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Josh Eppard
Prog Mind, Groove Heart Though Coheed &
Cambria's drummer Josh Eppard grew up playing along to Sly & The
Family
Stone's sticksman Gregg Errico, and also cites The Cars as a
musical influence, the band's progressive rock
underpinnings challenge
him. "All of our songs, in a sense, are challenging," Eppard admits.
'that's what's
fun about being in a progressive band; you can always
test your limits.
At the same time, the goal for Eppard and
his
rhythm section mate, Mic Todd, is to keep things somewhat
understated, since singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez and
guitarist
Travis Stever have a tendency to play fast and furious. "When I first
joined the band it was even more progressive
than it is now," Eppard
explains. "So Mic and I took a more conscious approach in the rhythm
section to make things a little
more subtle. We like to think of
ourselves as one solid unit."
In Keeping Secrets Of Silent Earth: 3,
the
band's sophomore offering, runs the gamut from nine-minute
prog-rock numbers to straight-forward driving rock songs. Take
the case
of "2113", the title is a nod to critics that refer to C&C as Rush
acolytes - where both sides get equal treatment.
"That song is the
complete opposite of subtle," Eppard jokes. "When we wrote it we were
freaking out and having fun. I know
it's really long, but to us it's a
musical joke in a way. It goes from math-rock precision into a very
straight forward,
almost Police-like groove.
I don't use
double bass drums or a double pedal," he continues, "although a lot
of
people think I do. I would say that out of anything, I do like showing
off with my feet. I've always catered to that. I
believe that your feet
are in charge of the groove, more so than your hands."
David John Farinella
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