First Posted: 10/6/2014

Life looks good these days, even in the midst of a grueling tour schedule, for Bobaflex vocalist Shaun McCoy.

“I got out of the old bus, picked up our dirty old utility van to go see my daughter on a day off out on the road, so I’m doing good,” jokes McCoy in a conversation that precedes his band’s show this Saturday night at The Factory: Underground in Wilkes-Barre. The show is part of the current Rock Avengers Tour, which sees Bobaflex teaming with fellow melodic rockers Royal Bliss in a run of dates that will stretch into December.

Judging by McCoy’s candor, good old-fashioned rock ‘n roll excess is far from dead.

“We always have a good time with those guys, man,” said McCoy of his tourmates. “We’ve been touring off and on with those guys for the past four or five years. We always seem to get in trouble together; make everyone’s wives and girlfriends mad. It always ends up that there’s grown men wrestling with each other at the end of a bar – that’s how mature we are.”

McCoy mentions an incident in Minnesota where the club’s bouncers actually thought the two bands were engaged in a serious fight.

“We knocked our own merch table over,” he laughs. “The bouncers ran over and we were like, ‘It’s ok, we’re friends!’ There’s a lot of alcohol consumed – my brother (Bobaflex guitarist/vocalist Marty McCoy) and I fell off the wagon a little this week, but we’re back on now. Anytime we’re with Royal Bliss there’s going to be some alcohol. The two bands together just have this energy that causes mayhem.”

Road antics aside, Bobaflex is a band that’s taking its career very seriously. The band’s latest album, “Charlatan’s Web,” is one of the strongest recordings they’ve ever released, with current single “Never Coming Back” impacting rock radio – the band just this past week finished a video for the track. With business ventures more solid than ever, it’s hard to believe this was a band that’s evolved heavily from its once fledgling rap-rock beginnings and nu-metal slant.

“It’s like this invisible beast that threatens to envelop us all,” laughs McCoy of the band’s current songwriting process. “Before, it was like, ‘Don’t touch my song!’ Now, it’s like, ‘Maybe your idea is better.’ We always have the attitude of ‘Let’s try it.’ We’ll try anything, and if someone has an idea, we’ll listen to it. If it gets the old head-nod, you know it’s really got something.”

McCoy says that Bobaflex was lucky enough with their latest album to come out on top, business-wise, after so many deal in their past have scarred them. At one point during the past decade, the band lost the rights to their back catalog and even the rights to their name, but the momentum is clearly now in their favor.

“We met an investor that we were good friends with and we made a contract more favorable to the artist, saying that he’s a partner for three years,” he said. “He’ll always get a piece of “Charlatan’s Web,” but it cuts off after three years on everything else. You have to get creative in your deals, because labels are getting more creative in how they’re going to take your money. Personally, I don’t’ think it’s a good thing to want to be signed to a traditional record deal these days.”

The changing business climate has led to Bobaflex offering the popular VIP packages to their shows – something McCoy says he’s always been cool with anyway; the prospect of chatting it up with fans.

“I always like to get inside fans heads and see what they think,” he admits. “We’ll invite them on the bus, see what they thought of the show, get ideas from them – especially for when the next writing process begins for the next album; bounce ideas off of them.”

What’s left for Bobaflex to accomplish in a career that’s already seen them tour as part of Megadeth’s Gigantour back in 2005 and play headline sets at Ohio’s Rock on The Range festival? The answer, according to Shaun McCoy, involves his band having a plan 3-4 months in advance, always one step ahead – that’s what’s kept Bobaflex afloat all these years amid a sea of fallen musical casualties.

“I’d love to build up the hype and get us to tour Europe,” McCoy admits. “That’s always been a dream of mine since I was thirteen years old. We’re talking to management – we’re going to make it happen one way or the other. My brother and are go, go, go – don’t take a break, don’t stop. In the end, you’ve gotta stay out there and keep relevant – keep writing songs, keep selling it.”