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Coheed and Cambria

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Coheed and Cambria
File:CoheedandCambriaPub.jpg
Background information
Years active1995–present
MembersClaudio Sanchez, vocals, guitar
Travis Stever, guitar
Michael Todd, bass guitar, vocals
Josh Eppard - drums

Coheed and Cambria (sometimes abbreviated to "Coheed" or "Co&Ca") is an American progressive rock band (with much punk influence) from Nyack, New York. Coheed and Cambria has released three studio albums, one live album, and various special-edition re-releases. Their albums are concept albums, telling different parts of the same story. So far, there are a planned five albums for the Bag On Line Adventures, the current storyline running through the songs. To date, three studio albums have been released: The Second Stage Turbine Blade (2002), In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003), and Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (2005). These albums make up the second, third, and half of the fourth parts of the four-part saga of Coheed and Cambria, respectively. The albums are being released out of sequence; the second part was released first, and the first part will be released last. Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One is the first half of a two-part conclusion to the saga, which will be followed by the story's introduction.

History

When a band called Toxic Parents, featuring Travis Stever and Claudio Sanchez, dissolved around the same time as Nate Kelley's project, Moe & The Boogie Cats (who disbanded after their lead singer left New York to join a UFO cult in Arizona), the members came together to form a new band in March 1995.

The band was Beautiful Loser, and it featured Travis Stever on lead vocals and guitar, Claudio Sanchez on guitar, Nate Kelley on drums and Jon Carleo on bass. The group was short-lived, breaking up by June of the same year they started the band, due to an argument over gas money. Stever left the band, and Kelley was initially kicked out, but came back when asked by Sanchez. Without Stever, the band became a trio, and Sanchez took control of the lead vocals and guitar.

Renaming themselves Shabütie (a name taken from African tribe chants for "naked prey" in the film Naked Prey), the band spent nearly a year experimenting with a multitude of different sounds—punk rock, indie rock, acoustic rock, funk and heavy metal—and reportedly wrote as many as 100 songs, few of which they kept. When Carleo left the band in August 1996, Kelley recruited Michael Todd, with whom he had worked on an acoustic side project called Esme 9, to take his place. Todd, primarily a guitarist, picked up the bass specifically for Shabütie.

With this near-final formation of the band, they entered their most productive and mature period. According to Kelley, the band sometimes wrote up to seven new songs in one five or six hour sitting. Also during this period, the band put out its first public release, the Penelope EP (in 1999) and Stever rejoined the band on second guitar, making them a four-piece once again.

Around 1999, the band members had developed a habit of drinking too heavily during shows, and the quality of their performances declined. During one such show, Sanchez allegedly screamed the lyrics of the song "Life Without You", a Cassiopeia-esque ballad, prompting Kelley to pack up his drum set in front of a packed audience and leave the stage. Thus, on February 19 2000, Shabütie's original lineup, apart from Sanchez, was gone.

Following Kelley's departure, Sanchez and the others chose Josh Eppard, then of the band 3, to take his place. They finished out the year and performed halfway through 2001 before changing their name to Coheed and Cambria and releasing the Delirium Trigger EP, and the history of Shabutie was finished. The band now consists of four members: Claudio Sanchez (vocals/guitar), Travis Stever (guitar), Michael Todd (bass), and Josh Eppard (drums). When playing live, Dave Parker (keyboards/guitar), joins the lineup. The group primarily uses these standard instruments, but occasionally their songs call for a lapsteel or a mandolin. They also use a special device called the talk box in several of their songs.

Josh was unable to make their 9th June slot at the Download festival in the UK due to illness. A few days later, Coheed issued a statement cancelling the Barcelona and Essen legs of their European tour.

Influences and similarities

Coheed and Cambria's music is often compared to that of Rush, partly because of lead singer Sanchez's wide vocal range and high-pitched voice, Dream Theater, for their technical phrasing and intricate time changes, and Yes, partly because of the intricacy and "dueling" style of guitar and bass work. Their technical precision, terse rhythmic phrases, and the advanced compositional structures of songs evoke earlier similarly crafted rock. Story elements and melodic themes are cohesively wrought throughout their albums to date. Coheed and Cambria are the most visible proponents of a new sort of "prog-rock opera" style for the 2000s. Notably, though, the futuristic science-fiction storyline on which all their music is based harks back to the epic sound and feel of 1970s progressive-rock. Sanchez has stated that he is influenced by bands such as Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, and Black Sabbath. Metal Hammer magazine dubbed the band the "new Led Zeppelin" on the front cover of issue 153.

Interpretations

Coheed and Cambria's concept albums tell a story, but its details can be difficult to decipher, leading to a morass of speculation by fans spurred on by cryptic lyrics and hints from the band. For example, some fans have suggested that Sanchez's higher vocals reflect the teller of the story (a young boy). Those fans point out that now that the storyteller has grown up in the new album, Sanchez's vocals have become slightly lower in pitch.[citation needed]

The meanings behind Coheed and Cambria's lyrics are explained in two comic books ("The Second Stage Turbine Blade #1 and #2") and two graphic novels ("Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume I: From Fear Through The Eyes Of Madness" and "The Amory Wars").

Other projects

  • The Bag On Line Adventures — Claudio Sanchez is writing a graphic novel series to further illustrate this story. There are currently two Second Stage Turbine Blade comic books, illustrated by Wes Abbot, and a graphic novel entitled Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume 1: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness, illustrated by Christopher Shy. (It is stated on the EvilInk website that Wes Abbot will illustrate Second Stage indefinately while Chistopher Shy will illustrate graphic novels for the remaining albums.)
  • The Prize Fighter Inferno — Side-project of Claudio Sanchez. An album called My Brother's Blood Machine is slated for a 2006 release.
  • Weerd Science — Josh Eppard's hip-hop project. An album called Friends and Nervous Breakdowns has been released on Equal Vision Records.
  • Fire Deuce — Travis Stever's side-project, that has released one EP, "Children of the Deuce".
  • The English Panther — Travis Stever's solo side-project. No album is scheduled for release.

Discography

Includes work done as Shabutie.

Studio albums

The Coheed and Cambria albums are being released out of sequence; the last album to be released will be the first part of the series, entitled The Bag On Line Adventures of Coheed and Cambria. The first CD released was Second Stage Turbine Blade, the second part in the series, followed by In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: III. The latest album is Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness. The second volume of Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV is expected to be the next album. The full title has not yet been announced.

Other Songs

A cover of Night Ranger's 'Sister Christian' was briefly released as a free MP3 download on the band's website as a christmas present to their fans.

Live albums

Year Title Label
2005 Live at the Starland Ballroom EVR/Columbia

EPs

Year Title Label
1999 Plan to Take Over the World Wisteria Records
1999 The Penelope EP Wisteria Records
2000 Delirium Trigger Wisteria Records
2001 The Coheed and Cambria EP Wisteria Records
2004 Live at La Zona Rosa EVR/Columbia
2005 Live at the Avalon EVR/Columbia
2006 Kerrang! / XFM UK Acoustic Sessions iTunes Exclusive

Singles

Year Title Label Album
2003 Devil in Jersey City Equal Vision The Second Stage Turbine Blade
2004 A Favor House Atlantic Equal Vision/Columbia In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
2004 Blood Red Summer Equal Vision/Columbia In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
2005 The Suffering Equal Vision/Columbia Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
2005 Welcome Home Equal Vision/Columbia Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
2006 Ten Speed (of God's Blood & Burial) Equal Vision/Columbia Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness

Music videos

  • Delirium Trigger from The Second Stage Turbine Blade (featured on the In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 bonus DVD)
  • Devil in Jersey City from The Second Stage Turbine Blade
  • Devil in Jersey City (alternative) from The Second Stage Turbine Blade
  • A Favor House Atlantic from In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
  • Blood Red Summer from In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3
  • Welcome Home from Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
  • The Suffering from Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
  • Ten Speed (of God's Blood & Burial) from Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness
  • A series of six vignettes that showcase music from Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (featured on Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: Special Edition DVD)
  • The Willing Well IV: the Final Cut (made, but never released, by Sanchez and his girlfriend)
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