About the band
Lakyn Bury
Vocals
MIC:
Shure GLXD24R/B58-Z2 Rechargeable Wireless System with BETA58A Vocal Microphone
Nat Nickel
Drums
Kit - WTS Artistry Series - White
● 22 x 14" kick drum
● 12 x 9" rack tom
● 16 x 14" floor tom
● 14 x 8" snare
● 16" Meinl Byzance Sand Hats
● 17" Paiste Signature Fast Crash
● 17" Sabian AAX X-plosion Fast Crash
● 19" Sabian AAX X-plosion Fast Crash
● 10" Sabian AAX Splash
● 22" Sabian Paragon Ride
● 20" Meinl Byzance Dual Trash Crash
Devin Duncan
Guitar
GUITARS:
ESP LTD EC-1000
AMPS:
Peavey 6505
Orange 2x12 Cabinet
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
PEDALS:
Line 6 Helix Rack + Foot Controller
OTHER:
Shure GLXD16 Wireless unit
In-Tune Guitar Picks
D'addario Light Top Heavy Bottom Strings
Ernie Ball Straps
Gruv Gear Fretwraps
Andrew Burr
Guitar
Modded Fender Stratocaster with Seymour Duncan Rail Pickups
Neck Position: Cool Rail
Middle Position: Vintage Rail
Bridge Position: Hot Rail
G&L Tribute Series Fallout
Fender Classic Player Baja Telecaster
PEDALS:
Line 6 Helix Rack + Foot Controller
Matt Carstens
Bass
Bass:
Fender Offset Series Mustang PJ
Hofner Ignition Series Violin Bass
Bugera Veyron M BV1001M Bass Head
Avid Eleven Rack Multi-Effects Processor
Behringer FCB1010 Midi Foot Controller
Peavey 4x10 Bass Cabinet
Reviews & Feedback
“Best known for their brazen, spontaneous rock and roll, Cobrahawk is a band that would fit right in on a summer rock festival line-up circa 1994. They had humble beginnings in 2013 as ‘Walking Talking Stephen Hawking,’ a creative outlet for its members to perform a myriad of cover songs, before changing their name to the much easier Cobrahawk the following year and beginning to write original material that they could take to the stage or the studio. Listening to any one of the band’s songs, their sound instantly reveals itself to the listener: blazing alternative rock guitars ebb and flow through track after track, with lead singer Lakyn Bury’s instantly recognizable vocals taking center-stage on each track. Bury’s simultaneously melodic, acerbic, and stadium-sized vocal delivery lends a distinct charm and swagger to the band’s music that elevates their music to a new level.
Even though it wasn’t until March 2017 that Cobrahawk’s debut full-length album, Vindictive, was unleashed unto the public, they’ve made a name for themselves locally as one hell of a live outfit. Their explosive live performances take the intensity and magnitude of their studio recordings and turn it up to 11, leading to a number of impressive live appearances, including first place at the Yakima Apple Jam battle of the bands competition on the 4th of July 2017, as well as two consecutive years on the roster of Chinook Fest. Cobrahawk is still in the midst of touring Washington State in promotion of Vindictive, but for those of you that can’t make it out to a live performance, white-hot songs off the album like “Hot and Bothered” and “Wicked” pack plenty of punch for any loud rock fanatic.”
— Northwest Music Scene
An album release, especially for a much-anticipated, years-in-the-making follow-up to a cult-classic debut, is generally cause for a triumphant concert followed by a triumphant tour with fawning media coverage and fawning fans.
There’s a lot of triumph and fawning. It’s a whole thing.
CobraHawk, the riotously hard-rocking Ellensburg outfit, didn’t get any of that. It released “Excuses, Excuses” on Halloween last year, right in the middle of what turned out to be a 15-month statewide pandemic lockdown. The triumph and fawning was, necessarily, muted and virtual.
The album, which came three years after the band’s debut, “Vindictive,” was nevertheless a significant accomplishment for CobraHawk and for Central Washington rock music in general. The title track, in particular, is a showcase for the band’s hooky qualities and tight musicianship, counterbalanced as always by frontwoman Lakyn Bury’s banshee howl.
And now — finally, blessedly — live music is back in Yakima. And CobraHawk is back as well, stopping by Hoops on Saturday to play its first public gig here since the Before Times. (The band did a private show last month at Bearded Monkey Music. But I wasn’t invited, so it doesn’t count.)
If you haven’t seen CobraHawk before, here’s what you can expect: A high-energy show powered by an ace band that from time to time lets loose and absolutely tears up everything around it. It’s that latter aspect that makes the band’s live show so essential. “Excuses, Excuses” and “Vindictive” are both rocking albums, but there’s no way to capture the band’s live-show wildness on a record. You have to see them in all their shoot-sparks-everywhere, on-stage glory.
— Yakima Herald
“Personally, I have seen a metric ass-ton of bands out of Yakima and Central Washington in my 30+ years in the radio industry and, pound for pound, Cobrahawk brings an infectious sound and stage presence unlike just about anyone I have ever seen and are easily the most professional in all of their efforts.”
— Todd Lyons 94.5 KATS
There are some pretty good New Year’s Eve parties scheduled around here, but this is the best.
Not only does The Pearl Bar & Grill in Ellensburg (formerly The Starlight Lounge) have new life under new ownership, it also has a much-improved cocktail menu and a new emphasis on live music in the back-bar area. And on Tuesday it also has the region’s best rock band, CobraHawk.
So, here’s what it might look like: You show up around 7 and have a bite to eat. Maybe a flank-steak cheesesteak or just some pork cracklins. You order a Corpse Reviver No. 2 or a Remember the Maine, or whatever else looks good from a drink menu studded with classics.
After you’ve gotten your sustenance, you head to the back bar. Maybe another drink. This time a Last Word. Or maybe The Blake, the rye and orgeat drink named for barman and new owner Blake Collins. You settle into a good spot for watching the show and wait till CobraHawk comes on at 9.
Then, just as you’re starting to feel a little warm and comfortable, they take the stage and the whole place explodes. The four dudes in the band — Nat Nickel on drums, Devin Duncan and Kyle Bain on guitars, Matt Carstens on bass — build a solid foundation of rock while vocalist Lakyn Bury does her patented purr-becomes-howl thing.
You’re going to need another drink. But a beer this time, in a bottle so it won’t spill as you push up closer to the stage. And all of a sudden you’re in a great, writhing mass of fellow revelers, sweating and shouting along with the band. And you look up: It’s just a few minutes to midnight. The music stops. The place goes quiet. There’s a countdown. There’s “Auld Lang Syne.” There’s another year in the books, and a new one just underway. The first few minutes of it have been pretty good.
— Yakima Herald
“Mid-afternoon can be kind of a dead time at a music festival, with the weary seeking shade and quiet. Energy can dip, and malaise can set in. Or at least impatience for the evening. But you know what defeats all of that? You know what can stop that ebb of energy? Cobra-by-god-Hawk, that’s what.
CobraHawk rocks hard. That’s what won them the inaugural Yakima AppleJam Battle of the Bands on the Fourth of July, and it’s why you’re not going to want to wander back to your campground for a midafternoon nap on Saturday. If you’d like to see the bleeding, beating heart of rock ’n’ roll, you can see it at 2:15 p.m. when frontwoman Lakyn Bury leads her troops on stage.”— Yakima Herald
Best local album:
In terms of honest-to-god local albums, there’s really only one way to go: “Excuses Excuses” by Ellensburg rockers CobraHawk. It’s the long-awaited second album from one of the most consistently rewarding live acts in Central Washington, and it rocks just as hard as you want it to. The whole band is in fine form, and singer Lakyn Bury is as good as ever at her patented Debbie-Harry-but-angrier delivery. You can find it on Spotify or on CD at a handful of Ellensburg retailers.
— Yakima Herald
“2nd Best Band in Kittitas County - 2021”