Music Spotlight artist Austin Moody was the first to tell me about Colonel Cobalt. Then, when B! Noticed PR messaged me about him, I decided to check him out.
The first song they sent me was “Phatt.” Their sound reminded me a little bit of the lowkey rock music my uncle used to listen to, but I don’t think “phatt” was a word back then.
Next, the powers that be sent me “Ligntin’ Matches.” I was speechless. It is a song about the elites and the billionaires who place themselves above God and man.
I thought the Colonel and his band, Cobalt Minor, had covered some lost band I had failed to notice since I was only in grade school in the 1970s. But it turns out all of Cobalt Minor’s music is original. I was even more impressed.
How the Colonel got his start in music is a bit murky. There’s a grand tale on his website, but I figured there was more to the story. When I interviewed Cobalt, I quickly discovered that he was a walking encyclopedia of rock music from the ‘60s forward.
As a kid, Cobalt quickly learned that he could keep a beat, so he sang and played drums even though, as he said, “I wasn’t very good at either one of them.”
Even still, once, when Cobalt was visiting Memphis, he bought a Telecaster because he had always wanted to play guitar. He hooked it up to a big Marshall high-powered amp and noodled around on it until he taught himself to play.
Cobalt stated, “I am literally that person that bangs around on a guitar till I find something I like, or I may have a little bit of an idea in my head, but it really just is sort of serendipitous.”
One thing we discussed at length is the overproduction of today’s music. Cobalt agreed, “I’m not a good vocalist by any stretch of the imagination. With autotune, you can make someone who can’t sing, sing. There’s nothing like live performances. Mistakes should be left in there. You can listen closely to a Zeppelin song or some (other old) song, and there are mistakes in there, but it makes it real.
Kids today have grown up on perfectly produced digital music and streaming directly into their earbuds. Mostly, they haven’t had the opportunity to appreciate the warmth and rawness of live analog music that the Colonel and his band deliver.
Even though I recently discovered the magnificent rock band Cobalt Minor, I found its music on Spotify dating back to 2001.
Cobalt has a recording studio in his home and considers himself a songwriter and producer more than a singer. He explained, “I started my first recording project in 1999 called Snowflakes. And I did one the next year and another right after that. And then I got really busy, and life just took me in a different direction.”
He continued, “I was missing it and got back wanting to be creative again. And that’s where I started kicking back up and doing what I’m doing now.”
Now that the Colonel has officially retired from his previous life, he can devote his efforts to creating, writing, producing, and recording new music. “It’s been sort of a reboot,” he said.
One of the first songs he released was “13,” a southern rock story song written by the Colonel. The song is about the 13 brave and selfless soldiers who were unnecessarily sacrificed in the bungled and incompetent Afghanistan withdrawal. In the lyrics, individual names were not listed, only the towns and the cities they were from and their ages when they were killed. The imagery is so powerful that a more prominent singer/songwriter will likely release the song.
He said, “My biggest hope for “13” is that the families of the fallen get to hear it and realize that other Americans grieve their loss and pray for them even if the administration that sacrificed them won’t say their names. If the song gets any attention and is monetized, all of the proceeds will be donated to the non-profit America’s Gold Star Families.”
Last year, Cobalt Minor released the song and video “ATJ, The Movie,” which is as much a movie as a song. It stars Music Spotlight artist Austin Moody and the rest of the Cobalt Minor Band, including Jeff King, Greg Morrow, Mark Fain, and the Colonel. ATJ stands for “According to Jesus,” and the song is a spoof as Cobalt strongly objects to prosperity preachers who often misconstrue the Word of God.
One of the things that dismay people of my generation is the unhealthy political climate of our day. Colonel Cobalt also has strong feelings about it and is not afraid to express them in his music.
The song “Over Your Shoulder” blatantly calls out politicians who try to spread fear while quashing the opinions of those who don’t believe the way they do.
“The Middle” also calls out those who refuse to compromise and find common ground. Cobalt shared, “Either got to be on the left or you’ve got to be on the right, and if you are not, you are going to be absolutely cremated.”
Cobalt Minor’s latest single is “Two Birds.” The song explores themes of broken trust and the complexities of a fractured relationship. Featuring the great guitarist and longtime Cobalt Minor band member Jeff King, it is a classic rock song with a vintage feel that will keep playing in your head long after the song has finished.
Cobalt honestly stated, “Two Birds” is just a good old foot-stomping, head noddin’ rocker about a love gone bad. She runs off and leaves him, and he probably deserves it. This is an ongoing theme in the Colonel’s songs.”
Cobalt Minor isn’t your average rock band, and Colonel Cobalt isn’t your typical frontman. He was raised on a steady diet of outlaw country, southern rock, and deep-cutting blues. As the website states, “Their sound is raw and unpolished with just the right amount of dangerous.”
What Colonel Cobalt has that others often don’t is life experience. He writes songs for those who have been through hell and back and have no damns left to give.
Just as I lament that kids today have missed out on the simple, honest, pre-digitally engineered analog sounds of the ’60s and ’70s, Cobalt Minor passionately brings them back. His original music is as timeless today as it would have been then.
Stay current with everything Colonel Cobalt on his website, Facebook, Twitter (X), TikTok, and Instagram, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for the latest videos.
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Bethany Bowman is a freelance entertainment writer. You can follow her blog, Facebook, Instagram, and X.
