Biography
When an artist's music has the capability to inspire euphoria and communicate the most profound of human sorrows simultaneously, people pay attention. For the past 8 years, Sheila Bommakanti has been turning heads as the founder and songwriter of the band Cober, and with her unique blend of hauntingly-beautiful delayed guitars and hypnotic, expressive vocals, she continues to do just that on Cober's latest album, Eulogy. Additionally, Cober's unique evolution as a band has created further allure. What once began as Sheila's solo recording project - later developing into a traditional band - has now become Sheila, armed with a double-necked SG and two Marshall half-stacks, returning Cober to its solo roots.
Formerly from Seattle, and now one of Boston's most original, exciting artists, Sheila, as Cober, has written and recorded three critically lauded albums and toured extensively, both with a band and also as an enigmatic solo performer. Cober's Eulogy, however, marks a decided shift in the band's history, as Sheila decided to use a one-piece band approach for the album rather than a customary full band sound as heard on previous records. "Everything was recorded the way it will be performed live, with guitars and vocals only," says Sheila. "My path hasn't been typical. Many songwriters start out performing solo and later add backing bands for live shows and recordings. I've written and recorded as a one-piece band from the start, singing and playing all the instruments except the drums, but live I'd have a full band. I've come to realize that playing live the way I record more accurately reflects what Cober is, and the audience gets a more intimate show."
Moreover, the one-piece band format better conveys the moods of the songs. Sheila explains, "A lot happened in between the release of The Breaker in '02 and Eulogy. In life there are things that happen, that hit you so hard, everything around you feels stripped away and all you can feel is the reality of whatever it was that happened. Things feel very exposed. That basically happened for me in 2004, when my father passed away. While the album was inspired by a lot of hardship, it's more about the processes we all go through, of self-discovery and whatnot, and in this sense it's more positive, [and] cathartic."
Indeed this real-life outlook on songwriting has been consistent since Cober's inception. Sheila launched Cober in March of 2000 as an outlet for her original music after years spent playing in various local bands. Before the end of 2000 she had released Cober's first record, Crashpilot. "Musically, I wanted to stay 'real‚' and avoid chasing the latest trend," Sheila explains. "When I write, I'm usually in a somber, reflective or angry mood, so my focus is on making sure the guitar melodies and vocals aurally re-create those feelings." No matter what form Cober takes, creating a mood is the key to unlocking the seductive power of its music.
For Crashpilot, Sheila wrote all the material, sang and played guitars, bass and mandolin. On this ambitious debut, swirling, chiming guitars provide additional layers of expression to Sheila's vivid lyrics and engaging, charismatic vocals. As the songs navigate a minefield of emotionally volatile scenarios - unfulfilled expectations, the burden of unwanted knowledge, betrayal - the musical imagery gains surprising resonance. Among Crashpilot's flood of glowing press, webzine FAC193 wrote, "Cober encapsulates everything that's good about dark, brooding music on Crashpilot." Rockpile magazine's review echoed the sentiment, concluding, "Cober's astoundingly gifted singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist, Sheila Bommakanti has crafted a nearly flawless debut."
In 2002, Sheila recorded Cober's second album, entitled The Breaker. Sheila told Michael Molenda of Guitar Player magazine, "The Breaker [explores] the idea that what someone cares for the most can ultimately bring them to their breaking point." The album's title track explores how heartbreak and its subsequent turmoil can lead one into vast areas of uncertainty, accompanied by a troubling sense of loss and confusion from which there is no rest. In praise of The Breaker, The Boston Phoenix said, "The second album is a bruised, bitterly elegant - and often devastating - exposition on betrayal ("Hear Lies"), emotional abandonment ("Nothing Left"), and withering regret. The surprise is how painstakingly lovely and graceful all the blood letting sounds." The Cleveland Scene simply declared Sheila, "a gothic renaissance woman," adding, "It's her voice, impassioned by her fight to confront her insecurities, that demands attention."
As a continually evolving artist, Sheila looks forward to touring as Cober and touching as many lives as possible with her music. "Even before I began playing guitar and writing songs," she says, "music kept me grounded and sane. I know from my own experience how music alleviates a sense of being alone in the world. It follows that the audience's connection to the music will always be an important factor for me, and an essential part of Cober."
