Coheed and Cambria: An Interview with Josh Eppard

Q:How has the current tour been so far?

A: “So far it’s going great. At this juncture, we’ve been around for a while and we’ve done a lot of tours. We really get a kick out of bringing out bands that we’re big fans of. We’re huge Saves the Day fans. The opening act Polyphia, they’re incredible. We just feel like the whole tour package is really special. Saves the Day is one of my favorite bands so it feels really special to be able to be out here on the road with them. So far it’s just been awesome.”

Q: What is your favorite part of touring?

A: “I enjoy the whole thing. I really enjoy going to bed at night feeling like I just gave everything I had and feeling the comradery between, not just the band, but the crew. We become family out here. That’s what I enjoy most, the comradery, the sense of brotherhood and just the feeling of accomplishing something with your best mates.”

Q: The Color Before the Sun was Coheed and Cambria’s sixth consecutive top 10 album, how does that feel?

A: “That’s exciting! We’re all extremely proud of the work we put out into the world. It can be somewhat validating and when you know your music that your making is speaking to people, that’s incredibly gratifying.”

Q: What makes The Color Before the Sun different from previous albums?

A: “For starters, all the other all the albums follow a cohesive storyline. This is the first album that didn’t. It’s a stand alone record and a very personal record. We did the record in Nashville. We did an entirely different way of recording. We tracked the record live. We had always had an element of that but not the whole band. We were going for it together. If one guy messed up, we would redo it and get the whole performances. We felt like we wanted to try to capture that energy and I think we did.”

Q: Why was it important to do a digital re-release of The Color Before the Sun?

A: I like when people hear the demos and they can hear where the songs came from. It’s much more raw and doesn’t hide behind any bells or whistles. The people that care about what we do and the people that have let our music speak to them and let us into their hearts and minds seem to enjoy that. Sometimes there are demo versions where something happened and something was magical about it. It’s important for us to let people in to that door and let them kind of see behind the curtain.”

Q: How has the band changed throughout the years?

A: We’ve been around for a long time. We’ve done eight studio records, live dvds, other dvds, and tons and tons of other stuff. I think there was an evolution and that we’re always growing as a band, as musicians, as writers, whether for Coheed or for other stuff. If there was ever a day where I said, “I’ve accomplished everything I can do in music.” I’d go and do something else. I don’t think that day will ever come and we’re always evolving. So far, so good. “

Q: What can the fans expect from Coheed and Cambria in the future?

A: “I feel us itching to get into the studio to start recording. Me and Claudio have worked on some demos. There are some rough songs laying around. I think after this tour, we’ll go home for the holidays with our families and then, I’m hoping, and I can only speak for me specifically, but what Josh Eppard hopes is that soon into the new year that we’ll be with another record and I’m sure they’ll be a tour. I’m sure they’ll be something next year that will be pretty magnificent. At least, I hope so.”

This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 9:45 AM with the headline "Coheed and Cambria: An Interview with Josh Eppard."