Biography
Many listeners first encountered Cleveland's Cobra Verde through their partnership with Robert Pollard inside Guided by Voices, yet the group operated as far more than a standard support act. They arose from the remnants of the volatile Death of Samantha, an act that issued three full-length albums and one EP on the Homestead label. Seeking greater atmospheric depth than their earlier project, the musicians realized this aim with their 1994 Scat Records debut, Viva La Muerte. The album fused punk force with the drive of early-'70s glam rock and was named among the strongest independent releases of the year by both Rolling Stone and Request magazines. During the same period the band toured with fellow Scat artists Guided by Voices and developed a rapport with Pollard. Between 1995 and 1996 they issued a series of singles plus the Vintage Crime EP, raising their profile among alternative rock listeners. In 1996 Pollard disbanded the original Guided by Voices lineup, after which Cobra Verde offered to serve as his new backing musicians; he accepted, and their work appears on the 1997 album Mag Earwhig!, regarded by many as the strongest Guided by Voices release since Bee Thousand in 1994. Cobra Verde nevertheless sustained a distinct identity, dividing their schedule between the two projects while also delivering the 1997 compilation Egomania (Love Songs) that collected singles and unreleased tracks. Easy Listening arrived in 2003 on Muscletone Records, followed by Copycat Killers in 2005 on Scat. Their rising profile secured multiple song placements on television series, beginning with a 2006 appearance on The OC as a Foreigner tribute band that included a cover of "Waiting for a Girl Like You". Two further television placements, on Entourage and Sons of Anarchy, preceded the 2008 album Haven't Slept All Year. Recording ceased temporarily once frontman John Petkovic and guitarist Tim Parnin joined the indie supergroup Sweet Apple, which released two albums in the early 2010s. By 2014, however, Cobra Verde had resumed studio work on new material.
Albums
