For the past 11 years, Nu Metal quintet Bobaflex has enjoyed the consistent lineup of co-frontmen/guitarists/vocalists/brothers Marty and Shaun McCoy, guitarist/backing vocalist Mike Steele, bassist/backing vocalist Jerod Mankin and drummer Tommy Johnson. That’s a fairly significant accomplishment for any band, but it’s doubly impressive for Bobaflex. The McCoys are decendents of the West Virginian clan that famously feuded with the Hatfields of Kentucky. So, in a sense, Bobaflex is evidence that at least some faction of the McCoys can get along with non-McCoys (of course, none of them are Hatfields … as far as we know).
The McCoys assembled Bobaflex in 1998 and made a name for the band through a relentless touring schedule that has included bills with Nickelback, Filter, Disturbed and Sevendust, among others, and slots on West Virginia’s X-Fest, Ohio’s Woodshock festival, Florida’s Locofest and Megadeth’s Gigantour. Within three years of forming, Bobaflex secured a contract with the indie Eclipse label, which released the band’s debut album, Primitive Epic, in 2003. Two years later, Eclipse allowed the band to move on and move up. After Bobaflex’s first release, the band signed with TVT for its sophomore album, Apologize for Nothing, and its third and perhaps biggest and most diverse album, 2007’s Tales from Dirt Town, a mix of contemporary Metal intensity and Classic Rock melodicism.
The past year has been tougher than most for Bobaflex. The band is sitting on a batch of new material and is ready to record a new album, but the group has been hamstrung by TVT’s bankruptcy declaration. The band members are hoping to sign with a new label and start recording their fourth album soon. In the meantime, the boys of Bobaflex intend to do what they’ve always done: hit the road hard, play new songs for their fans every night and take no prisoners in the process. After all, they’re McCoys.
(Get the full lineup and find nearby bars and restaurants here.)
This article appears in Jul 1-7, 2009.