Meet Cobrahawk, a rock & roll band known for driving guitar riffs, pounding drums, matched with raw, powerful vocal melodies. The headline act for the 2022 CWU Student Appreciation Day event Wild Fest is comprised of Lakyn Bury on vocals, Nat Nickel on drums, Devin Duncan and Kyle Bain on guitar, and Matt Carstens on bass.

Q: How did Cobrahawk come to be/How was the band created?

A: The band started off almost 10 years ago as a cover band under the name Walking Talking Stephen Hawking. Once we began starting to write original music we changed it to something a bit more PR friendly. Since then the band has released two full length albums ‘Vindictive’ (2017) and ‘Excuses Excuses’ (2020) across all digital platforms. 

Q: What is the meaning of the band name/How did you come up with it?

A: To some Cobrahawk is based off the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent. To us it was a simple mix up of the football team “the Seahawks” as the “C-Hawks” and it sounded like a cool band name.

Q: What has been the most memorable performance to date?

A: Lakyn: Definitely opening for Buckcherry last month, the crowd and venue were both excellent and we played really well.

Devin: For me it’s gotta be either opening for Buckcherry a few weeks ago, or getting to open for Smash Mouth and having a catwalk on stage. 

Matt: Definitely Buckcherry.

Kyle: Opening for Buckcherry. It was cool playing for so many people. And we played well as a band. 

Q: What does the future look like for the band?

A: Lakyn: I’d like to continue to grow and get better. Hopefully we’ll book bigger and bigger shows and get our music out to as many people as we can!

Devin: Hopefully to continue to make more music and grow as a band

Matt: Hopefully get our drummer back on a jumbotron

Kyle: Last I checked it looked pretty good. Things are getting better all the time.

Q: What has been your most memorable moment at CWU?

A: Lakyn: I’d say when some students filmed a music video for us as a school project a few years back. It turned out really great. 

Devin:  I’d say either when we filmed our music video for our song Hot & Bothered with some CWU Students two days after getting my wisdom teeth out, or when we did our first album premiere with 88.1 The Burg on Halloween and we were dressed as X-men characters. 

Matt: Losing in the intramural flag football championship by 1 point. 

Kyle: I’m a big Nick Zentner fan so he’s my most memorable thing about CWU. 

Q: When you were younger, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: Lakyn: First and foremost a rock star, but also a marine biologist. And for a short time in 6th grade, a paranormal investigator.

Devin: I used to want to be a pro skater when I was younger, but quickly realized I was much better at guitar, and being a musician required less physical requirements. 

Matt: Always wanted to sell out to corporate America as a musician. There’s still time. 

Kyle: I wanted to be a musician since the age of 12 or so. I also wanted to be a basketball player, but there was another kid named Kyle that was bigger and better than me, so it didn’t work out.