Draft:Robby Cosenza

Robert John Cosenza (February 4, 1974 - February 18, 2024) was an American drummer, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer based in Lexington, Kentucky. Cosenza recorded and performed with national and international touring acts, including Paul K & The Weathermen, Pontius Co-Pilot, The Apparitions, The Scourge of the Sea, These United States, Vandaveer, Horse Feathers, and The Tarbox Ramblers and appeared on Ringo Starr’s 2017 album, Give More Love. Cosenza also wrote, recorded, and performed his own original material under the name The Fanged Robot.

Early life
Cosenza was born in Huntington, New York.

Music career
Cosenza began playing drums at an early age, receiving his first drum kit from a family friend at 9-years-old. Cosenza grew up listening to The Ramones, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Twisted Sister, and Rush before eventually discovering Bob Dylan.

In 1992, at the age of 18, he joined Paul K. & The Weathermen for an extensive European tour. In 2000, he formed Pontius Co-Pilot with singer/songwriter Ben Phelan, and went on to join Lexington, KY-based indie rock group The Apparitions in 2003. Cosenza founded The Scourge of the Sea, also from Lexington, KY, in 2004 with singer/songwriter Andrew English and future Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, Justin Craig. In 2006, Cosenza joined Washington, DC-based indie folk group Vandaveer, appearing on five LPs and several EPs between 2007 and 2016 and touring across the United States and Europe with the band. Cosenza also played drums in American alternative rock group These United States from 2006 to 2012, touring extensively with the group during that time. In 2017, Cosenza appeared alongside Vandaveer on Ringo Starr's LP, Give More Love, backing up the Beatle drummer on new versions of The Beatles' Don't Pass Me By and Starr's 1973 hit, Photograph. Cosenza has also produced the music for two films, The Good Journey (2018) and The Gift of Christmas (2020), and performed on the scores for Sex Drive and Little Fockers. In a 2016 interview with Modern Drummer, Cosenza cited Starr, Max Weinberg, Russ Kunkell, John Bonham, Jim Keltner, and Liberty DeVitto as early and lifelong influences on his drumming style. Cosenza has also written, recorded, and performed his own original musical compositions under the moniker The Fanged Robot.

Cosenza died from Leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer, on February 18, 2024.

Discography
Appears on:
 * Pontius Co-Pilot: Madagascar (2000)
 * The Apparitions: As This Is Futuristic (2006)
 * The Scourge of the Sea: Make Me Armored (2006)
 * Vandaveer: Grace & Speed (2007)
 * These United States: Crimes (2008)
 * Vandaveer: Divide & Conquer (2009)
 * These United States: Everything Touches Everything (2009)
 * These United States: What Lasts (2010)
 * Daniel Martin Moore & Ben Sollee: Dear Companion (2010)
 * Vandaveer: Dig Down Deep (2011)
 * Adam Arcuragi: Like a Fire That Consumes All Before It... (2012)
 * These United States: These United States (2012)
 * Dawn Landes & The Kentuckians: Covers EP (2014)
 * Vandaveer: The Wild Mercury (2016)
 * Justin Wells: Dawn in the Distance (2016)
 * Vandaveer: Love Is Melancholy (2016)
 * Ragman: The Ragman Project (2017)
 * Ian Noe: Off This Mountaintop (2017)
 * Ringo Starr: Give More Love (2017)
 * Horse Feathers: Appreciation (2018)
 * Aaron Boyd: Coming Undone (2023)