Talent Beyond Their Years: A Talk with the Distinctive Buffalo Band ‘Cobraz’

(EDITOR’S NOTES — The Buffalo band ‘Cobraz’ caught our attention a few months back with the release of its latest single, ‘Disfigured.’ The song’s sonic moodiness and sophisticated wordplay intrigued us and so we delved further into the group’s catalog, of which there’s a decent amount despite the band’s young age. Cobraz is a hard band to catagorize and that’s part of its intrigue. Starting out in their very early teens, Cobraz’ members have literally grown up together, and their shared maturation and the challenges in which they’ve been forced to overcome together have solidified their connection as both friends and musicians. As a result, there’s an aspect to the band’s music, lyrics and live performances which seem beyond their years. Cobraz will be performing Aug. 1 at Rec Room with Hyperview and then Aug. 7 for ‘Music on Main’ in Williamsville. Meanwhile, the band’s next single — titled, ‘With Liberty…’ — is scheduled for release Oct. 10. Cobraz is comprised of Andrew Doviak, vocals/guitar; DJ Heim, drums; and guitarists David Gregoire and Chris Rossi. Recently, the band’s members were kind enough to sit for an interview with 1120 Press to talk about their music and all they have happening. Please see our story below. — ALL PHOTOS by Timmy Hardy - Insta @timmy.hardy.) 

‘Wasn’t able to say goodbye

All closure is a lie

They said that men don’t cry,

They killed the boy inside’

—‘Asylum’ (Cobraz)

1120 PRESS: Thanks very much for taking time to speak with us. When we started listening to the band’s music what struck us right away is that your sound is far different than what other young bands are doing in Buffalo. You seem oblivious to any genre or trend, and you just do your thing. The music seems to be a blend of everything from metal, punk and grunge to progressive elements and indie. How would you describe your sound?

ANDREW: Honestly, I’d describe our sound as a blend of all that we love. To the uninitiated, there’s something for everyone to enjoy, whether it be our “heavier” songs to our more mellow sounds

DJ: Our sound is something which has been created due to the evolution and constant

changes in mainstream rock and metal in the last 40 years. Everyone in the band grew up listening to different genres of music and subgenres of rock, causing this blend of

influence to be implemented into our sound

1120: Who are your influences?

ANDREW: When it comes to musical influences, everyone in our band comes from a different place. We all have diverse musical tastes, and we all have different core sounds that have shaped the way we play and, ultimately, write. Chris likes indie and classic rock; DJ, metal; Dave, hair metal/glam/party rock, and me, pop-punk/emo. Our band is definitely influenced by the overlaps in everyone's tastes.

1120: What also stands out to us is the lyrical content to your songs. There’s a

sophistication from a writing aspect to their structure and delivery. The lines often have a literary tone to them, and/or they aren’t obvious — for example, the lines such as “Dismember your disillusion/Taxidermy is your solution” from ‘Disfigured,’ or  “(You’re a) Black lung, Silver Tongue, Bottom rung, Just for fun, Cultural exclusion, Buyers’ revolution” from ‘Dear Hypocrites.’ Can you discuss your lyrical approach and some of the subject matter you explore?

DJ: The subject matter of our lyrics explores (issues) such as relationships, romance,

as well as friends, enemies, that which lie in between, history, current events,

and personal struggles.

ANDREW: When it comes to lyrics, I try not to force them. They need to be natural and emotional. Most of the songs I write for the band are usually about something that I feel very deeply about.

1120: When you guys were still at Williamsville North High School you won a Buffalo Music Hall of Fame songwriting contest in 2023. At that point, you had already been a band for two years, and today, you’ve been together for four years now. How would you say your music has evolved since those early days when you were quite young? 

ANDREW: As time has gone on, we’ve matured, had a few lineup changes, diversified what we listen to and our music shows (that). The change from the ages of 15/16 to 20/21 is drastic. We’ve all endured so much and have had each other as support throughout all of it.

DAVID: We listen to a wider array of music now than we did four years ago; the guitar riffs I’m writing today, versus then, correlate to that influx of new influence.

CHRIS: The fact that the four of us core members have been a band, with there being line-up changes around us, is impressive. We’ve stuck together through all these good and bad things, and we’ve all matured. It’s a pretty big reason as to why we’re together.

1120: Now you guys find yourself separated during much of the year with band members attending college away from home. What kind of challenges does that pose to the band and how do you work around it to still create music?

CHRIS: I think distance helps the band because when we’re apart we look forward to being back with each other and picking up where we left off. It’s a testament to the bond that we have with one another.

DJ: We communicate very well with each other every day in our group chat, even if it

doesn’t concern the band. We’re all best friends so being separated doesn’t pose much of a challenge.

DAVID: I’m always writing riffs while people are away, and DJ and Andrew are usually writing lyrics.

ANDREW: I’m always sending DJ lyrics, or a riff or two to someone in the group. I’m working on music. Just because we’re not in the same room together for a week or longer, doesn’t mean we can’t be productive.

1120: Cobraz also won the ‘Music is Art Battle of the Bands’ last year, and when it comes to performing live you guys seem to be especially in your element. There’s a lot of confidence you exude, which again, isn’t always the case with young bands. Can you talk about your approach/attitude toward performing live?

ANDREW: With performing live, I think we all aim to get the crowd as involved as possible and have the show be as entertaining and fun as can be. The reality is nobody wants to go to a show and see a band that just stands there looking entirely disinterested in their own music. To me, that says to the audience, ‘We don't care, so why should you?’ I hate shows like that and Cobraz never tries to be boring. It’s all about energy and making people have fun … and sometimes finding the next crazy move like Dave standing on tables, or Chris (playing) in the crowd. Those are things people won’t forget.

DAVID: It’s more of a show than just the music.

DJ: We are all very confident in our instruments and playing ability due to years of playing together, and playing multiple shows around Buffalo. Opening for touring bands, gaining advice and useful experience have only grown our confidence. We all love to put on a good show, and to do that confidence is a must.

CHRIS: If you’re not having fun, the crowd isn’t having any fun; if no one’s having fun, then nobody’s going to remember you.

1120: Thank you again for speaking with us. Before we end, is there anything else you want to add that we haven’t covered?

DAVID: We’re different, fun, and flashy. I don’t see a lot of bands in our scene like that, and I think we’re different in that regard.

CHRIS: I think that the group has a unique way of writing and completing songs before we play them live. It starts with either lyrics or a guitar part, usually worked on individually or with two people, and then from there the song is continually developed until I come in at the end to help fine tune it.

ANDREW: This band isn’t just (a product of) our musical influence, it's our personalities too. We’re all very different people. Chris is a barista, DJ is an engineer, Dave is a bodybuilder, and I’m a nerd. Over the years our tastes have grown, developed, and we’ve exposed each other to a variety of music, which has only made us better, but our personality differences are what make our music distinctly ours. We have four different sets of eyes on any given song, and that’s why Cobraz has such a distinct sound. We’d also like to thank our parents, friends, and family for supporting our band through all of this. A special thank you to JoeyB, Marc Hunt and GCR Audio, and everyone else who’s been vital to this journey. Go Bills, go Sabres, go Bandits!