Interview with 2Cents’ Dave O’Rourke and Adair Cobley

Forget about trying to reach the members of fast-rising metallists 2Cents at their homes, as it appears as though the group is constantly on the road. Comprised of the brother tandem Adam (lead vocals, drums) and Dave O’Rourke (guitar, vocals), and Adair Cobley (guitar) and Jason Wendell (bass), 2Cents has completed two legs of touring with Five Finger Death Punch and Shadows Fall, and during May and June, will be hitting the road with Korn as part of the Jagermeister Music Tour. Additionally, 2Cents has played with other notable bands, including Killswitch Engage, Rise Against, Pennywise, Static X, and Gwar, among many renowned acts. On April 20th, the group released their latest album, ‘Dress to Kill’ (via Eight O Five Records, and produced by Matt Hyde), which showcases the guitar work of Dave O’Rourke and Adair Cobley, who both recently chatted with Guitarsite.

Dave: I started playing guitar when I was 18 years old after many failed attempts due to ADD. But I just realized that music was something I loved and wanted to pursue no matter how long it took. So I went about it by jamming with my friends and my brother, learning how to play 3 chords with a drum beat and sucking. From there went to music school and to this day I am still on a constant journey to become a better  musician at all times. 

Adair: I started playing guitar when I was 10. My mum’s friend built it for me as a christmas gift. 

Dave: Early influences consisted of Slash from Guns N' Roses, Mick Mars from Motley Crue, Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and my all time hero, Dimebag Darryl from Pantera. 

Adair: My early influences were Metallica, Van Halen, The Cult, Skid Row. My first concert was Cinderella on my 5th birthday and I fell in love with rock and roll.

Dave: Me and my brother have been playing under the name 2Cents since we were little kids. We have been trying to develop our own sound and style for years and years. With that being said, 2Cents performed as a professional band four years ago with the help of our producer and good friend Matt Hyde. 

Adair: Dave and Adam started 2Cents as young teens playing punk. They sucked! Atlantic Records put out our first record “Lost at Sea” in 2006.  

Dave: I am really proud of our new record. I feel it encompasses and blends our different influences and created a sound that is unique to our band. Part of what creates our influences and style is the bands that we have toured with. We always have our eyes open to watch and learn from all kinds of different acts, big and small. We just got off the road doing 3 months with FFDP and Shadows Fall and we are currently on the Jagermeister Tour with Korn for the next two months. On the horizon there are talks of us going out with such amazing acts as Sevendust, Buckcherry, HellYeah, Janus, and the Sick Puppies. 

Adair: Our new record is called “Dress to Kill”. It just came out on April 20th 2010 on Eight 0 Five Records. We are super stoked on this record. Our producer Matt Hyde did a killer job! We just started our tour as direct support for Korn. We're doing seven weeks with them all over the USA.

Dave: I am sponsored by ESP Guitars and typically I play the EC 1000 but also play numerous guitars by ESP. My amplifier is a Dizeal Herbert. And I have a G Major 2 effects processor, ground control foot switch, and Dimebag wah pedal and Digitek wammy. 

Adair: I use ESP guitars and they rule!!! I’m running a Randall MTS with the George Lynch “Mr. Scary” channel as my main distortion. As far as effects go i keep it really simple. Only thing use is my Boss digital delay, a Boss chorus, and the one and only Dime Bag wah pedal made by Dunlop. That pedal alone is the most important part of my rig.

Dave: Practice routine is rubbing women's behinds to keep my wrists loose and my fingers strong…hahaha. I have a messed up sense of humor. On the real deal, playing guitar on my Micro Cube and jamming and picking up tricks with fellow musicians. 

Adair: I honestly don't really practice much…I drink beer and play acoustic everyday. It’s fun to sing, drink and play acoustic all day then shred the fuck out of the loud shit all night!

Dave: Keep playing guitar because it is meant to be fun, before it is meant to be a job. 

Adair: I think that everyone needs to concentrate on writing tasty riffs and killer songs rather than trying to sweep and shred as fast as you can.

For more information:
http://www.2centsmusic.com/