***Since I’ve began blogging for this publication about a year ago, I’ve included numerous news briefs, album and concert reviews but never any interviews. This new portion of “The Music Mix” will be titled Artist Chat or alternatively Band Chat (if more than one person) whenever I get the chance to interview them. Some will be in Q&A format while most will be in feature style format.***
Cobra Starship frontman Gabe Saporta has gone through a lot in his personal life since Night Shades was released in 2011.
He married designer Erin Fetherson in 2013 after two years of dating and reunited with his former band Midtown earlier this year which culminated in performing a secret show at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn under the pseudonym ‘Merman’ and making an appearance at the Skate and Surf Festival in May.
“That was an amazing experience,” he said on performing at Skate and Surf. “It was a great to do one last show.”
In the years since Midtown disbanded, a new wave of listeners, many of them Cobra Starship fans, fell in love with Save The World, Lose the Girl, Forget What You Know and Living Well is the Best Revenge and as a result elevated them to near cult status.
Although there are currently no plans for Midtown to record new material since the last album was made in 2004, Saporta mentions that “I don’t know if we have the time to devote to it,” he speaks fondly of the impact the band left on its fans.
“We left a great legacy,” he said, adding that it’s “Beautiful” and wants to leave that intact.
Saporta’s primary focus right now is Cobra Starship, as they recently released an infectiously catchy new single called “Never Been in Love” featuring electronic pop duo Icona Pop. The band is no stranger to electronic music as each record blends a variety of sounds including synth pop and rock.
When Cobra Starship was formed, Saporta mentioned that rock was its own thing while electronic was its own thing and they became one of the first bands to blend both genres together. With each album he says, the band is constantly looking to perfect this sound and incorporate it into the rock world.
“Never Been in Love” takes a sample of Fatboy Slim’s “Praise You” and draws influences from 90’s U.K. acts like George Michael and Jesus Jones.
The track was inspired by his marriage to Fetherson as he said that: “I had to go from the guy who made ‘Good Girls Go Bad’ to a new husband.”
The band is currently in the process of recording their fifth album that Saporta hopes will be released in early 2015. According to him, longtime fans should expect the same “tongue in cheek” attitude that is present on every Cobra record.
