If that’s not enough they will also be performing at the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival at Congress Theater along with the great Bela Fleck. Cobalt starts at 11 a.m. as part of the Chicago Roots Collective – a community of 10 bands all connected to Americana music roots in some way. You have to give them props for being so organized and really representing what a music scene is supposed to be about - community. In Cobalt’s music, it comes through, in their lyrics, in their personalities, interactions with one another and with their fans.

“When people get hooked, they get hooked really hard. And they want to know the stories and where everything is coming from,” said Heart.

What are your songs about, and what is Cow Punk?

Fort: “Matt and I come from a folksy background, and we appreciate that roots country tradition…It’s like American things, traveling, finding yourself on a journey, it’s about cities, places, self-discovery, sometimes in a relationship to another person or to yourself and a place. There’s a lot of desire for change which I think is a very American experience.”

Heart: “We take the music seriously, but we don’t take ourselves seriously. “

The Collaborative and Creative Process

Fort: “If the song is good, you have to serve the song. You have to pay tribute to that song, and what it should be in its truest form. And sometimes that means changing it, but you have to maintain the fidelity of what that song is meant to be about, what that song wants to communicate, what that song wants to be”

Heart: “Purifying, let’s say you got 5 minutes, and it’s got these parts. What are you trying to say and how do you say it most effectively. Usually it’s making things more concise.”

Fort: “Every song that we do changes so much from when it’s an individual in our apartment, to bringing it to the rehearsal space and turning it into a Cobalt and the Hired Guns song. Everyone contributes.”

The Struggle

Fort: “They (bands) spend months writing songs, been on tour for weeks, haven’t seen their families, they’re not in touch with their friends, and they’re losing important relationships, and most of the time they’re losing money. And have been driving all day. For us we work the load in and we work the load out.”

“I don’t want to have a job that makes me so comfortable. If I had a job that I could buy a Mercedes Benz and a house, it would be really hard to tear myself away from that so I can make a few hundred dollars a month… maybe, and live out of the back of a Dodge Ram Van. It’s a tough trade to make. You really gotta love it, and I don’t want to get that comfortable.”

What kind of songs do you see in Cobalt’s future?

Fort: “I’d like to see us writing adult songs and addressing adult themes, and even when we’re talking about stuff that young teens go through, we want to be able to put ourselves back in their shoes but still maintain the understanding that we have now of how we want to address that. We look to go beyond a simple perspective.”

You have to make what is personal about it very public and very accessible. The moments that you know it’s true. (Those moments) even though if it’s never happened to anyone else, they know exactly what you’re talking about. You share your experiences through those songs.”

If you live in Chicago you have two chances to see Cobalt and the Hired Guns on the 12th of December. See them early in the day at the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival at Congress Theater along with a slew of other great bands. If you like what you see then maybe make your way over to Wrigleyville and see them again at The Metro.

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