Most bands shy away from the labels that the critics and the public slap on them. But according to Coheed and Cambria bassist, Mike Todd, he welcomes being called a progressive emo band. Well maybe not so much welcomes but he could honestly give a fuck what you call them as long as you got their flavor in your ear. Coheed and Cambria was started in Woodstock in 1995 by Claudio Sanchez, Travis Stever, Michael Todd and Joshua Eppard.
Their latest album is called In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 and like their previous albums its a concept album that continues the story of the fantasy characters Coheed & Cambria. Lead singer and guitarist Claudio Sanchezs continuing epic of another world where the characters Coheed and Cambria live and die, is carried out again on In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. Each song carries the listener through a dark and violent never-never world that is intelligent, stark, and at times, disturbing.
Check out the website for Coheed and Cambria.
Mike Todd: Hey Daniel, hows it going?
Daniel Robert Epstein: Pretty good. Whats up with you?
MT: Just chilling and shit.
DRE: Where are you right now?
MT: Ive got a day off so Im hanging with a friend in LA. So whats happening?
DRE: Just the usual boring questions. Are you considering this new one a concept album?
MT: Yes they are all concept albums. I consider them a concept album like all of them follow the stories of the characters Coheed & Cambria. But also with writing we dont sit down and put them into any kind of formula. We just sit down and write.
DRE: So you all write together?
MT: Yes. [lead singer and guitarist] Claudio [Sanchez] does the basic songwriting of the guitar line and a melody then we write around that. But hes the principal songwriter.
DRE: What is the writing process like?
MT: This is the first album where weve been able to sit down in a studio and write with headphones on and the whole shit. Not just sitting in a room where you can barely hear each other. One of us will come up with something basic then the rest of us will jam over that to set up a structure that makes sense. With this record we didnt really have so much time. We would lay down some drums and get that straight then Id sit down and fuck around with the bass.
DRE: Did you feel like there were a lot of changes doing the album that way?
MT: Yeah I think this album is way stronger than our first record. The first record is a series of demos. We were new to each other then. Weve been touring for a year and a half over the course of making this new record. Its a lot easier to write around each other. Its a lot easier for [drummer] Josh [Eppard] and I to find a pocket where we can fit into the band. Plus when youre on the road writing music, it comes from a different place rather than when youre sitting in the room of your parents house writing music.
DRE: Is it a more calm place because you know the album is going to come out or a crazier place because youre on the road?
MT: Sometimes both. There wasnt really any pressure about recording a follow-up record. You write music differently under different circumstances.
DRE: Coheed & Cambria doesnt seem to have a problem with being called progressive.
MT: Thats what I think we are. I know people tend to shy away from that term but thats the best way to describe it. I find nothing wrong with it.
DRE: A friend of mine tried to get me into Dream Theater years ago.
MT: Yeah that shit isnt for everybody. I could appreciate some of Dream Theaters shit but overall no. Progressive rock means something different from other things. A lot of people dont like us because they think were weird or progressive. I think its a positive thing, I like being different. Im down. People always ask me what I think of the band being calling us that. I dont give a shit. If they feel like calling us that, thats fine with me. I dont really think about labels that much. But if I had to say we were something I would say we were a progressive rock band. Not so much like Dream Theater.
DRE: Do you think you guys get prejudged without people even hearing the music sometimes?
MT: Yeah but thats inevitable though. It happens to everybody. Emo is another one of those words people shy away from but once again I dont care. Its all rock and roll to me. Sure people are going to form preconceptions, but just listen to the record.
DRE: How did it change things when Spin magazine included you in their Next Big Things" issue?
MT: I didnt even know about it [laughs]. Holy shit I have to call my mom.
DRE: Ive been to Woodstock a few times. Its a pretty artsy scene up there. How did it affect you guys?
MT: Thats where I spent my youth hanging out. I have no basis for comparison so I dont know. Ive been there my whole life. I grew up around the dudes from the Bad Brains and hippie street musicians who talk about fist fucking the pope. Lot of influences to be drawn from up there.
DRE: So are you guys into fist fucking the pope?
MT: You can fist fuck the pope all you want. I dont really want to think about it.
DRE: Whats it like to match Claudios unique vocals?
MT: Hes so different. For me personally I dont even try to match that dude. Claudio freaks me out sometimes with his voice. In the studio making this record I was like Oh my god. That dude is like an alien. But I just try to find the harmonies with him. I do have some scale thats kind of near his range. I started building my own vibe. I dont think its possible to match him.
DRE: Why did you change the bands name from Shabutie?
MT: [laughs] Number one the name is kind of stupid. Also that was the band Claudio and I were in when we were fifteen. It was different members and we scraped all the Shabutie songs when we started this band. We wanted to do something new when got to [their label] Equal Vision. Then we came up with this whole concept idea, we were like Holy shit, lets run with this. Now we got ourselves in over our heads and we have to own up.
Also once again the name is kind of stupid. Dont get me wrong, I probably would have run with it.
DRE: You guys could have been the next Outkast with a name like Shabutie.
MT: Yeah right and that wouldnt have been a bad thing at all.
DRE: Will you guys always do the concept album?
MT: We cant really say. Originally it started as being three records and now it looks like it might be four. Who knows it could end up being ten records long. We dont really know were just playing it by ear. We dont have time to think about it. When were not touring were trying to write.
DRE: Have you guys gotten closer to each other touring around?
MT: Definitely. In the beginning it was intense. None of us had ever toured before so we flipped out a bit. So we went home and regrouped. Now we function more like a family than we ever did.
DRE: In the family is there a father figure?
MT: No I dont think so [laughs]. Im kind of like the older brother from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 who scratches his head with a coat hanger and eats it.
DRE: Who are you hanging out with right now?
MT: Fronz Fleschley. Hes a friend of the band and Im hanging out doing my laundry at his house.
DRE: You guys sitting back doing drugs?
MT: No drugs.
DRE: Are you guys against them?
MT: If you want to do drugs thats fine but were not interested in them. Im drinking a glass of red wine right now. I did some drugs when I was younger but theyre not for me or any of us. Unless you count weed and alcohol no one does anything.
DRE: That counts.
MT: Well no one is doing lines of coke or shooting heroin. Those things are bad but I do think drugs should be legalized.
DRE: You guys have gotten to tour with a bunch of different kinds of bands. Does your sound change subconsciously or consciously when youre playing with a hard-core band one night then an emo band the next?
MT: Sometimes but not consciously. We did back to back tours with Bloodlet then River City High. We didnt change our set but we definitely played differently. The change kind of controls how you play. If theyre really into you freak out and get down but if theyre not its hard to fake it.
DRE: How was it playing acoustically while Travis brother was getting married?
MT: Actually only Claudio played. Heres what we did. We didnt want to play full band without Travis. I was thinking about getting an acoustic bass but then I got another idea. Claudio played acoustic while Josh and I played Scrabble and drank vodka. That went over pretty well because I won. I won the first game then Josh thinks he won the second one but its debatable. We didnt keep score but I had some awesome words. We dont argue about it anymore.
DRE: My brother and I went on vacation and we played Scrabble without a dictionary. We were ready to kill each other.
MT: Exactly. One time I got in the biggest fight with my friend Jay while we were playing Scrabble. I spelled boner and he said it wasnt a real word but it is. Its like if you make a mistake. We even looked it up in the dictionary but we still almost came to blows.
DRE: Im looking it up online right now. A boner is a blunder or an error and under vulgar slang its an erection of the penis.
MT: See I wouldnt count vulgar slang but its also a real word.
DRE: Its funny you dont remember who won while playing onstage but you do remember this game with your friend.
MT: That argument with Jay lasted longer than Claudios whole set. Scrabble definitely became a contact sport that day.
DRE: Whats the craziest thing anyone ever threw onstage at you?
MT: Not much. We dont get a lot of shit thrown at us.
DRE: Is that good or bad?
MT: Its good. Im not a fan of getting crazy shit thrown at us. One time in New Mexico the crowd really didnt like us and they gave us a shower with their water bottles. That wasnt so much crazy as it was mean.
DRE: What kind of groupies do you guys get?
MT: We dont get groupies. We get groupie guys that want to talk about Star Wars and shit. Bands like us dont get groupies.
DRE: You get whiny guys that want to talk about their feelings.
MT: Naw not really.
DRE: Any tattoos?
MT: I got eight tattoos. I have a dragonfly on my arm, some kind of eyeball thing on my leg, a dragon on my back, a huge Brian Froud elf blowing a horn while standing in a pool of water on my back too. Thats going to be the centerpiece for the rest of my stuff.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
Their latest album is called In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 and like their previous albums its a concept album that continues the story of the fantasy characters Coheed & Cambria. Lead singer and guitarist Claudio Sanchezs continuing epic of another world where the characters Coheed and Cambria live and die, is carried out again on In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3. Each song carries the listener through a dark and violent never-never world that is intelligent, stark, and at times, disturbing.
Check out the website for Coheed and Cambria.
Mike Todd: Hey Daniel, hows it going?
Daniel Robert Epstein: Pretty good. Whats up with you?
MT: Just chilling and shit.
DRE: Where are you right now?
MT: Ive got a day off so Im hanging with a friend in LA. So whats happening?
DRE: Just the usual boring questions. Are you considering this new one a concept album?
MT: Yes they are all concept albums. I consider them a concept album like all of them follow the stories of the characters Coheed & Cambria. But also with writing we dont sit down and put them into any kind of formula. We just sit down and write.
DRE: So you all write together?
MT: Yes. [lead singer and guitarist] Claudio [Sanchez] does the basic songwriting of the guitar line and a melody then we write around that. But hes the principal songwriter.
DRE: What is the writing process like?
MT: This is the first album where weve been able to sit down in a studio and write with headphones on and the whole shit. Not just sitting in a room where you can barely hear each other. One of us will come up with something basic then the rest of us will jam over that to set up a structure that makes sense. With this record we didnt really have so much time. We would lay down some drums and get that straight then Id sit down and fuck around with the bass.
DRE: Did you feel like there were a lot of changes doing the album that way?
MT: Yeah I think this album is way stronger than our first record. The first record is a series of demos. We were new to each other then. Weve been touring for a year and a half over the course of making this new record. Its a lot easier to write around each other. Its a lot easier for [drummer] Josh [Eppard] and I to find a pocket where we can fit into the band. Plus when youre on the road writing music, it comes from a different place rather than when youre sitting in the room of your parents house writing music.
DRE: Is it a more calm place because you know the album is going to come out or a crazier place because youre on the road?
MT: Sometimes both. There wasnt really any pressure about recording a follow-up record. You write music differently under different circumstances.
DRE: Coheed & Cambria doesnt seem to have a problem with being called progressive.
MT: Thats what I think we are. I know people tend to shy away from that term but thats the best way to describe it. I find nothing wrong with it.
DRE: A friend of mine tried to get me into Dream Theater years ago.
MT: Yeah that shit isnt for everybody. I could appreciate some of Dream Theaters shit but overall no. Progressive rock means something different from other things. A lot of people dont like us because they think were weird or progressive. I think its a positive thing, I like being different. Im down. People always ask me what I think of the band being calling us that. I dont give a shit. If they feel like calling us that, thats fine with me. I dont really think about labels that much. But if I had to say we were something I would say we were a progressive rock band. Not so much like Dream Theater.
DRE: Do you think you guys get prejudged without people even hearing the music sometimes?
MT: Yeah but thats inevitable though. It happens to everybody. Emo is another one of those words people shy away from but once again I dont care. Its all rock and roll to me. Sure people are going to form preconceptions, but just listen to the record.
DRE: How did it change things when Spin magazine included you in their Next Big Things" issue?
MT: I didnt even know about it [laughs]. Holy shit I have to call my mom.
DRE: Ive been to Woodstock a few times. Its a pretty artsy scene up there. How did it affect you guys?
MT: Thats where I spent my youth hanging out. I have no basis for comparison so I dont know. Ive been there my whole life. I grew up around the dudes from the Bad Brains and hippie street musicians who talk about fist fucking the pope. Lot of influences to be drawn from up there.
DRE: So are you guys into fist fucking the pope?
MT: You can fist fuck the pope all you want. I dont really want to think about it.
DRE: Whats it like to match Claudios unique vocals?
MT: Hes so different. For me personally I dont even try to match that dude. Claudio freaks me out sometimes with his voice. In the studio making this record I was like Oh my god. That dude is like an alien. But I just try to find the harmonies with him. I do have some scale thats kind of near his range. I started building my own vibe. I dont think its possible to match him.
DRE: Why did you change the bands name from Shabutie?
MT: [laughs] Number one the name is kind of stupid. Also that was the band Claudio and I were in when we were fifteen. It was different members and we scraped all the Shabutie songs when we started this band. We wanted to do something new when got to [their label] Equal Vision. Then we came up with this whole concept idea, we were like Holy shit, lets run with this. Now we got ourselves in over our heads and we have to own up.
Also once again the name is kind of stupid. Dont get me wrong, I probably would have run with it.
DRE: You guys could have been the next Outkast with a name like Shabutie.
MT: Yeah right and that wouldnt have been a bad thing at all.
DRE: Will you guys always do the concept album?
MT: We cant really say. Originally it started as being three records and now it looks like it might be four. Who knows it could end up being ten records long. We dont really know were just playing it by ear. We dont have time to think about it. When were not touring were trying to write.
DRE: Have you guys gotten closer to each other touring around?
MT: Definitely. In the beginning it was intense. None of us had ever toured before so we flipped out a bit. So we went home and regrouped. Now we function more like a family than we ever did.
DRE: In the family is there a father figure?
MT: No I dont think so [laughs]. Im kind of like the older brother from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 who scratches his head with a coat hanger and eats it.
DRE: Who are you hanging out with right now?
MT: Fronz Fleschley. Hes a friend of the band and Im hanging out doing my laundry at his house.
DRE: You guys sitting back doing drugs?
MT: No drugs.
DRE: Are you guys against them?
MT: If you want to do drugs thats fine but were not interested in them. Im drinking a glass of red wine right now. I did some drugs when I was younger but theyre not for me or any of us. Unless you count weed and alcohol no one does anything.
DRE: That counts.
MT: Well no one is doing lines of coke or shooting heroin. Those things are bad but I do think drugs should be legalized.
DRE: You guys have gotten to tour with a bunch of different kinds of bands. Does your sound change subconsciously or consciously when youre playing with a hard-core band one night then an emo band the next?
MT: Sometimes but not consciously. We did back to back tours with Bloodlet then River City High. We didnt change our set but we definitely played differently. The change kind of controls how you play. If theyre really into you freak out and get down but if theyre not its hard to fake it.
DRE: How was it playing acoustically while Travis brother was getting married?
MT: Actually only Claudio played. Heres what we did. We didnt want to play full band without Travis. I was thinking about getting an acoustic bass but then I got another idea. Claudio played acoustic while Josh and I played Scrabble and drank vodka. That went over pretty well because I won. I won the first game then Josh thinks he won the second one but its debatable. We didnt keep score but I had some awesome words. We dont argue about it anymore.
DRE: My brother and I went on vacation and we played Scrabble without a dictionary. We were ready to kill each other.
MT: Exactly. One time I got in the biggest fight with my friend Jay while we were playing Scrabble. I spelled boner and he said it wasnt a real word but it is. Its like if you make a mistake. We even looked it up in the dictionary but we still almost came to blows.
DRE: Im looking it up online right now. A boner is a blunder or an error and under vulgar slang its an erection of the penis.
MT: See I wouldnt count vulgar slang but its also a real word.
DRE: Its funny you dont remember who won while playing onstage but you do remember this game with your friend.
MT: That argument with Jay lasted longer than Claudios whole set. Scrabble definitely became a contact sport that day.
DRE: Whats the craziest thing anyone ever threw onstage at you?
MT: Not much. We dont get a lot of shit thrown at us.
DRE: Is that good or bad?
MT: Its good. Im not a fan of getting crazy shit thrown at us. One time in New Mexico the crowd really didnt like us and they gave us a shower with their water bottles. That wasnt so much crazy as it was mean.
DRE: What kind of groupies do you guys get?
MT: We dont get groupies. We get groupie guys that want to talk about Star Wars and shit. Bands like us dont get groupies.
DRE: You get whiny guys that want to talk about their feelings.
MT: Naw not really.
DRE: Any tattoos?
MT: I got eight tattoos. I have a dragonfly on my arm, some kind of eyeball thing on my leg, a dragon on my back, a huge Brian Froud elf blowing a horn while standing in a pool of water on my back too. Thats going to be the centerpiece for the rest of my stuff.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
SG Username: AndersWolleck
VIEW 15 of 15 COMMENTS
and i always thought they smoked ganga. this makes me a happy girl :]
and i swear to god Claudio must have taken SOME sort of psychedelic hallucinogen when coming up with the complex alternate universe and story line behind the CD's
i'm fucking obsessed i need to stop.