I got a chance to sit down with Shaun McCoy (lead singer, guitarist) of Roll and Roll veterans and road dogs, Bobaflex, before the band played the Stanhope House in Stanhope, New Jersey on December 8th, 2016. We got to discuss the highly anticipated new album, life on the road, the recording process and much more while McCoy was frying up burgers for the band and crew on the tour bus.Just another day in the life of a Rock star! McCoy known for having a witty sense of humor did not disappoint but he also shared a brutally honest side of himself, as well. With 18 years officially making music with 6 full length albums and 1 EP under their belt, Bobaflex shows no signs of slowing down. Having a fierce live show and loyal fan base that keeps growing the success and future of the band is endless.
Side Stage Magazine: What can we expect from tonight’s show here at the Stanhope House?
Shaun McCoy: Sweat and live Rock and Roll, no tracks, no synthesizers, just real stuff!
Oh, so you’re not going to do any…
SM: Lip syncing, no…no we don’t do that. We are one of the few left.
Oh really! Okay, that’s good to know. So what are your holiday plans?
SM: We’re gonna go home. I’m gonna hang out with my daughter and girlfriend. My folks are coming up to Ohio to visit. I’ve got like five or six days with my girlfriend. I’m going to drink some Patron and barely go to the gym. Then my family is going to come up, I’m just going to cook and eat and hang out with my family, man. I’m excited. Super Excited!
Yeah, I know you guys don’t get a lot of time off. As I heard from Mr. Marty (McCoy – lead singer, guitarist and Shaun’s brother) he said by the end of the year you will have a 157 shows under your belt so that is quiet impressive to say the least…but there is a rumor that I head that you guys will be filming a new music video. Is that true?
SM: Yes
And can you tell us the single or is that under wraps?
SM: I think it’s safe now, Marty? (Shaun calls to his brother in the back of the bus for an answer) Marty is it safe right?
Are you guys going to be directing it? Are you going to be directing it? Marty?
SM: A guy named…well we don’t know that yet. We have two directors we are talking to so it’s still in the planning stages but we’ll be doing it in January.
(Marty walks in the kitchen)
SM: Can we say what the single is now or no? (Shaun is talking to Marty)
Marty McCoy: Oh if you want…ummmm, not yet.
Okay, not yet, we’ll just have to wait. So you’re headed into the studio after the holidays and how long do you think that process will be for?
SM: Hmmm…Well, we are going to do it piece by piece like we always do. We are gonna tour, then record a few, then tour and record a few.
That’s what I was going to ask…
SM: So it’s all a process
I was gonna say are you going right into the studio doing the whole album and then touring.
SM: We just locked down a really nice rehearsal space, like today.
Ok, awesome
SM: So as soon as New Year’s Eve is over, the 2nd or 3rd of January, we will be in there working and writing and getting in the think tank.
Ok, cool so do you already have songs written…
SM: We have skeletons, which we call choruses, pieces, verses, ideas, guitar riffs so the base is there we just have to put it all together.
So it’s an actual writing process when you get into the studio.
SM: It’s kinda like Frankenstein we have a head and a penis; we just gotta get everything else in between.
Ok, absolutely, absolutely that..
SM: Balls, we just have to find a decent body to attach the penis and the balls too.
MM: There’s gonna be a lotta girth on this record.
I was gonna ask you do you think it’s going have the familiar sound or are you gonna put some interesting twist in there.
SM: No, with our single which is a little psychedelic, I think we are really going to match the single we did and go out there and really aggravate our engineer, Joe Veir at Sonic Lounge and tell him we don’t want just straight forward classic rock sound we wanna get out there and experiment do some different things on music defiantly.
Okay, that’s excellent, that’s awesome. But you’ll stay true to your formula I think…
SM: Oh, yeah there’s no way around it.
Like you said you’re going to return to the road, a little bit at a time back and forth…
SM: Well, technically, no. January and February we’ll be off we do one week in Michigan and then once we get a few songs under our belt, the album won’t be done but we will support the single early in late February and do a Mid-West tour in all our best markets for about five weeks.
Yeah, you guys love to do the Mid-West…
SM: Yup, that’s are bread and butter
Will you be doing headling tours…
SM: Headling for sure because it’s for the single. Festivals in the summer we are already booking those with no rhyme or reason just booking them all.
Excellent,kinda goes along with your fan base, you guys are like road dogs. Your fan base has been there from day one. I mean I know that’s how I came up as a fan but how has that played on your family and your friends. It’s gotta be really, really hard to be on the road all the time…
SM: I’m going to face time my daughter after this. It’s hard being a dad. Before Jerod (Mankin –original bass player) left there have been several members who have been divorced and it’s all because of this. There are girlfriends pretty much threatening to leave at any time so it’s tough man. It’s not easy.
It’s not, I know but there’s that passion there.
SM: If you don’t like it don’t do it.
Yeah, I mean it’s a passion. I guess the people who love you and care about you are still around and still there hanging out.
SM: Oh yeah, I’ve kept one for three years now, somehow so I have no idea…
I guess, she gets it. She gets it and loves it and is supportive of you. This goes to what you guys seem to embrace, and this is what I really love, the true rock and roll lifestyle, like the whole “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” doesn’t necessarily have to be there but a lot of your lyrical stuff and mentality of the band goes around a kind of Guns n’ Roses kinda feel. What I want to know is there are so many bands out now that are trying to do that clean-cut kind of music to get popular that way. Will you ever think you’ll change your fierce style and sound and your musical show to try to fit in?
SM: No, we are just being who we are and uh, I always like Guns N’ Roses and just nasty bands. I came out to do this so, part of it was music but part of it was to live a free lifestyle and not go and have to cut my hair and go work at a bank. You know mild manners and be quiet and fade away and age obscurity. I’m a pretty un-orthodox, wild person and with this lifestyle on the road I can do what I want. And really freedom has been a big part of doing this because we don’t have a boss. We’ve had record labels, we’ve had investors, just a few years ago but we still call the shots once we were off a label and that freedom is irreplaceable.
Thank you for your time. It wasn’t too long of an interview (laughs)
SM: Burgers frying, it was perfect (laughs)
