and the Flesh Hungry Dog Show invited us back whenever we want to play! Thank you so much for coming, supporting us, and letting us entertain you! 12.9.07 - We’re in the studio RIGHT NOW!!! Hi everyone! Greetings from the studio! Just wanted to say hi from Chicago Recording Company. We had a very productive day yesterday and finished basic tracking for 5 songs! 3 more today and then on to vocals and overdubs. We're very excited to add cello, sax, piano, and organ to the tracks. Craig Dreyer (won a grammy & plays w/ Dispatch) will be laying down sax and our good friend Josh Lava will be tickling keys of all sorts! Stay tuned! We're also very pumped to have Meg Risso on cello as well Dan Gingold on trombone, and last but not least, Pete Foss on Hammond B3 Organ. 11.10.07 - To-the-Maxing with Modern Day Savage and Mad Hornet at Mix we heart all ages shows. we heart MDS and Mad Hornet. we heart rock and roll. thanks soooo much to everyone who came out on friday night! special thanks to Kate who is awesome in all ways. special thanks to Zach from Mad Hornet who blew it hard and good. ... Trumpet ... and for all of you who saw us for the first time we wanna know what you thought! 11.10.07 - CONterrific There just aint nothin like playing for young UUs. that has always been true - for Tom and Matt back in the day, and for all of Cobalt's career. Just nothing quite like it. we put up some awesome pics on our facebook group - so be sure to check those out! and if you were there and live in chicago give us a holler so we can let you know about all our chicago shows! 11.9.07 - Bringing the ROCK to Brody's on Clark This show's word of the show is "wheels." WHEELS were useful in getting to the show from our rehersal space a block away - it was the most creative load-in we've had yet! WHEELS were also totally fun for Mike to ride like a bat out of hell, sort of. anyway, we had a really good time playing at Brody's on Clark - a great new bar at Clark/Roscoe where the Twisted Spoke used to be. And they had a good time too, so we'll be back there on December 1! Hooray! 10.21.07 - Glammed-Out @ Subterranean - with The Lava Brothers, John Gidlund, and Children's Masterpiece Theatre Alie was a candy corn. Tom was a strung-out Vegas dancer past her prime. Mike wore huge sunglasses and even more tatoos than usual. Matt was his dad who was Sean Connery who as actually his dad. Got it? Good. It was a damn fine time down at the Subterranean for our first real All Ages show in Chicago. We rocked out, stripped down, and debuted a new arrangement of "Boston & Alone" (can you say Ska Party 2007? yes, yes you can). Thanks so much to everyone who made it out early on a Sunday evening - and stay tunes for some big news coming up! 10.5.07 - Glory @ the Abbey - with Modern Day Savage, The Townes, and The Redline It was a big night for us at the Abbey - we tried some new things, debuted a new song (yet to be rightfully named), and even threw a little reggaeton into the mix. And y'all were right there with us, cheering and dancing , all the way from our "Spotlights" opener to a big "War Cries & Bird Calls" finale!  THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who made it out - it was definately the msot fun we've had at the Abbey thus far.  Also, Special thanks to The Redline, The Townes, and Modern Day Savage for helping make it such a great night! We will be posting some pics of the show, taken by legendary rock photographer Paul Natkin in the next few days, so keep an eye out for that! Thank you thank you thank you!!! 9.29.07 - the Penny Road Pub with Master Sin and Francois Dillinger It was our first show out in the suburbs, and I won’t lie to you – we weren’t sure what to expect. The Penny Road Pub has a great reputation for live, original music, but we heard it has been mostly metal and cover bands for a while. Well, we has an AWESOME time. The place has a great vibe – the grit of a biker bar with a classic Midwestern neighborhood atmosphere. Everyone was so nice and we had a great time playing for you and hanging out. Special thanks to the bands who played after us – Francois Dillinger and Master Sin (our new favorite Metal band). We hope to see you all again real soon! 9.22.07 - OBEY MY DOG!! At RELAX with REDD Tonight we played a new place – a bar out in Logan Square called RELAX. It had a great, chill, classic Chicago vibe. We had a really good time rocking out and playing some deliciously ridiculous covers for all the people there. Thanks to REDD for setting up the show and putting on a good set! 9.20.07 - Rocking out with the LATIN school Rocking out with the LATIN school now, normally the Thursday assemblies at Latin are speakers, or workshops, or that sort of thing. This Thursday it was a rock band. this rock band right here. COBALT. We had an awesome time playing for y'all - special thanks to those who had the guts to come onstage and dance with us. mad props. Also, we're sorry if Mike seriously scared anyone when he ran up to the balcony during "Boston & Alone" - I know that assemblies aren’t usually that up close and personal. No, wait. We're not sorry. that was awesome. We hope to see you all again soon!! 9.13.07 - THE ELBO ROOM with Paragon, J. Johnson, and The Minor League First of all, a huge thank you to everyone that came out.The Elbo Room was packed when we took the stage and the energy in the room was electric. This show really felt like the beginning of something special for the band, and it was great to be able to share that night with you. Also, lots of thanks to the other bands - Paragon, J.Johnson, and The Minor League. We'll be back at the Elbo Room soon, playing a weekend slot, and you all made it happen. Gold Stars and Cupcakes for everyone. The band worked really hard for this show - we practiced almost every single day for 2 weeks - and it really paid off. We got a lot of great feedback, and even Doug the sound guy told us "Usually I just phone it in on these nights, and I don't really have any fun. But you guys were a blast tonight, I really enjoyed myself. You're the best band I've seen play here, especially on a weekday, in a REALLY long time." Thanks to all our fans for making it really special. We love you. A lot. Heads up for our next big show coming up at the Abbey Pub on October 5th. It's our first 18 and over show at a real club in Chicago ever, and we're really looking to make it big. Also, be excited - we've got sweet t-shirts on the way, but it's a small order- so get your dibs in quick. 8.30.07 - the MUTINY with REDD The Mutiny (please read the following in a pirate accent)– Shiver me timbers and call me Martha'! What a great "R" rated night it was for all those scallywags who love rock music! Thanks to Red, Dante, & everybody at the Mutiny for a great night! 8.24.07 - the MIX for the "Shame Your Father" Fest Wrigleyville watch out! On Friday Cobalt and Blue Room Hero, riding a raging wave of rock and roll, took Wrigleyville by storm! Or typhoon. Or maybe even a maelstrom? A great night and two high energy rock sets at the Mix. Thanks to everyone who came out, as well as BINJ Productions for putting the show together. 8.18.07 - Burnin’ it up at Betty’s Blue Star with the Dirty Rooks. For Tom's Birthday Party In the words of Tom: "That was awesome. and admittedly, I am biased. It was, after all, my party. But thanks to all of you who came out to Betty's Blue Star lounge and partied with us and The Dirty Rooks. The show went really well and we're hoping to be back really soon. You know what else went well? THE CAKE. What a great idea. I think we should have cake at every show from now on. Only then it might not be as special. But we'll DEFINITELY do it again. Thank you to everyone who bought me stuff. Thanks to Rege the bartender for being so helpful. And thanks to whoever got me home. I don't remember much. And keep your eyes on the horizon for our other big shows coming up, most specifically, the Elbo Room on September 13th. And we may very possibly be appearing on Fearless radio a few days prior to promote the show as well, we're really looking forward to that too. Until next time, with love. Tom, and the rest of Cobalt." 7.4.07 - TASTE OF CHICAGO Yesterday was a big day in the world of Cobalt. we had a huge gig at Taste of Chicago - we were the only band playing during out time slot (3-4pm) and the only rock band to play the festival that day. We had an amazing time rocking out on that big stage, and we put on a GREAT show. Special thanks to everyone who stopped walking for a minute to listen to us, to all the friends who helped us pass out cobalt postcards, to Meg and Desiree for helping us sell merch, and to the crew of awesome campers who showed up in custom made shirts with the album cover on them that said "Taste of Chicago, 2007." Y'all helped make it an unforgettable experience for us! We'll put up some pics and whatnot of the show soon, so check back. See you around Chicago oh-so-soon! 6.30.07 - The Abbey Pub Tonight we rocked out at the Abbey pub with The Dirty Rooks and The Townes! Thanks so much to everyone who came out - it was a great way to kick off our new permanent residency in Chicago! See you at TASTE OF CHICAGO on the 3rd! 6.1.07 Happy summer everyone! We here at Cobalt headquarters couldn't be more excited for what's in store. Mike and Alie are moving to Chicago, and starting June 30 at the Abbey Pub we will officially be a Chicago band! So keep in touch and let's take this city by storm together! 2.19.07 We just got home from "This Way Out" Tour 2007! Whew! IT WAS AWESOME! Thanks so much to everyone who came out to shows and rocked out with us! For nostalgia's sake, here's the recap of dates: January 5 - Chicago, IL - Abbey Pub January 6 - Pittsburgh, PA - Squirrel Hill JCC January 12 - Chicago, IL - MoJoe's Hot House January 13 - Chicago, IL - The Baitshop Private Show January 16 - Yellow Springs, OH - Antioch College January 17 - Nashville, TN - Cafe CoCo January 18 - Bloomington, IN - Indiana University January 20 - Columbus, OH - OMD Youth Conference January 20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Modern Formations Gallery January 21 - Pittsburgh, PA - The New Church January 22 - Oberlin, OH - Cat n' the Cream January 24 - Ithaca, NY - The Nines January 25 - Washington, DC - Grog and Tankard January 26 - Swarthmore, PA - Swarthmore College January 27 - Poughkeepsie, NY - Vassar College January 30 - New York, NY - Sin-e January 31 - New Haven, CT - Yale University February 1 - Cambridge, MA - All Asia Bar February 3 - Providence, RI - Brown University February 4 - Breezewood, PA - Wooden Nickel - Super Bowl Halftime Show February 16 - Oberlin, OH - Private Show February 17 - Springfield, OH - Wittenberg University 1.29.07 hey friends! we're in conneticut right now, enjoying a much needed day of not driving. we've had such a good time so far, and are excited for the last week of tour 2007. in the past couple weeks we've been to ohio, tenessee, indiana, pennsylvania, new york, dc, and back! (..to pa and ny). the shows have all been well attended and we've noticed an increasing amount of butt-shaking going on...which is, among other things, very awesome. we hope you can take a little time and check out the new album if you haven't already picked one up at a show. they are now available to purchase from cdbaby.com - there's a link below that will help you get there. we're super pumped about the coming week in the northeast, and hope you'll make it out to a rock show. thanks to everyone who has been supportive and generous- especially for breakfasts and couch space- we really appreciate it. stay classy san diego. <3 1.5.07 hey everyone! just a quick update from tour headquarters to let you know we're doing well. our first show at the abbey pub in chicago was SO GREAT. we had a blast playing together again, and are pumped to storm the country for the rest of the tour. and....exciting announcement! Pete Francis (of dispatch) will be joining us to play our show on January 30th in New York City. You won't want to miss this one. Details in the shows section. SEE YOU ON THE ROAD! 12.15.06 The new album, "This Way Out," is DONE and at the printers! We will have copies to sell at our January 5th show at the Abbey Pub in Chicago, and all subsequent shows on the tour! Don't worry, if we aren't playing anywhere near your town you will also be able to order it online thru CDBaby.com by mid-Janaury. So much love and appreciation to everyone who made "this way out" happen - especially josh and garrett. See y'all on the road! 11.12.06 Sometimes a living room floor dreams of someday growing up to be a trampoline. cobalt granted that wish to the murky bottom of the Sea Cove on Oberlin's Main St. Saturday night as a crammed-in crowd struggled to heed the PSAs discouraging vertical dancing in favor of lateral rocking-out. We don't blame them. Three-fourths of cobalt brought three-halves more rock than you paid for. See you in February for the O-Billa CD Release Party!! 10.31.06 GO BEARS!!! The Halloweekend cobalt rocked Gunther Murphy's in Chicago for the first time, with our new buddiesThe GTXpress! Shoutouts to the Guinness Witches making everyone much more happy. Then we folked it up at MoJoe's Hot House with an acoustic set. Thanks so much to everyone who came out - we had an AWESOME time. 9.1.06 We know what you're thinking: "Ugh, this has been such a Cobaltless summer!" or maybe even "Now that Matt & Tom live in Chicago, and Alie & Mike live in Ohio, will the rest of my LIFE be Cobaltless?!?" Never fear, your imaginatition has run away with you. To Cambodia. But the first point is valid - Matt was volunteering in New Orleans for most of the summer, and the rest of the band had their own important things going on. But cobalt is strong, and we missed each other dearly, and we're going to be playing a few shows in Chicago and Oberlin this fall. AAAAND we're goona go on tour again in january! YEAH! so never fear, things are going to be more and more cobalterific in the next few months! 5.18.06 A whole lot has happened since our last update: A bunch more Oberlin shows, a few new songs, and we are almost done with our full-length album. Pics and some mp3s from the tour and the new album are now up, check them out! 2.5.06 Our first tour was a HUGE success! We had an amazing time, and want to thank everyone who helped us set up shows and get ready for shows, who came to shows and partied after shows, and who danced, sang, and rocked out with us. It means a whole lot. FOr nostalgia's sake, here is the final tour schedule: -Jan 6: Chicago, IL - The Baitshop. Private Show, Call for details. -Jan 7: Chicago, IL - Town Hall Pub. 3340 N Halsted, 9pm -Jan 14: Pittsburgh, PA - JCC Fundraiser, headlining (not participating in) a local Battle of the Bands - 5738 Forbes Ave. 7:30pm (cobalt on at 9:40). ALL AGES, $5 for 5 bands. -Jan 19: Pittsburgh, PA - Winchester Thurston High School. Private Show. -Jan 20: Pittsburgh, PA - Shadow Lounge. 5972 Baum Boulevard, 6pm. ALL AGES, $5. After us - our good friends The Briars -Jan 21: Akron, OH - Headlining UU Coffeehouse. 3300 Morewood Avenue, 7pm. ALL AGES, $6 food & drink included. -Jan 22: Oberlin, OH - Cat in the Cream COffeehouse, opening for Jocelyn Scofield. 8pm, FREE. -Jan 25: Washington, DC - Maret High School. Private Show. -Jan 25: Washington, DC - The Plotsky Palace. Private Show. -Jan 27: Amherst, MA - Amherst College. Campus Center Friedmann Room, 9pm -Jan 27: Pughkeepsie, NY - Vassar College. Rocky 200, 8:30pm -Jan 27: Waltham, MA - Brandeis University. 150 Angleside Rd, 8:30pm -Feb 4: Pittsburgh, PA - Rea Coffeehouse @ Chatham College. 8pm, $3. Performing with The Syph! 1.23.06 4 days, 4 shows. Last weekend's marathon began at Winchester Thurston High School in Pittsburgh on Thursday. It was a really fun show, and it was especially great to see familiar faces from playing in Pittsburgh last week. Special thanks to Bobby who saved the day - after Matt broke 4 strings on 3 guitars, Bobby ran and got his own Gibson SG for Matt to finish the show with! Friday night we played with our friends The Briars at the Shadow Lounge in Pittsburgh - a wonderful, intimate venue. Thanks for everyone who came to see us, especially Jamie, Liz, Kate, and Jane for hanging out with us after the show; we had an awesome time. The next day, well rested, we headed to Akron, Ohio to headline the YAC open mic fundraiser. We had an incredible time playing for you all, and thanks so much to everyone who took home some merch or donated money when Bill sent that basket around. Shout outs to Megan, Erin, Roselyn, Mint, Carly, Nate, Brandon, and everyone else who rocked out with us! Finally, last night we were back in Oberlin opening for Jocelyn Scofield. Thanks so much to everyone who came to see us, it was nice to be playing in Oberlin again! Next stop: Washington, DC! 1.15.06 "If you know the words, you should sing them. If you like to dance, you should come up on stage and do it here." ... Fateful, and awesome, last words. Tonight we headlined a Battle of the Bands fundraiser in Pittsburgh and had the time of our lives. Being Surrounded by so many bouncing people having such a great time is an image that will be ingrained in our band's collective memory for ages. Thanks so much to Jamie, Cara, Sarah, and everyone else who helped put this show on! Oh, and if you were there and have any digital pics, email them to us! cobalttheband@earthlink.net 1.9.06 ROUGH GROOVED SURFACE TOUR 2006!!! WOO!!! Well, Chicago was downright awesome. With a private show at the Baitshop and packed Town Hall Pub, we got this tour thing started right! My personal favorite moments include when Anne handed Tom a $20 bill for 10 buttons while he was on stage, when the crowed helped us out with a little Madonna, and Alie's drums... in general. Now we are back in Oberlin to get ready for the big push East! 9.9.05 After a hiatus for the summer (Matt being in South Africa made playing shows a bit tricky), Cobalt had a great show tonight at the 'Sco, our favorite Oberlin venue. The show featured some new tricks, and two world debut songs - "Rome" and "Just Found Out." The crowd was really great - so many new faces dacing and having fun, just the way we like it. We also got the chance to play with a new Oberlin band The Briars featuring Josh Lava, a good friend and past collaborator. It was a GREAT way to kick off the year at Oberlin - if y'all keep coming to shows, we will keep on making sure you have a blast! 5.28.05 Tonight Cobalt broke into the Chicago market with a show in Tom's home neighborhood at the Town Hall Pub. The place was packed, especially with Tom & Matt's Chicago area friends excited about finally seeing us live. We had a really great time, and we hope to be back in Chicago very soon! 5.10.05 We had two shows this week, on completely different ends of our musical spectrum, and there is a new mp3 of a song from each one now in the MUSIC section! Over the weekend we played in Oberlin's 6th Annual Folk Fest with a bunch of other Oberlin bands and Richard Thompson as the headliner. We were delighted to have special guest Ginger Kowl lend her fiddle to a couple songs, specifically "The Manuscript" which you can now download. On Tuesday, we opened for one of Chicago's finest punk bands Secret Agent Bill at the 'Sco. We had a short set, debuting a few new cover songs, and had a blast with those crazy SAB guys. You can download a new version of "The Lark," from that show. 2.18.05 Opening for the Yves Jean Band at the 'Sco was great! Don't believe us? Listen for yourself! That's right, our ENTIRE set is now available in mp3 format in the MUSIC section of this site. It gives you a great idea of Cobalt's live show - well, the audio part. It's hard to make our dashing good looks come through on the recording. ;) We had a blast, especially watching the crowd react to our last song... take a listen! YEAH free music! 12.7.04 This marathon weekend featured 3 shows in 4 days - Friday at the Cat in the Cream, Saturday at a multimedia art exposition, and Monday at the Sco for the Daniel Pearl Memorial concert. We got to play with other great bands each night, including The Bucketkickers, The Drunk Band, and our friends from Pittsburgh this summer, the Dreyfus Affair. We also convinced our good friend Emily Palmer to finally play her first singer-songwriter gig at Oberlin. Thanks to everyone who come to see us play! 11.24.04 Tonight we opened for The Yves Jean Band, at the World down in the Flats of Pittsburgh, PA. Three other local bands played, but a strong Oberlin and Pittsburgh fan contingent gave us the best spot of the night. The crowd, both familiar and new faces, treated us great – many of them sharing their high praise with us after our set. We look forward to seeing the Yves Jean Band again sometime soon! 11.5.04 Fairchild Chapel was a perfect venue to debut some new songs and bring back some old ones. Three world premieres - "California," "Be Deep," and "Think You Should" - made this a very special show for us. The evening ended with a high energy cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Don't Forget Me," featuring Mike on lead guitar. Thanks to everyone who came, and special thanks to those who abandoned to pews to dance in the front! 9.17.04 Tonight we opened for THE CLARKS at the 'Sco here in Oberlin! Our short, energetic set was well recieved by the mixed crowd of Obies, Clevelanders, and rabid Clarks fans all the way from Pittsburgh. Highlight of the evening: the band's first flashing - an essential Rock & Roll rite of passage. ;) Thanks to all those who came out! 9.10.04 Our Best Show Ever. We made our 'Sco debut with Tony & the Predators tonight and it kind of changed everything. The stage, the lights, the bar, and the sound system made a big difference, but ultimately it was all about the crowd. Y'all were feeling it from the first song - dancing, singing, and having a blast. Thanks to all of you we had an AWESOME time! Look for lots of pics and even a video clip of Alie Plotsky beating the mess out of those drums uploaded soon. 7.30.04 The band spent this week in Pittsburgh after being apart all summer, and we had a great time. Between hanging out, watching movies, and a Pirates game, we somehow managed to also practice a lot and play one of our best shows yet at Mr Smalls Theatre, a club owned by members of Rusted Root. Many thanks to Pittsburgh band The Dreyfus Affair for hooking us up with the gig and making us feel at home. The show was videotaped, and we hope to post some video clips on the site for downloading sometime soon! 6.1.04 The band is on hiatus for the summer, with the exception of a couple gigs in Pittsburgh at the end of July. But don't worry, the break is being utilized for practicing, writing, and promotion, so look forward to new material and suprises from the Folk-Rockers of Cobalt! 5.17.04 Our marathon of shows earlier this month was a total success, beginning with our first bar gig as a band (a good time had by all), and ending with the opening slot in Oberlin's Spring Folk Festival. We got the day of music started right, and rising-star Josh Ritter closed with a beautiful set. Look for some new mp3s from that show up on the site soon! 4.16.04 The demo release show was a huge success! We've heard from a number of reliable sources that it was our best show yet. It was also the first time Matt played electric guitar live, ever. Coincidence? Nope. Or at least that's what Tom says. Matt's efforts on "The Lark," "Hunter and the Theif," and the full-and debut of "New Beginning (the grade-school medley)" marked a real fun show for everyone involved! 4.1.04 The DEMO is Coming! The DEMO is Coming! That's right, we are in the last stages of production for our new demo cd, "Six." It looks like our April 15 show at the Cat will also be a demo-release party! We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, listen to some of the disc in the 'music' section of the site. UPDATE: Yes, the demo will be done by April 15! 3.20.04 In our experience, Fairchild Chapel has never been filled with music quite like it was tonight. Cobalt brought the folk, and brought it right, with a chill acoustic set. Singing out to the pews and feeling the warm echo of the chapel was very special. At the end of the set, Freddrick Effinger (lead singer of Tony & the Predators, who closed the night) showcased his hot voice on our cover of "This Love," by Maroon5. Thanks for sharing the music with us! 2.19.04 I keep livin this day like the next will never come... Last night was absolutely the most fun we've had at a show yet! Opening with "Shades" set a tone of both introspective songwriting and kick-em-in-the-teeth rock and roll. Both of these elements were present in a set split between hand drum acoustic folk and fully amplified selections. The crowd was supportive, the band was ecstatic, and as if that weren't enough for a Cobaltalicious evening, Erica Kapitan-Daniel topped it all off with her lead vocals on a cover of Fionna Apple's "Criminal." Thanks for all those who shared their Thursday night with us and made it so special! 12.10.03 We have now finished tracking our upcomming demo/EP! Look for the release of this 6 song CD early next year! More information will be posted soon! 11.20.03 ROCKIN THE CAT! Tonight was our first amplified show in Oberlin as Cobalt - featuring Alie Plotsky unleashed behind the full drum set! For many, this was their first taste of our new, full band sound... and it was very yummy. With an energetic opener of "The Edge," special guest Alissa Wible lending her gorgeous cello to "The Ride," and Alie's killer drum solo to end "The Lark," it was really a landmark show for us. Thanks so much to everyone who came out! 10.11.03 Two Acoustic guitars, one bass guitar, one hand drum, one band, 75 or so audience members... WOW. Tonight we played an acoustic show at Oberlin Music Cafe, our first public show as the band Cobalt, and the tiny coffeshop was filled to the brim, so to speak. The mellow setting was perfect to debut "The Ride," "Last to Notice," and bring back "Barricade." Special guest Brea Weil-Hearon also graced us with her flute on "The Manuscript" to close the set. Our deepest thank-you's to everyone who came by and chilled with us and the music! You made it a very, very special night. 10.3.03 Tonight was, in many ways, THE night for our band. And by "band," we mean just that. Not "Acoustic/Electric Duo," or "Folk/Rock Colaboration." That's right, you heard us... With the addition of Alie Plotsky on drums and Mike Roth on bass guitar, we are officially a BAND! WAHOOO!!! Tonight we played live together for the first time on WOBC 91.5's live:BOX. Unfortunately, the radio webcast was down and we could not revive it. Luckily, we recorded the whole show! For now, you can get your first taste of the new band by grabbing our new mp3s in the Music page. Thanks to those at Oberlin who tuned in, and all of you out there in cyberspace that tried! 9.6.03 Tonight was one of the most exciting nights for our band so far! Back on Oberlin campus, we played a full show at the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse to a crowd much larger than the ones last spring. More importantly, we got to show off the newest addition to the band - Mike Roth on bass guitar - for a chunk of the set. The crowd was great, we felt great, and the music sounded great. Thanks so, so much to everyone who was there! 8.3.03 "Thank You New York State!" Musical highlights of ConCon in Buffalo, NY: A rather large moth of some sort shared "Rear View Mirror" with us at our Coffeehouse performance, we rocked out "War Cries and Bird Calls" even though Tom's strap broke, our "The Buzz [I Dig Music]" workshop friggin rocked (Eveybody Solo!!), and MAN does it feel awesome when people know the words and sing along! We also tweaked a bunch of new songs that are now ready to go, including "The Lark," "Intertwined," and "Fall Apart (If this Were an Emo Song)." Thanks a ton to all the rockin kids who were there! 7.10.03 So last week we were chillin out east in Boston for G.A. Somewhere between seeing Howard Zinn, Julian Bond, and Dan Savage, we found time to play and sing for anyone who would listen. Highlights: We got some of our best exposure to date when Tom asked Dan Savage, on behalf of our entire generation, about fundamental connections between sex, creamed corn, and the Vatican. The musical part of the trip culminated in an acoustic performance of "Shades" at the Youth/Young Adult Coffee House featuring the beautiful and talented Matt Meyer on conga drums. Thanks so much to everybody who stuck around to dig the music with us! 7.9.03 Welcome to the grand-spankin new official website of Tom Fort & Matt Hartgering! Here you'll find news, lyrics, pics, mp3s, and info about the Folk/Rock Duo. This news window will also serve as a brief live-journal with most recent entries on top, so check back often and be sure to sign up for the e-mail list below! Enjoy!