Cobi may have initially fallen in love with music by listening to the epic guitar solos of Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page. However, he was more than just another guitar player. After years with the Boston band, Gentleman Hall, he has ventured onto his own solo path and has revived the soulful sides of anyone open to hearing it. Find out more about Cobi below.

Hometown: Grand Marais, MN

How did you get into music?

I just fell in love with music at a young age. I think it was just the passion and the excitement that a lot of my favorite artists made me feel when I was listening to them like Jimi Hendrix. It was really the guitar that got me. So my favorite artists are Hendrix and Jimmy Page, stuff like that turned me on.

Since guitar was what hooked you, what was the first guitar solo or song did you learn?

Well, there's a few, but Hendrix was definitely the first. "Little Wing" was one, and then there's "Red House" and "Purple Haze." When I heard those songs, I thought, I want to play like that.

You were in another band called Gentleman Hall and had success there. What did you take away from that experience and bring to your solo career?

Gentleman Hall worked tirelessly on our songwriting craft and in the studio and in production and doing a lot of it at home. So one of the biggest things I took away from that was being relentless when it comes to songwriting and recording and just being in love with that whole process. That was definitely a big thing I took away.

Do you remember the first song you wrote and what was it about?

[Laughs] It was so long ago. It was probably terrible, I'm sure. But I don't know what it was about.

Fair enough. So "Don't Cry for Me" is a very powerful song. What was it about? And why did you choose that as the debut for you as a solo artist?

I guess people just chose that song because it spoke to them. When it came out, a few people heard it and felt that was the song. So it chose itself in a way. The song is really about when life strings you up. It uses a lot of metaphors for being hung, and that's kind of the inspiration for the song I guess.

With that song, people have compared you to Hozier. How do you feel about that comparison? And what do you feel sets you apart from the rest?

I think when people see me live, I think it's pretty obvious what sets me apart from the other artists. But it's cool if people hear those similarities with Hozier. Hozier is a great artist, and he's really soulful. I think that's where the comparison comes in.

Speaking of your own soulful voice, who are some of the artists that influenced your sound?

I don't know, really. I think that's just kind of how I express myself. I grew up listening to a lot of soulful music but really it's how I express myself. Honestly, I think it kind of comes from that.

You toured with Above and Beyond for a bit, and your styles are quite different. What was that experience like?

The experience was really cool and unlike anything I've ever done before. [Above and Beyond] were doing acoustic versions of their songs, acoustic meaning that they had real instruments onstage. It was the first time they went into that avenue, and it's the first time I got to step into a band that was something that big. The biggest show we did was the Hollywood Bowl with a full orchestra in the bag, and I've never done anything like that before. And it was a really cool experience. I got to travel to some places I've never been and play some incredible venues that I never dreamed of playing at this point in my life. Royal Albert Hall in London was one of them.