After a pair of well-received indie releases, Coheed and Cambria have made the jump to a major label. For 2005's "Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV Vol. I," the band was scooped up by Sony BMG.
Refusing to be swept up by the pomp and circumstance of being genuine rock stars, Coheed upped the ante. "Apollo" is the band's strongest effort to date, both refining their original sound and taking a journey to some place new. Anthems like "The Suffering" and "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood and Burial)" contain the sing-along choruses fans have come to expect, while "Wake Up" is a tender lullaby -- a new exploration for the band.
Now on a big-time tour with MTV darlings Avenged Sevenfold, Coheed and Cambria will be able reach more of its long time listeners and grab new ones. OMC recently chatted with Coheed guitarist Travis Stever to discuss the band's recent good fortune.
OMC: How did you hook up with Avenged Sevenfold for this tour?
TS: It was one of those things that we figured would (make) a good tour. We connected on it, our people, their people. We've met them before, and they seem like cool guys.
OMC: What's the best part about being on tour?
TS: I get to play guitar every night. Sometimes (touring) gets a little bit long, but it's what we wanted to do. There's always rewarding moments, like looking into the crowd, or having someone come up to you and say, "I really dig your band." That's very important to me. I never thought I'd hear that four years ago. I thought we'd still be playing in a basement.
OMC: Are you happy with the public response to the new album?
TS: Yeah, I am, very. We were proud a couple years ago, when we only had a few people into it. And now it's gone so much further than that.
OMC: Were you apprehensive about switching to a major label?
TS: Of course. There was some nervousness and a lot of questions. But they (Sony) were cool with us and let us do our thing. I think our A&R guy was up there the whole time we were in the studio.
OMC: How does that whole transition happen? Did the label come to you and tell you they wanted you to move up?
TS: Generally, a band will start on an independent label. Then a bunch of major labels will watch from above. If they see you doing fairly well -- not even that great, just building a fan base on your own -- its promising to them. The more and more the fan base builds, the more they start to ... trust you.
OMC: How was it going on MTV and being on TRL?
TS: That kind of stuff makes me a little edgy. I've never been good with that kind of stuff, but I am getting better. For me, if all four members of the band are there, I see no reason for anyone to talk but one or two members. I just think that's asinine when they do TV interviews or radio interviews with four people. Do four people really need to answer the question?
OMC: No, not at all.
TS: One person is going to answer the question. Why the hell have all four people on? Claudio (Sanchez, guitar/lead vocals) and I did the MTV2 Rock Countdown weekend, and that worked out really cool, we had a great time.
OMC: How long have you known Claudio (Sanchez)?
T.S.: Since about 12.
OMC: Did you guys take guitar lessons or did you learn by ear?
TS: Both of us pretty much are in the same boat. We took a few lessons, but neither one of us were serious about strapping down and classically training ourselves. Claudio wanted to learn the theory side, and his teacher was like, "No, just take these songs," which frustrated him. And my teacher said, "We'll do some theory," and I said, "No, no, no, I just want to learn some songs." Its all how you are. We got frustrated and walked away, but I think we turned out OK.
OMC: What about the "prog rock" label? A lot of people may call you that. Is that valid?
TS: Well, I think progression in the sense that the music constantly makes progress. We constantly move forward, so in that sense, yes. There are a lot of bands that they clump us into the prog rock category with that I don't agree with. We have lots of different stuff going on, and we have lots of different influences.
OMC: What are your plans in regards to a new album?
TS: On this tour, we're actually going to have an additional room with amps and a drum set. If anyone has any ideas, they can come in and do it. That's something we've never done. (The new album) will be part of the story, part two of "Good Apollo."
Coheed and Cambria will co-headline with Avenged Sevenfold May 9 at the Eagles Ballroom. The show starts at 7 p.m. The band's Web site is coheedandcambria.com.
