A Look Inside Cobra Starship With Alex Suarez

Do you know who Cobra Starship is? For those of you who don’t, this new wave dance rock band features Gabe Saporta on vocals, Nate Navarro behind drums, Ryland Blackinton covering guitar, keyboard and vocals, Victoria Asher with the keytar and vocals, leaving Alex Suarez with bass, keyboard and also vocals. Where does the name Cobra Starship come from, you may ask?

“Gabe came up with it after getting a hallucinogenic visit from a cobra from the future,” says Suarez, who I’m sure was smiling at the mere mention of this question. This band is different, and they know it... But how? Well, they logically reason that it’s because they’re all very tall.

Alex Suarez (also known as Suareazy) grew up in my own great hometown of Brooklyn, New York. The earliest music memory that Alex possesses takes place in the ancient country of Spain; simply watching gypsies playing and singing. His own musical practices, however were forced upon him when his elementary school made it mandatory to take a music class. In 3rd grade, he picked up the clarinet, later moving on to the trumpet. By age thirteen, Suarez had picked up the guitar, influenced by his brothers to jam out the rock tunes. Though Alex has played guitar for years in other bands (such as Kite Flying Society, which ended when Alex made a move down to South Florida), he switched over to bass for his very own role in Cobra.

While Alex may not have gotten academics out of the band, he has learned that Chevy Chase is one of the best actors, and Alex wants the world to know it! One last thing to note about Alex before we move on. He’s had a mixture of good, bad, and just plain odd experiences with his fans. I think that one of the ‘odd’ situations would be when a fan named her pet after our young Alex. To this day that tidbit of information still blows his mind. So guys, think about what you’ll do to poor Alex if you come up with a surprising gift for him, and make sure it’s in his best interest, and not just for laughs! However, the band in question isn’t called Alex Suarez though, it’s called Cobra Starship. So a little more about them.

Cobra Starship is a band that likes to party, and their music portrays just that. What‘s their music like? To put it simply, “It’s like, Electronic dance rock", says the twenty-eight year old Suarez. Lyrically, Gabe writes most of them, leaving the rest of the guys (and girl) to write the beats.

With the recent release of the album ‘Hot Mess‘, their song sporting the same name has risen in popularity, playing on national radio stations, television commercials and even as a choice in their karaoke contest on MySpace. Alex claims that this particular jam isn’t about something (or someone) specific as much as it’s about what you see a lot of in the clubs of NYC.

Musically, the band can’t pinpoint their muses, there are too many great entertainers out there, not to mention their friends who shred with unbelievable sass and skill. Their shows seem to be a little more rock driven than their album, doused with a high dosage of shredding and sassiness. They’ve headlined quite a few tours since their start. A few bands that they love to share the stage with are acts such as The Academy Is..., Fall Out Boy and Gym Class Heroes.

Speaking of, you know that guy Pete Wentz? Well he’s got to be a part of the Cobra world somehow! As the song “Pete Wentz is The Only Reason We’re Famous” suggests, he’s played a big enough part in their career to get a song named after him! While it’s not literal, the Fall Out Boy front man has given the group a great shove in the right direction by signing them to his label. Being signed to DecayDance is (in Alex’s words) “pretty wild” to them, and hearing themselves on the radio and in clubs is unreal, but very rewarding, and it never gets on their nerves to hear the tunes on every station.

Now, onto the fun and not so professional side (though, is their professional side really professional?), we’re going to discuss personality, life on tour and how they live it up with their lives always in the spotlight.

As we’ve all probably seen and heard, Gabe is the most daring and the most extroverted, always rushing out and doing things that the others may shy away from. Can you say attention seeker? But, we love him anyway. While jamming to break through artists (Suarez favors Lady Gaga right now,), old musical guilty pleasures (such as Alex’s favorite, T.A.T.U.), and just relaxing before shows, the band lives a playful life of web surfing, hanging out, watching movies and playing a good video game or two.

There’s no real before show prep for this quintet. “I can go from doing anything to right on stage.” Suarez tells us when asked about his pre-show rituals. We all know that their post show plans usually involve going to see the most important aspect of their music career... Their fans. These fans make up a gang, the Cobra gang, one might call it. Ever heard of Fangs up? Well, here’s the inside scoop, straight from Alex Suarez’s mouth... Or... Fingers. “It’s a gang sign. We consider ourselves with our fans, a “gang”... And every gang needs a gang sign.”

And of course, the Cobras want to initiate you, and are all very qualified to do so, just catch them at a show.

Another aspect of life in the limelight is the gossip, fiction and goofing around. From a fan's perspective, writing fan-fiction seems endearing, and probably is one of the only ways they feel as though they can get close (if only fictionally) to the band, but to the bands? It’s just plain creepy! And those slash stories? Even weirder! Pranks, however are a fun thing that most bands indulge in whilst on tour. Alex Suarez says he isn’t much of a prankster, but his band mates sure are! Here’s his recount of the horrible prank his friends pulled on him:

“I’m not really a prankster (I don’t think…) but I’m terrified of dolls and someone taped a doll in my bunk and when i woke up, it was breathing down my neck.” Don’t get any ideas now, guys! Scaring your favorite band member isn’t a good way to make a lasting impression... Or a good one anyway.

Alex digresses, however, that there are some obstacles the band has faced, despite having fun and goofing off. Touring as much as they do has put a strain on family, friends, and romantic relationships, but with communication, it’s all working out. There’s no personality conflicts and spending so much time together hasn’t made anyone bitter. If the Cobras had to give any advice to bands just starting out it would be this:

“Depending on what your goals as a band are, try to get as much local support before trying to conquer other territories.” Trust these guys, they’ve learned from experience!

Now that we’ve reached the end of this exciting interview, Alex wanted me to leave all you fans and critics with this, and I quote;

“Thank you all for your support, we hope we get to meet you at some point! Take care.”

Also, be sure to check out Keep A Child Alive, an organization that Alex Suarez and the Cobras are very intent on supporting.

Cobra Starship's Myspace

Alex Suarez's Myspace

Cobra Starship's official website.