Throw your fangs up

Get ready to be encircled by people enviously eyeing your rendition of Star Wars with glow sticks right after your flawless pop and lock.

Cobra Starship brings their fast paced dance party to Club Infinity on March 13 as they tour with Cartel.

The group first made a name for themselves with a hot Internet parody of Gwen Stefani's hit "Hollaback Girl," appropriately titled "Hollaback Boy." They also managed to snag a spot on the soundtrack of one of the biggest cult movies of last summer, "Snakes on Plane." Despite their busy touring schedule, bassist and lead vocalist Gabe Saporta was able to take some time before their show and exchange a few words with The Spectrum.

Fans of MTV's Real World/Road Rules Challenge may remember Saporta as the bass-playing lead singer of the pop punk band Midtown. The band had a song featured as the intro to an episode in one of the show's first seasons. Midtown fans had quite a shock ahead of them when they found out the lead singer of their favorite punk band was going to become the lead singer of a... dance band?

Despite the leap from one genre to another, Saporta was more than prepared.

"This was more of a challenge (than Midtown). We started with a beat and went off of that, but with my time in Midtown, I'm more used to it," Saporta said. "This reminds of the early days of Midtown when it was a lot less serious."

The one record that fans of Midtown commonly consider above the rest is the band's final release, "Forget What You Know."

"It's one of those records you write once in a lifetime. Albert Einstein said he hasn't had a good idea since he was 20. I had such a different view on the world. I learned so much from that record," Saporta said.

Many ex-fans of Midtown have called Cobra Starship and Saporta sellouts for starting a dance band and seemingly jumping on the bandwagon with fellow label mates Panic! At the Disco.

"I don't think too much about that stuff. People can tell right away we aren't like them," Saporta said. "We all have strong personalities, with unique experiences."

Listeners can spot numerous different styles of music on Cobra Starship's debut record, "While the City Sleeps." The tracks include an acoustic opener, some more up-tempo dance music and even a hint of Spanish flavor.

"I listened to a lot of variety (while making the record). The whole thing is cohesive," Saporta said. "While writing, I wanted to make something that was varied; I mean I was listening to Spanish radio, lots of (1980s) music. 80s music just has this passion. A lot of mainstream pop music was being played at the same time too."

Despite the rumors that Saporta is leeching off of the dance music frenzy, he has stated on numerous occasions that Cobra Starship declined a major label, along with a handsome sum of money, in order to sign with indie-label powerhouse Fueled by Ramen.

"Major labels have a hard time making bands, they are more about the money. Fueled by Ramen's niche is the scene and it is a great scene. I mean, a major label can do a lot, but with our label we can get a lot of things from Atlantic records too. The first 50,000 records are always the hardest to sell," Saporta said.

With a monster hit this summer, Cobra Starship is still trying to avoid the stigma of being the "Snakes on a Plane" band.

"The biggest challenge is getting people to realize we aren't just a one off joke band. The upside is that we were involved with something huge in pop culture that propelled our band."

But with success always comes trouble. Saporta's recent MySpace "blog battle" would make most thirteen year old girls upset to tears. The band posted a blog on their MySpace informing fans that they have a new keytaur player. In response to this message, the original keytaurist struck back with a vicious blog accusing Saporta of being a pill-popping jerk. The band decided to take the high road by not attacking their former member.

"It's unfortunate," Saporta said. "People trying to put your personal life online, but I'm happy with the way I dealt with the situation."

But the controversy isn't bringing down band moral as they are heading out once again, on tour this time with Cartel. As if that's not enough, the band is going to be working on their next album.

"We have bits and pieces ready, hopefully on this tour we can get some of it all together."

For people who plan on going to see Cobra Starship live, Saporta has only a few things to divulge.

"Expect an amazing show. And make sure to come hang out with us after the show. It's important to be able to talk to the people that support you."

Get your dancing shoes ready for March 13 at Club Infinity for both Cobra Starship and Cartel. Doors open at 7 p.m.