The band that brought you the ever-popular “”Snakes on a Plane”” song, “”Bring It,”” is now slithering its way into town. The electronic pop-rock band, Cobra Starship is headlining its first tour after the release of their album, Viva la Cobra.
Selling out numerous shows all over the country, the band is confident that the perks of leading their own tour has translated into great shows for its audiences.
“”The live show that we’re performing now employs a lot more lighting and effects,”” said Ryland Blackinton, guitarist of Cobra Starship. “”We have bigger stages, or at least more room than we ever had before it’s a lot of fun.””
The early success of the band’s tour is a clear indication that Cobra Starship is having no problem living up to the reputation of its widely popular label Fueled by Ramen.
Bands signed with Ramen are known for their mass popularity as well as their cooperative and encouraging attitude towards each other. Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is…, Panic at the Disco and Cobra Starship have all worked on various projects together. From cameos in music videos to collaboration on particular songs and albums, Ramen appears to be more of a family than a business.
“”A lot of us are friends, we always hang out with one another when we’re in the same town,”” Blackinton said.
The cooperation of Ramen reached new heights with Starship’s album, Viva la Cobra. Rather than hiring a producer from outside the label, Patrick Stump, vocalist of Fall Out Boy, took the job of producing the largely successful album.
“”He’s a very talented guy,”” Blackington said. “”He’s very efficient in the studio and was a lot of fun to work with.””
Another quality that many Ramen bands possess is a strong connection with their audience. Starship is no exception.
“”We like to stay involved with our fans,”” Blackinton said. “”One tour we had a Mario Kart contest where we invited two kids from every town to come and challenge us; nobody ever beat us.””
The band held similar video game contests on its current tour, however, the new game of choice is (the very fitting) Rock Band. According to Blackinton, Starship is excited for their next gaming competition as well as their return to Tucson.
“”We’re looking forward to coming back down to Arizona and we look forward to seeing you guys.””
Accompanying Cobra on their “”Really Really Ridiculously Good Looking”” tour is yet another Ramen band, The Cab. This is the first nationwide tour that The Cab has been on and it’s stoked to be playing among the ranks of Starship, according to vocalist, Alex DeLeon.
“”Cobra Starship has been blowing up lately so we’ve been lucky enough to play sold-out shows across the country,”” DeLeon said. “”This is our first big tour, the kids are super supportive of us, it’s been so much fun.””
Slowed down by a car accident early in the tour, DeLeon assures that the band’s live show has not been suffering and that they are eager to play the upcoming show.
“”We just try to have as much fun as possible and put a lot of energy into the shows. As long as the crowd has a good time, so do we,”” DeLeon said. “”We’re excited to play in Tucson for the first time.””
Cobra Starship, The Cab and We The Kings will play at The Rock, 136 N. Park Ave., 8 p.m. Monday. Tickets are $10 at the door.
