Published on: Thursday, May 31, 2012

By Daryl Buchanan

SILVER SPRING -A bevy of local bands rocked the Fillmore last Thursday. One band in particular brought their unique style to the venue.

The Cousin John Band was one of four bands that played for a mixed crowd of older and younger people that night. They played a mix of rock music blended and flavored with blues and jazz.

The Cousin John Band is John Mobley-Lead vocals and guitar, Tim Howe-Bass and vocals, David O’Brien-Drums and vocals, and Joe Goltz-Lead guitar and vocals.

“We’re psyched. This is the biggest gig we have ever played and it’s going to be awesome. The sound and lighting is incredible. The Fillmore staff has been just incredible also. I can’t wait to get on stage and put on a show tonight,” said John Mobley.

Mobley says The Cousin John Band has been playing since 1999 and has had a rotating list of members over the years. All of the members are from the D.C. Metro area. 

Mobley says the band name developed from being formed with his cousin. “I literally have a ton of cousins and everyone in the family calls me Cousin John. So that’s where the name Cousin John Band came from,” said Mobley.

Mobley said the band has their own unique sound, but they are a mix of Rock, Blues, R&B, and Western. He said a lot of people say they sound like old Rolling Stones songs and others says the Black Crows.

With a second album planned for release in the fall The Cousin John Band played eight original songs from their album “Jellyfish!” Two of the songs played were previewed for the first time at the Fillmore. Mobley says most of their songs deal with love, sex, relationships, and relationships gone badly.

The band shows their western roots on songs like “I Need a Girl” and “Wild Hearts” which has a distinctly western twang and lyrics reminiscent of western love songs. They flex their blues muscles on “Crazy Ray” which is a moody story about a homeless man. The song “Stop and Go” which was written by Dave O’Brien has more rock sound to it, with Mobley belting out strong vocals over steady drums and guitar riffs.

Overall, “Jellyfish!” has a strong Blues and Jazz influence to it. You’d expect any of the songs to hold up in any jazz spot in New Orleans or Chicago.

“The music we play is like the soundtrack for my brain and the story of my life. It’s like I’m performing my life up there. When I see people getting into the performance and connecting to the music it does something to me that is more than music. It’s an absolutely incredible feeling,” said Mobley.

The Cousin John Band gave a strong performance that got the attendees moving. Mobley’s gravelly vocals accompanied with strong bass guitar skills boomed throughout the venue. They switched up between slower and faster paced songs but the crowd kept focused during their set.

After their set Mobley said the performance was good and was pleased how it went. “It was great playing up there. This is such a nice venue. I hope we can come back soon. It’s always nice to play at really great places like this for family and friends. Hopefully we got some new fans tonight. The crowd seemed to really enjoy us,” said Mobley.

For more information on The Cousin John Band and their album “Jellyfish!” visit their profile at www.reverbnation.com/cousinjohnband.