Cobra Verde Tour, Shoot Video With Mike Watt, George Wendt and Dolemite
Norm dared to chug 40oz. of Colt .45 and it just all goes downhill from there
[Updated Thursday, January 29th, 2004 04:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]
Ashford Tucker reports:

Cleveland rockers Cobra Verde recently announced February tour dates, including two hometown shows-- one with the recently reformed Urge Overkill, the other as part of Little Steven's Underground Garage show.

Often mentioned only in passing as the band that backed Bob Pollard on Mag Earwhig! (after Pollard sent all his childhood friends home for being Busch leaguers), Cobra Verde have plenty of their own material to feel good about right now, with the release of the critically adored Easy Listening in 2003. Guitar hero J Mascis plays on the record, stepping in for original guitarist and founding member Doug Gillard (GbV fulltime, stage left/Les Paul, since 1999), and the shit's wild. Playboy magazine and the Abercrombie & Fitch Quarterly agree: Easy Listening rocks.

Of the live/touring version of Cobra Verde-- John Petkovic (vocals), Ed Sotelo (bass), Frank Vazzano (guitar), and Mark Klein (drums)-- Petkovic is the only original member left, and the new blood seems to be having positive effects. The band is peaking right now, ten years after its first release.

If the crapfest that is "Stacy's Mom" can be made Grammy-nominatable by Rod Stewart's old bag of bitchmeat dancing on a pole, Cobra Verde might just play both presidential conventions after MTV picks up the video for Easy Listening's opener, "Riot Industry." Hitting the airwaves as we speak, the video stars Mike Watt, George Wendt of Cheers / SNL fame, Blaxploitaion legend Rudy Ray Moore-- reprising his Dolemite character-- and an internationally renowned Egyptian belly dancer. Fuck yes, what the fuck, fuck yes and who? See this meeting of the minds for yourself at the band's site.