Bobaflex Want to Become ‘The Biggest Band in the Universe’

West Virginia rockers Bobaflex have been heating things up with their singles ‘Bury Me With My Guns On’ and ‘Chemical Valley’ off of their album ‘Hell in My Heart.’

Loudwire recently caught up with the band’s guitarist Marty McCoy and drummer Tommy Johnson at this year’s Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio.

The two musicians dished all about the origin of the band’s name, being out on the road, their goal of becoming the biggest band in the universe and much more.

Tell us a little bit about how the name came about. Was it Boba Fett, you guys ‘Star Wars’ fans? How’d that come about?

Marty McCoy: One time we when we were young, our parents were real crazy people and they made us go on a survival adventure and we had to climb to the top of a mountain with now food, no water, nothin’ like that and we made it, we all made it. We got to the top and the name was there. We don’t know what it means, I think it just comes from the heavens and I think we’ll figure out what it means later and that’s how it came about.

You guys have been together for quite some time now; since the ’90s you’ve been rockin’ it…

MM: We’re like a old married couple.

So what’s the song writing process for you guys like?

MM: Everybody in the band comes from different backgrounds and is so creative – it’s like a pack of piranhas like, “Hey I got this song idea and bam everybody jumps on it so fast” if you don’t keep up, you’ll get lost. So it’s really a fun way to write and we turn songs out a lot, everybody has their hand in every single song, lyrics, guitars, drums, everything.

What have some of the show stopping moments been, be it with a huge band that you’ve worked with before, what was a moment where you guys were like “Wow man I can’t believe we’re here doing this right now?”

MM: We were on Gigantour, the very first Gigantour and the third show in, it was a huge crowd in Arizona, it was like 400,000 degrees outside I looked over and Dave Mustaine was watchin’ the whole show. He came out a bunch, the guys from Dream Theater would watch the show. The fans were into Dream Theater, Megadeth and Symphony X so they weren’t really hipped to Bobaflex but all the bands and all the crew on tour would watch us every night.

Now looking ahead, who are some people you would love to collaborate with?

MM: Last night I saw Foxy Shazam for the first time, I bought the records – been a fan of the band forever and I saw them last night live for the first time ‘cause we always cross paths and we never get to see each other and I was just blown away. One of the best live shows ever.

Coming up. what’s on the horizon for you guys? Are you guys working on new music?

MM: Yeah, we’re always writing, always touring, writing and rehearsing so it’s 24 hour a day Bobabflex but what’s on the schedule for the end of this year it says right on the schedule “To be the biggest band in the universe” that’s what’s on the horizon. It’s a lot of work but we’re workin’ toward it and it’s falling into place so by the end of the year – the biggest band in the world.

What’s your guys opinion of the new digital age of music — with the Internet taking over as the major method of distribution?

Tommy Johnson: It’s been great for us, the playing field’s level, you can spend 50 million dollars on a band and it doesn’t matter. A band can do something in their garage and be pretty savy with the Internet and blow up like Falling in Reverse and all these newer lifestyle bands are blowin’ up with the kids. We’ve never heard them on the radio or anything like that and they’re sellin’ out clubs – it’s kind of better for bands like us, it’s great.

You guys are from West Virginia, what’s something from West Virginia when you guys are out on tour that you really miss about that state in particular or about being home?

TJ: [Sings] “Blue Ridge Mountains.”

MM: West Virginia’s a great place, the more you travel, the more you find out that everywhere is pretty much the same, just different landscapes, people are all really cool everywhere. If you play music people go out of their way to take care of you and I like being in West Virginia; I miss my parents and I miss my dog, but other than that, the country is kind of like home now.

Interview by Andy Green.