Cobalt & the Hired Guns ON TOUR (updated): Please tell your friends in these cities to come out for a great time!

July 9 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom (All Ages) July 10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe July 11 – New York, NY – Arlene’s Grocery July 13 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint July 14 – Stanton, CT – Seaside Tavern July 15 – Philadelphia, PA – PubWebb July 16 – Clementon, NJ – The Cherrywood July 17 – Washington, DC – Velvet Lounge July 18 – Cambridge, MA – The Middle East (18+) July 19 – Northampton, MA – The Elevens July 20 – Philadelphia, PA – Kildare’s July 21 – Baltimore, MD – 8×10 July 23 – Washington, DC – DC Mini Gallery July 24 – TBA July 25 – Brooklyn, NY – Union Hall August 12 – Chicago, IL – Schubas (18+) August 13 – Des Moines, IA – Vaudeville Mews (All Ages) August 14 – Kansas City, MO – The Brick August 15 – Urbana, IL – Red Herring (All Ages) August 17 – Off Broadway – St. Louis, MO (All Ages) August 18 – Indianapolis, IN – Locals Only August 19 – Cincinnati, OH – Blue Rock Tavern August 20 – Nashville, TN – The Basement August 21 – Asheville, NC or Atlanta, GA – TBA August 22 – Durham, NC – The Pinhook August 30 – Madison, WI – High Noon Saloon [All shows 21+ unless otherwise noted]

Hi Everyone!

EXCITING NEWS: A lot has been going on lately in the world of Cobalt and the Hired Guns. We are putting the finishing touches on two brand spankin’ new songs that we recorded this winter at Chicago Recording Company, planning two summer tours, and we are super-pumped to announce that we will be playing a show in Durham, NC with platinum-selling artist Dashboard Confessional on March 31st!!!!

This will be one of the biggest shows we’ve played to date and we are very excited. Stay tuned in the following weeks for announcements about ticket sales as well as other tour dates in North Carolina that weekend!

Woo Woo!

-Matt, Mike, Tom, Alie, and Larry of CATHG

1) We are delighted that our official endorsement of Barack Obama for president had such far-reaching effects. I’m pretty sure that we tipped the scales in Indiana, North Carolina, Colorado, and that one electoral vote for Omaha. For nostalgia’s sake, here is the aforementioned super-important endoresement: “We of Cobalt & the Hired Guns feel very strongly about this election. We’ve been registering new Illinois voters at our recent live shows, trying to do our part in this democratic process. It’s difficult to talk about the importance of this election without sounding cliché, but hey, its really freaking important. On that note, for what it’s worth, Cobalt & the Hired Guns officially endorses Barack Obama for president. On every major issue – the environment, health care, education, foreign policy, the economy – we think that Obama has the insight, creativity, and political skill necessary to bring about positive change. We really like him and believe he would be a great leader for our nation. So that’s what we think. Go act on what you think and cast your ballot on Tuesday!” 2) For everyone who voted for us in the “Last Banjo Standing” contest for the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival – THANK YOU! We did not come out on top, but it’s all good. Many of you have sent us encouraging emails and professed your daily voting – and we REALLY appreciate it. It’s going to be a great show at 1:00 pm on the Pavillion stage and we are super-pumped to be playing such an awesome event – the largest independent music festival in Chicago’s history! Check out www.cbgbfestival.com for more info on the event! 3) Those of you who have made it out to a show recently have noticed a new face on stage. As of August, our beloved Mike Roth has been at Duke University in Durham, NC (new Obama state! whatup!) earning a masters degree in environmental management with a focus on alternative energy. He’ll be back in Chicago during breaks, still working hard on the band, and we went to visit him at Duke and played a show a few weeks ago. In the meantime, we have been super fortunate to have the handsome and talented Larry Bailey playing bass with us. We wanted to formally welcome him to the Cobalt family and thank him for all his hard work so far! 4) Recent headlines: - We have been playing a whole lot of benefit shows lately for great local organizations – the Organic School Project, Green City Market, etc – generally featuring our upbeat acoustic set. Are you involved in putting together a fundraiser, benefit, or any other kind of event? Need a band? It’s a ton-o-fun! - We recently had great shows in Chicago at Martyrs’, the Double Door, and Bottom Lounge. We also hiked out to Indianapolis to play a youth conference. 5) Up next for Cobalt & the Hired Guns: -Weekend club shows in December/January at the Elbo Room, Abbey Pub, and Martys’ -Looks like we’re going into the studio in December to record two of our newest songs, “You Left your Sweater,” and “Of Summer.” These songs have been frequently opening and closing our sets to rave reviews. Hooray! -We’re hoping to put together at least one Summer 2009 tour. So if you live in the Midwest, East Coast, or Middle East (ha) and want to help us play a show near you, please let us know!

to our most beloved: thank you for coming to the double door with us. it felt like an arrival. the Double Door has been a destination goal since we moved to Chicago, and for some of us, for our whole lives, and because of you it lived up to what we were hoping it could be. it was one of those shows where everything clicked and we could all feel it. there isn’t a moment we enjoy more than sharing our best efforts with our friends and fans that are there to experience these shows with us, and last thursday was just that. our crowd was excited and engaged and energetic – you were all the things we could hope for you to be. please keep coming, all of you. and bring your friends, you have amazing friends. It was also a proper debut for Larry Bailey – the dude with the funny t-shirt who’s playing bass with us in the live show these days. Special thanks to Jesse the soundguy who made us sound so good, we’re looking forward to working with you again. You make these shows special.

Hey Y’all,

Thanks for those of you who dropped by our PartyLine last night! It was really fun to play some unreleased stuff and have so much enthusiasm in the room! Biggest thanks to Bernadette for setting it all up!

and PLEASE vote for us in the Punk/Ska/Psychobilly channel tonight, and hopefully the music finals tomorrow!

-Matt, Mike, Alie, and Tom Cobalt & the Hired Guns