{"id":6693,"date":"2016-02-19T17:39:21","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T22:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.altwire.net\/?p=6693"},"modified":"2023-12-06T06:37:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T11:37:24","slug":"interview-coheed-and-cambria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/interview-coheed-and-cambria\/","title":{"rendered":"Coheed und Cambria: Ein sehr ehrliches Gespr\u00e4ch mit Josh Eppard"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The_Color_Before_the_Sun_album_cover\"Arguably one of the best progressive rock bands to grace this generation of music, Coheed and Cambria<\/a> boasts an impressive list of accomplishments: eight studio albums, three live albums, a complete series of comic books, a full-length novel, and multiple special edition releases all since 2001.<\/h4>\n

Their most recent album, The Color Before the Sun, <\/em>was released this past October and was the band\u2019s first non-conceptual album. The record was widely successful, peaking at #10 on the Billboard Top 200 and #1 on the US Top Rock Albums (Billboard).<\/p>\n

Recognized for their sci-fi conceptual backstory to their previous albums and frontman Claudio Sanchez\u2019s luscious hairdo, the group is well known, well respected, and well-loved by their dedicated fans who identify as The Children of the Fence (a reference to the Amory Wars series).<\/p>\n

Drummer Josh Eppard agreed to sit down with Altwire to discuss everything from the newest Coheed and Cambria album to his solo rap endeavor, Weerd Science, his next rock project, and his hopes for the year to come. Josh is an incredibly talented musician in his own right.<\/p>\n

A bit of a prodigy, Josh picked up his first pair of drum sticks at age ten and began making music early with the guidance and encouragement from his musically-inclined family. Now a well-rounded musician, Josh has dabbled in multiple genres, picked up a plethora of different instruments, and fronted or collaborated on countless projects and records.<\/p>\n

Eppard started his tenure with Coheed and Cambria back in 2000 and was with the band until his departure in 2006. He later returned home to his band in 2011 after overcoming what he has openly admitted to being a personal battle with drug addiction to begin recording Afterman: Ascension<\/em> and Afterman: Descension<\/em>.<\/p>\n

AW: Let\u2019s start by talking about the change in sound on this album. For some fans, the change on The Color Before The Sun came as a shock. Some feel it\u2019s surprisingly light considering the typically darker nature of your music, or just doesn’t fit with the brand that Coheed and Cambria have made over the years.  Was there anything specifically that sparked the movement<\/a> away from The Amory Wars story and towards this new, more personal album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> First of all, I\u2019d like to note that\u2019s definitely not fans overthinking.  There is clearly a different sound to this record, and I think it was a conscious effort. Coheed has always had those kinds of moments on our records.<\/p>\n

They just were blended with the more, kind of darker fare, and with me personally, Derek, I gotta tell you, my favorite element of Coheed is the darker stuff. So this came as a shock to me as well. And then I really fell in love with the songs. <\/p>\n

With songs like Colors, there is still a darkness, but I just think maybe it\u2019s not so, \u201con the nose\u201d. A song like Colors is both extremely dark and beautiful, but to me, it conjures up the same feelings as some of the more overtly dark Coheed material. I think in Claudio\u2019s mind, he wanted to write a more concise kind of pop record. And he did.<\/p>\n

Now, given that you\u2019ve had the opportunity to kind of work on both styles, do you prefer performing and writing music that deals more bluntly with personal, intimate emotions, or music that tells a conceptual story and follows a narrative?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s the thing, we never wrote a Coheed record that just followed a narrative. It was always deeply personal and with this, I\u2019m talking about albums like Second Stage Turbine Blade, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth, etc.<\/p>\n

In those albums, there was always a very personal thread within and I think Claud would tell you that\u2019s kinda why he concocted the story. It was to hide that. Y\u2019know we had made Second Stage Turbine Blade and nobody had ever heard of this ‘story’. And then one day in an interview Claud said “Well it’s actually all a story” and we were all like \u201cWhat? What’s this about a story\u201d? and he told us that he had wanted to do that.<\/p>\n

Which is funny because I remember hearing about a band doing that and we were kinda laughing at them but that\u2019s a totally different story. But yeah, it just kinda came out of nowhere.<\/p>\n

I think with this record [The Color Before The Sun], to say there was no story was incredibly brave on his part because he\u2019s ultimately just a shy guy. Before, I think he was kind of afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve like that and was like \u201coh there\u2019s this story\u201d but now the story has kind of taken on a life of its own.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s something that he creates with his wife and they really like the story. But as far as making the records it\u2019s never really come up for me. It\u2019s more of a lyrical thing. Every record is the same. I\u2019m always trying to put forth the best performance that I can. So to say a record like IKS that we were sitting around talking about a story just isn\u2019t true. <\/p>\n

I mean there\u2019s tons of personal DNA intertwined in those songs and I think that\u2019s how Claud writes. Even in the most fantastic, kind of, Amory Wars saga songs I hear the personal DNA. I know where some of this stuff is really coming from. So he\u2019s always written from a personal viewpoint. So it wasn\u2019t really all that different.<\/p>\n

The only difference was that after the fact he didn\u2019t say \u201cok, there\u2019s a story\u201d. And he and his wife could have easily turned TCBTS into a story.  That\u2019s why I think it\u2019s a brave and bold move on their part.  For Claudio to say \u201cthere is no story, this is what it\u2019s about, I\u2019ve had these things happen in my life that are huge\u201d like having his first son.<\/p>\n

And to me, the record is about Atlas, his kid, and he didn\u2019t kinda want to muddy up that water with a second-tier with this story that kind of followed along. It was to be taken for what it was. And even though I say that for me personally, the more darker stuff speaks to me, I was still incredibly moved by this collection of songs knowing that Claudio had his first son and that he wrote some really beautiful songs.<\/p>\n

The song Atlas is one of my all-time favorite Coheed songs. So I don\u2019t want you to get me wrong and think that I think this record is just a pop record.  Atlas to me sounds like it could have been on Second Stage Turbine Blade. There was some really kind of interesting esoteric Coheed DNA on The Color Before The Sun as well.<\/p>\n

AW: Well that was an awesome answer! Thank you, man. One thing that I think is awesome, is that you guys have been together as a band for nearly two decades and have released many records during that time. While some bands have ultimately seen fluctuations in their popularity, you guys actually have remained largely successful with even a few of your recent albums peaking in the top ten.  Do you think that\u2019s a testament to the versatility of the band or to the ferocity of your fan base?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> I think we struck a chord with people. I think it speaks to a very certain kind of person. Usually a very creative person. A person who hurts. Life is pain for everybody at some point , even those who are most happy with their life, and somehow Coheed struck a chord with those people and they stayed with us. We\u2019re the luckiest sons of bitches on this planet.<\/p>\n

Whenever I\u2019m a little tired on the road, or I\u2019m just like \u201coh god another day, another show\u201d I just think about that and it instantly perks me up. Instantly.  And it really works.  And I\u2019m just like \u201cdon\u2019t you dare complain about this, you are the luckiest.  All of us.  Claudio, lucky.  Zach?  Super lucky.  Travis?  Lucky.  Josh?  <\/p>\n

So lucky that we get to do this.  And it\u2019s the fans who are the reasons we get to do this.  And it\u2019s also because of, obviously, the music, but it spoke to people in a way that it resonated and they held on to it. I\u2019ve had songs that I was in love with. I mean, I\u2019d go see a band every time they came around for 10 years. And our fans do. And I just never wanted to be that guy in a band who forgets that.<\/p>\n

Everybody who wins an award is like \u201coh we have to thank the fans!\u201d  But they probably don\u2019t really give a shit about the fans. I\u2019ve become personal friends with so many of our fans and I find that in most cases, 99% of the time we have so many other things in common besides \u201chey you like the band I\u2019m in\u201d.  <\/p>\n

Most Coheed fans are super into movies, so we just get talking about movies, talking about horror movies typically, and science fiction. They\u2019re into music more than I think most fans.  I mean we have the best fans in the world.  And you know, I\u2019m able to live because of them. So I feel deeply indebted to them. And even though it seems like a clich\u00e9d thing to say we have the BEST fans, in the world. And I think as a stand here today, just what a lucky SOB I am.<\/p>\n

AW: Coming back on the drums for the band must have been an incredible experience for you.  The band is sounding absolutely brilliant since you\u2019ve returned.  How did you feel walking out on stage for the first show back in the band?  What was going through your mind?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> I can tell you exactly what was going through my mind: don\u2019t throw up and don\u2019t mess this up so bad that you train wreck a song.  I was nervous as hell dude.  I was petrified. It just meant so much to me, you know? It really did.<\/p>\n

 I mean, I had come to terms with the fact that I wasn\u2019t in Coheed and Cambria anymore.  That was part of the healing for me. I met this girl, and she became my wife, and she moved me out of my home town, kinda dragged me kicking and screaming out of my hometown and moved me an hour away. She kind of forced me out into the world and I was starting to heal.<\/p>\n

And I had come to terms with like \u201c hey you\u2019re not in this band anymore\u201d and it\u2019s one of the first things I remember past all that nonsense in my life where I was so happy that I didn\u2019t ruin the band for Claudio and Travis because there was a point where maybe they weren\u2019t gonna do this anymore, which maybe seems ridiculous now, but in 2007 that wasn\u2019t so ridiculous.  I just was so happy for them, and truly happy.  I was hanging on to zero anger, I was just happy that they continued the band.<\/p>\n

Did I want to be a part of it?  Of course, but I don’t know. Post all the drugs it wasn\u2019t selfish, it was just a real feeling of oh thank god my friends kept going, and I didn\u2019t flush all their hard work down the toilet like I did mine.  But I had healed, I came to terms with there being no chance I was gonna be in Coheed and it was over.<\/p>\n

 Then got to a point where I just missed the guys.  And you start to really think back to a lot of the things that happened to transpire and you\u2019re like ‘wow I was wrong, how could I have even said I wasn\u2019t wrong? I really messed up’.  <\/p>\n

And I just wanted to tell those guys that my life had changed so much and that I was just really sorry. And we got a chance to do that, but it very quickly became 3 old friends laughing and at one point we went to pee together and I thought they turned the lights<\/a> out on me like you would to your buddy and we were just like 3 old college friends.  <\/p>\n

We lived in a van together and we were all so nervous at first, but then it was just like 3 old friends it was really beautiful.  And in that first meeting, we ended up stopping by Applehead studios where we had done a bunch of our records and we walked in and people saw us together and were like \u201cwhat the fuck is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

My brother was up there recording and he had just like hit a bowl (my brother\u2019s not like a big pothead or anything) and he was like super high and he sees me walk in and then he sees Claudio and Travis and mind you we haven’t talked in like 4 years . So my brother was like \u201cwhat? Am I tripping? What is in the weed? What\u2019s going on?\u201dBut that was it! I was mostly concerned about being friends again.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never told anybody this in an interview, but I did say to Travis and Claudio within the first couple minutes of seeing each other \u201cwhat do you guys wanna get out of this?\u201d and they said \u201cclosure\u201d and I said \u201coh, because I wanna be friends again\u201d I think they thought I meant like \u201cok when are we playing again together?\u201d And I would never have the balls to do that. It wasn\u2019t even on my radar. Not in any way, shape, or form. I really mean that.  <\/p>\n

I feel like a lot of people would maybe say that, but that\u2019s really the truth. So when I got a call and they said what would you think about playing with Claudio on some prize fighter stuff I was elated. Because playing Coheed wasn\u2019t gonna happen. Chris was the drummer, they had moved on and it was all good.  <\/p>\n

So I was really excited, and I went to Claud’s house and we played the stuff and I\u2019m like this is NOT prize fighter stuff.  This is Coheed stuff.  And the first second we started playing together…we hadn\u2019t played together in years, we hadn\u2019t talked in years, and I saw him boppin’ his head and I\u2019ll never forget it.<\/p>\n

It was just like a really thrilling moment and then like the next day Blaze called and said \u201clisten, those weren\u2019t prize fighter songs, those were Coheed songs what do you think?\u201d  and right in front of my wife (who wasn\u2019t my wife at the time) I just start bawling like a baby. I just never thought it was possible, you know? I just.. I can\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t really even have the words.<\/p>\n

I can never articulate what it truly meant to be back in what I consider  \u201cmy band\u201d.  That\u2019s not to say it\u2019s not Claudio\u2019s or Travis\u2019 band, but it was also my<\/em> band. And I had put all these years into it. All my college-age years were spent on this band and it meant so much to me.  So to be back was\u2026I\u2019m still not over it.<\/p>\n

When I sit here and talk about it the hair on my arms stands up. It\u2019s important to me. Even on the bad days, even when I\u2019m fighting with those guys about a part and I\u2019m calling my wife saying \u201cthey should listen to me, I know what I\u2019m talking about!\u201d I\u2019m just so happy still.  Even in the worst times to be a part of Coheed and Cambria is amazing.<\/p>\n

AW: Before we even continue on I just wanna make a side note and say quickly that it’s amazing what you managed to overcome to get to where you are now and ultimately rejoin the band. I feel it\u2019s pretty inspirational and I know a lot of your fans feel the same.  I mean you seriously overcame a lot and you\u2019re a success story. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Not everybody can kick the habits that you had and not only did you kick them, but you got back to doing what you love and that\u2019s inspirational man. You may not be able to see it over the phone, but I\u2019m giving you a thumbs up.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> You know what?  I feel your thumbs up in my heart, man.<\/p>\n

AW: Speaking of the live show, you guys put on an incredible show. Some of our writers have had the pleasure of seeing you guys for your IKSSE3 Neverender Tour. How would you compare an album cycle tour to when you guys hit the road for a Neverender? How is it different?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> Well, that\u2019s a really great question. On an album cycle tour you\u2019re usually hand picking songs, and obviously it\u2019s gonna weigh heavily on the new setlist, but\u2026the cool thing about the Neverender<\/a> shows is the audience already knows what\u2019s coming next. Now you could say how that maybe could not be cool, but I think there\u2019s something neat about that.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re gonna hear your favorite record, but for us we\u2019re gonna have to play those tracks that just kinda never really made it into the setlist and that\u2019s what I think people get excited about. Of course they’ll wanna hear the songs that everybody knows; but some of the b-side songs or songs that you know are kind of more obscure where there\u2019s not a ton of those in a set list, normally for an album cycle tour.<\/p>\n

Maybe there\u2019s one or two. I think on this tour the set list is really incredible. There\u2019s such a catalog now to pick from, it\u2019s tough! We\u2019ve made setlists and felt good about them and gone out and realized, oh my god there\u2019s not ONE SONG from this record on there.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s so many records now and so many songs and we wanna play the songs that people wanna hear because we draw so much energy from the audience. When you\u2019re connecting with an audience and the music is speaking to them there\u2019s just no feeling like it and of course, we want that and that starts with a great setlist.<\/p>\n

For Neverender it\u2019s kind of the opposite of that. They know what you\u2019re gonna play, but it creates an entirely different energy and I think with a song like 2113, it\u2019s so long and it\u2019s the hidden track on IKS, but seeing the joy on the fan’s faces when we played it got us through some nights.<\/p>\n

Cause we\u2019re so tired by the end of the record and you\u2019re just like \u201coh god\u201d just seeing people be so into it was just such a thrill. And they know it\u2019s coming so it\u2019s not like a surprise but\u2026. I guess that\u2019s the biggest difference.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re still on stage. You\u2019re still giving it everything you\u2019ve got and you\u2019re still going balls to the wall out for your fans so in all those ways it\u2019s the same but\u2026 you know I bet I\u2019d have a different answer if I got to think about that.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s a really great question and one I’ve never been asked before oddly enough, but I think that\u2019s my answer now if that makes any sense. That seems to be the biggest difference that I can come up with now, but maybe if you do come out to one of the shows I\u2019ll have a better answer for you because that\u2019s a really great question!<\/p>\n

AW: In reading about you, your style has always kind of been described as distinctive and it\u2019s often said that you have kind of a groove that just fits and complements Coheed so well. When you play Coheed songs where you didn\u2019t originally do the drums what\u2019s your preference; do you true to how they were originally recorded, maybe bend them to your style a little or do you like to go whole hog and give it a whole new drumming when you\u2019re playing it live?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]: <\/strong>No, I think you kind of said it best. I kind of bend them to my style. I mean it\u2019s no secret that Taylor really tried to cop my style on No World For Tomorrow. Chris was in the band at that point, and that\u2019s no diss. Like the producer said like we need to make it sound like Josh played.<\/p>\n

Which was really cool because Taylor is literally one of my favorite drummers ever you know? And he\u2019s just more kind of rock and roll, and he\u2019s got some licks under his belt. But I love Taylor and he\u2019s a \u201cdrummer\u2019s drummer\u201d and one of my favorites, so for that record it\u2019s not that much of a bend.<\/p>\n

Then you get Year of The Black Rainbow where people think there\u2019s some songs on there that I can\u2019t play, but one day we\u2019ll bust em out and I\u2019ll murder the hell out of it. But that album was really different, so that\u2019s where I would kind of take certain things and bend it.<\/p>\n

Every player is different no matter what instrument you\u2019re talking about, but certainly on the drums that\u2019s what I know the most about, and Chris is just a much different feel. It\u2019s not even just from the technical aspect it\u2019s more kind of that school of being on top of the beat, whereas with me, I\u2019m just behind the beat and that\u2019s how Taylor played.<\/p>\n

So I think with the Year of The Black Rainbow stuff I definitely have to bend it to my style but you know what? On some level, there are boundaries there. You can’t totally flip the script so I don\u2019t really completely change it. You can do anything, and you can change the face of the song with just one snare drum in a different place you know?<\/p>\n

So I think you said it best and thank god you did, because I don\u2019t know if I would have been able to articulate it as well, but I do kind of bend it to my style, and there are definitely some songs on YotBR that we haven\u2019t busted out. Guns of Summer being one of them and it\u2019s one of my favorite tunes on that record but to me, in a way, it\u2019s kind of right up my ally. But it\u2019s not exactly like Chris played it.<\/p>\n

I’ve definitely kind of bent it more to what I’m always doing which is trying to cop some John Bonham meets Stewart Copeland meets Josh Eppard…I guess. I take it, bend it, bring it over to me, but I think it does stay true to the record, and I think it\u2019s within that realm, so it\u2019s never so far out of left field that it\u2019s not true to the record because I love those records.<\/p>\n

No World For Tomorrow, I think I\u2019ve said this before, might be my favorite Coheed record. It certainly had a lot to do with my healing and getting better and you know, maybe I needed to hear my band put out a record that I thought was so great and then really hear what Claudio was saying; the things that he couldn\u2019t say to me, that he said in a song.<\/p>\n

It really kinda made me turn the eye of the world on myself, and I don\u2019t know if I ever would have gotten better without that record. So it\u2019s a really important record to me for entirely different reasons than the records I played on.<\/p>\n

AW: It\u2019s kind of interesting that you were talking about John Bonham while naming some of your influences. You have said before that you and your bandmates have been influenced by bands the likes of Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, At The Drive In\u2026 are there ever times that you can pick out parts of songs you\u2019ve written that you may be able to attribute directly to that specific artistic influence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> Well I think certainly, if you take The Final Cut, some of the solos in there are very Pink Floyd, so that seems to be an easy one to pick out. Like a kind of Gilmour-esque kind of solo. Welcome Home was basically an homage if you will, to Kashmir even though it\u2019s much different, as that was very Zeppelin.<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s always that element, even in songs that you can’t pick out that very specific thing like \u201coh THIS was Led Zeppelin\u201d it\u2019s always there and it\u2019s always an influence. There\u2019s like a whole pool full of influences that are always there and that would be Led Zeppelin, The Police, and I know we\u2019re going out on this tour w\/ Glassjaw, but Glassjaw\u2019s been just an enormous influence on Coheed and Cambria and not just for me.<\/p>\n

I know they\u2019ve really influenced Claudio a great deal. So that\u2019s another one. But I think some of those classic rock things, they\u2019re always there.<\/p>\n

But if I had to pick I\u2019d say Welcome Home being somewhat like Kashmir and, on the same record, The Final Cut some of those kind of Pink Floyd-esque type of solos. But that record in general had a heavy classic rock vibe.<\/p>\n

I think it started on IKS, 2113 was obviously very progressive, there was this almost a Jethro Tull part in the middle and I remember being scared I remember thinking \u201cdid we go TOO far out of left field? Are people gonna like this?\u201d<\/p>\n

But\u2026 if you\u2019re making records just for people to like, I don’t know, that\u2019s just never been something that I could do. So we made a record that we kinda thought nobody would like and a lot of people liked it. So we were pretty psyched, but the classic rock energy kind of started on IKS but really was in full display on Good Apollo in my opinion.<\/p>\n

AW: If you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019d like to kind of switch gears and talk about some of your solo stuff. Weerd Science is so drastically different from Coheed and Cambria. Do you do anything special to get yourself in a different headspace when you write for different projects?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> There\u2019s not one tried and true thing I do, you know? One day I might write a beautiful love song, the next day I might write a really silly rap song, or maybe a really beautiful rap song, I don’t know. Weerd Science when it first came out, with my first national release back in 2005, was like a very silly, funny record.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s not a lot I can really relate to on that record. I mean, I love it, it\u2019s something I did, whatever. But the last three Weerd Science records that we put out, to me, feel like it\u2019s veering pretty far from traditional rap music and I think that\u2019s just me as an artist wanting to create something new. As far as a headspace? You know that\u2019s a good question too.<\/p>\n

Right now I\u2019m doing this solo rock record, but I\u2019ve had these songs sitting around for years and finally, something clicked where I\u2019m like \u201cyou know what? I\u2019m gonna record these songs. If they\u2019re not gonna become Coheed songs, then I\u2019m gonna go and record them myself. I\u2019m gonna go ahead and I\u2019m gonna make something great\u201d and that\u2019s just the headspace I was in that day.<\/p>\n

What puts me there? I have no idea. Tomorrow I might wake up and it\u2019s a Weerd Science day and I\u2019ll write a bunch of rap songs. I don\u2019t know what the answer is.<\/p>\n

Sometimes I wish I did because sometimes I have time booked for Weerd Science and I\u2019ll I\u2019m thinking about is this really progressive or really dark, beautiful love song that I wrote and I\u2019m in the wrong headspace. So sometimes I kinda have to force myself into the headspace since they are so different. But you know, right now Claudio\u2019s sitting and home, and who knows what he\u2019s making.<\/p>\n

We all kind of dabble in every genre. I mean Claudio used to, totally as a joke, record rap songs and he\u2019s so talented that they\u2019re actually really good. To him, it was a joke and he thought it was really funny, but he\u2019d play it for us and we\u2019d go \u201cthis is actually super good\u201d. So that\u2019s the thing as any musician or any artist, you want to kind of dabble in these other things because it\u2019s it\u2019s interesting to you.<\/p>\n

But then you find yourself and you\u2019re like \u201calright, I\u2019ve got Weerd Science and we\u2019re putting out records and there are fans, I\u2019ve got Coheed and that\u2019s a headspace all its own, I\u2019ve got this kind of rock thing within the Coheed world, but it\u2019s a different thing and that\u2019s a different head space\u201d.<\/p>\n

So now I find myself kind of having to force myself into the headspace but that\u2019s a good problem to have. I\u2019m glad I have so many projects, you know, I wanna have ten more projects. I don\u2019t mean to sound corny, but I just feel there\u2019s a lot of things in me to get out still from a creative standpoint so I should be so lucky, right? I\u2019m lucky I get to do all these projects.<\/p>\n

AW: Speaking of the new project: when we told our viewers that we would be speaking with you many of the fans BEGGED us to get more details on an upcoming rock project. They want to know basically anything you can throw at us. Do you have a release timeframe in mind? A single in the works? Is there anything about that project you could tell us that you\u2019re excited to speak about?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> I can tell you this. As far as release dates and roll outs and singles…fuck all that noise<\/em>. When we finish this? It\u2019s coming out the next day. I\u2019m not really keen on the whole \u201clabel\u201d thing, we don\u2019t need that.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re gonna make music, and we\u2019ve got a way to bring it to the people and they can decide if it speaks to them or not. I went to Applehead studios where Coheed did SS, IKSSE3, Good Apollo I, and Afterman: A & D; and my stuff is being produced by Michael Birnbaum & Chris Bittner who did also produce all those Coheed records.<\/p>\n

I wanted to go make a record up there and I had some time so I went and did it. I think the fans that like Coheed and that like Weerd Science, I think they\u2019re gonna be really excited. I know I\u2019m really excited because it\u2019s been a long time that I\u2019ve had these songs sitting around. Some of them for years.<\/p>\n

Some of these riffs my wife has listened to me play for years. So it\u2019s really exciting for me to hear it come to life. And you can tell anybody that\u2019s asked about it, this isn\u2019t gonna be some \u201coh well here\u2019s a single\u201d and \u201chere\u2019s this and that\u201d, we\u2019re gonna finish it and put it out. I would be shocked if it\u2019s not out by this summer.<\/p>\n

AW: How have you found writing and recording the vocals and all the instruments in your new solo project compared to working with Chris and the guests on RLJ3?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> It\u2019s similar in so many ways, but different in a couple powerful ways. For starters, I\u2019m really used to making Weerd Science records. I don\u2019t want to say it\u2019s not a challenge because I always run into something that\u2019s challenging; and I think that\u2019s why this is fun. But I\u2019ve done a lot of them. This is brand new so we keep running into challenges.<\/p>\n

I called Claudio today and I was like \u201cdude, how do you sing a whole song and then like talk right the next day?\u201d My throat is killing me! I gotta say I\u2019ve always had a ton of respect for Claudio and his crafts but more so than ever now. And my brother too, because those guys can sing their asses off. And singing is tough.<\/p>\n

But already just from a couple of days in the studio really singing and trying to capture an energy was so much more than just \u201chere\u2019s the note and you sing it! LAAAAAA!\u201d Like what are you saying? What are these words? Are you gonna bring this to life and make is believable? There\u2019s so much more.<\/p>\n

But I\u2019m learning so much about it every day, but I\u2019m thrilled with the end results. I listen to the demos of this and I\u2019m just thrilled. I can\u2019t wait to get back in there and finish it.<\/p>\n

Weerd Science, I mean, we\u2019ve made so many records that are just fun. We\u2019ve made so many records together and that kind brings its own sort of fun energy. Anything goes. That\u2019s what’s really great about Weerd Science, anything goes. You make these like, serious rock records, they take a long time, and they\u2019re very meticulous\u2026<\/p>\n

Weerd Science we\u2019re using like a fart for the kick drum and even if they\u2019re serious songs, anything goes. And that\u2019s important to me. I need to make those records. That\u2019s why I still do it. If I didn\u2019t love doing it, I wouldn\u2019t do it. There was a time that I felt really disconnected from Weerd Science and I wasn\u2019t sure I was going to do it anymore.<\/p>\n

Then we did one song and I kind of rediscovered how important that can be for me and how really therapeutic it is for me to make those records that are fun. And they\u2019re so creative because anything goes, nobody feels weird about coming up with an idea like \u201cyo check this keyboard part right here\u201d \u201cdude you dropped that in the hallways and it sounded sick throw up a microphone, drop it again!\u201d just ANYTHING goes! And that\u2019s really fun and really important.<\/p>\n

As far as specific differences I think it\u2019s just playing everything on the record. It can be hard, it\u2019s challenging. One minute I\u2019m playing guitar for hours and my fingers are about to bleed, the next minute getting in the vocal booth and singing for six hours, but it\u2019s all for the love of art and music and hopefully, we\u2019re making something as great as me, Mike and Chris think it is.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

AW: You have been a part of a few different types of music and songwriting now: what would you say is your favorite piece of your own work? Either your favorite thing you wrote or most enjoy performing or maybe something you step back and look at and are extremely proud of.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]:<\/strong> There\u2019s a lot. I mean every record brings its own set of interesting challenges so I\u2019m proud of everything that\u2019s ever out for public consumption, it\u2019s out because I\u2019m proud of it. If it wasn\u2019t deemed to be at a certain level I\u2019d drive everybody crazy. I\u2019d go burn the tapes or something so that no one could hear it.<\/p>\n

You know I have great respect for the people who listen to our music and if I don\u2019t think it’s up to par then I wouldn\u2019t let anybody hear it. But there are those few stand-out pieces. Domino the Destitute is one of the first songs we recorded when I came back to Coheed and it was just so much fun.<\/p>\n

The whole beginning\u2026 I mean I was just like \u201coh man I have this drum idea!\u201d and I started doing it and Claudio didn\u2019t like it at first, but he came correct after a while because it sounded like the gallops in a Pink Floyd song and we just had so much fun doing that song. And it was So. Bad. Ass.<\/p>\n

And it was like\u2026I had just done Terrible Things and this band I just wanted it to be something it wasn\u2019t. It was like a pop-rock band, and that was fine, but you know Frank told me we were going to be like a Led Zeppelin rock and roll record, and then it was kind of like Jimmy Eat World<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I love Jimmy Eat World, but it was this kind of really…I don’t know. I don\u2019t want to diss Terrible Things. It just wasn\u2019t up my ally. I didn\u2019t feel like this was important music, I didn\u2019t feel like this was hard like I wanted it to be. And when recording Domino I was like\u2026 this is home and I just love this tune it\u2019s just a really great song.<\/p>\n

So that is the number one stand-out thing for me and it\u2019s odd that Afterman has another one, Evangria, which is a tune that just felt like home and I think those records are really special. Those are 2 of my favorite Coheed records both Ascension and Descension I probably like Ascension a bit more and I really love Descension.<\/p>\n

I do feel extremely proud of both those records. And then TCBTS, the song Peace to the Mountain that song was so far outside the realm of anything I\u2019d done before. So simple, but so spacious I really had to channel my inner Ringo Starr and I\u2019m so proud of that song.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of my favorite songs that Claudio has ever written and I just think it’s beautiful and it just sounds kind of Beatles-y to me.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m so proud that I got to be a part of that song because drummers have it, rough man. A lot of producers would have said \u201cAlright Josh is a great rock drummer but get him outta here. For this we need to hire this guy..” and brought in the 80-year-old guy where this is what he does.<\/p>\n

Jay Joyce kinda helped me get there and get that performance that was super simple like no one would ever think that that\u2019s hard but it is hard. Space is hard. For me, lots of notes? Easy. Space? Space can be so hard because there\u2019s so much to mess up.<\/p>\n

You ask me what I\u2019m proud of, I\u2019m proud of the entire Coheed catalog, I\u2019m proud of the songs I\u2019m not even on. Because Coheed is my band too, and I\u2019m proud of it all. But I\u2019m proud of everything that\u2019s ever come out, but I guess those are some of the standouts.<\/p>\n

AW: OK and the last question just to wrap it up what are you looking forward to most in the year ahead?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Josh Eppard [Coheed and Cambria]: <\/strong> You know I\u2019m looking forward to a lot of really great shows. I\u2019m really looking forward to this tour coming up and going out with I The Mighty.  I have a tour tattoo with the guys from I The Mighty they\u2019re on our first label Equal Vision.<\/p>\n

Equal Vision signed an artist called Upgrade Hip Hop and I helped to broker that deal I really believe in it and I’m hoping that something happens but felt really vindicated that Equal Vision, a label I respect so much, put out his record so I\u2019m looking forward to that kind of unfolding and seeing what happens with that. This tour is gonna be so incredible .<\/p>\n

Silver Snakes is awesome, that\u2019s Claudio\u2019s band he put that record out. I The Mighty is one of my favorite new bands. I call them new because they\u2019re not old farts like us. And Glassjaw\u2019s like a top ten band of all time to me. I mean they might even be in my top 5. I love Glassjaw.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m a huge Glassjaw fan. So I\u2019m looking forward to this tour and we\u2019re going to Australia and then I think I just booked Weerd Science for a 2 week run with this MC called Sadistic. So there\u2019s a lot to look forward to but in general, I just look forward to creating and to making a living making art like the lucky motherfucker that I am.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Arguably one of the best progressive rock bands to grace this generation of music, Coheed and Cambria boasts an impressive … Weiterlesen \u2026<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[172,6],"class_list":["post-6693","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interviews","tag-coheed-and-cambria","tag-featured","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-50"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6693"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6693\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6693"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6693"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altwire.net\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6693"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}