Kobalt

Spotlight interview
February 2004
Eric Tavares
bass player from Kobalt
by Tabitha Swan

Not much to say here except that these guys really rock ! I met
Eric a while back and he is one of the nicest guys to talk with. Kobalt is from my hometown of Providence Rhode Island and I suggest you give their MP3's a listen on the bands website. They kick some serious B-HIND. Kobalt are now back from their hiatis due to lead vocalist J Costa's illness. He has recovered and the band is back in full swing. Check out their site for a list of upcoming shows. Enough babble. Here is what Eric had to say.

Ocean View Press- Can you start off by telling us who you are, where you are from, what you play and how long have you been a musician?

Eric- My name's Eric Tavares, I play the bass for Kobalt and I've been a musician for the past twelve years. I needed to rock at an early age.

Tell us about your band "KOBALT". Where are you guys from and who are the other members?

We're from Providence, R.I. The rebels consist of J Costa(vocals), Bob Harris(drums), Paul Letendre(guitar) and Derrick Rego(guitar).

How did the band come about? Did you all grow up together or did one guy in the band set out to put a band together and put ads out for musicians? Also, who came up with the name for the band?

It's kinda funny how this band came together. Ok, quick history lesson. J formed the band around 1995 and throughout the years, members of the band had to leave for one reason or another. So there was a constant flow of different drummers and guitar players. However, I am the second bass player. :) But anyway, I met J through an old girlfriend and we clicked. I joined the band in 1999. After playing out for a year and a half, our drummer at the time left, so we were looking for a replacement. J saw an ad in the phoenix for drummer and happened to be Bob's. After Bob joined, we had a couple more line up changes with guitar. Paul joined us about a year and a half ago and Derrick joined recently.
Have you played in any bands previous to this one? If so, how many and could you name a couple.

I've played in a couple bands before this one. Most of them were small bands that practiced in garages, basements, attics or old barns. We'd practice anywhere I guess. lol  The only bands that people might recognize were Tripwire and Fallout.

Can you talk a little about your lead singer? He recently battled illness and has since recovered. How is the status of the band at this point and How is he doing?

The guy's one of the coolest mofos you'll ever meet. Very energetic, spiritual, and entertaining. J started to get really sick while we were in the studio recording new material. He was out of commission for about 2 months. So while he was getting better, we just kept practicing and writing new material. There was some down time, but now J's at 100% and we're ready to get out there and unleash fury.

Thinking back, where is the best place that you got to play live so far?

    There are many. Lupo's. The Met. The Lagoon in New York was awesome as well.

Where is the best place to play live In Rhode Island?

    I'd have to say my favorite place to play (before it got closed down) was The Met Cafe near the old Lupo's. If I had to pick now, I'd say The Green Room or The Living Room.

What would you say the difference is in the local live music scene between Boston and Providence? Or is there any?

  I've noticed that the crowds in Boston gets a little bit more into the music then the Providence scene.

Who are some of your favorite bands?

  Tough question, but I'll rattle off a few. Down, SLAYER, The Haunted, Candiria, Crowbar, Tool, Acid Bath, Life of Agony.

Do you play any other instruments or are there any instruments you would like to learn?

I also play the guitar, drums, and cowbell.

So are you guys recording new material at the moment. If yes,how would you describe the new music?

We finished recording a couple weeks ago. It's in the mixing stages at the moment. The new material is a little heavier. We're pretty excited about and hope others will enjoy it as well.

any idea of when we will see that released?

Not quite sure on the exact date, but I'd say within the next month or so.

Describe each of your band members to us so the readers get an idea of who they are.

A very mixed group of peanuts here.  I consider J to be like an animated cartoon character. Like mentioned earlier, he's very energetic and humorous. A man of great knowledge and very spiritual. Bob is pretty blunt and straight forward. Lets you know what he thinks at any given point in time. Bob is also rabid Red Sox fan and loves the Yankees (just kidding). Paul is a mix of energetic and mellow. He enjoys the fine quality of different flavored teas and is very much into Animal Liberation. Derrick is the laid back individual that doesn't say too much, but when he does, its epic. Altogether, they are all talented craftsmen in the art of metal.

So where can everyone get more info on you guys? and websites or emails?

You can check out any other info on the band's website, Kobaltmetal.com (see links)

Is there anything that you would like to add before we end this interview?

This has been cool as hell

Thank you for talking to us and best of luck to you and Kobalt. Give our best wishes to J as well!!

Thank you as well. It's very much appreciated. I shall tell him. Take care.