Rising N.Y. band still modest

It seems that you can’t open a magazine these days without
reading a prediction about “the next big thing” in
music or the underground band that is “going to be the next
Nirvana.” While many get swept up in praise, one such band,
New York’s Coheed and Cambria, who will be playing at the
Troubadour Tuesday and Wednesday night, haven’t let the hype
get to their heads.

“I wouldn’t give it too much thought, to be honest
with you,” drummer Josh Eppard said. “You know how many
bands get called the “˜the next big thing’ and
don’t ever even sell any records? I’d be lying if I
said it wasn’t fun to open a magazine and see your picture in
there. That’s fun, but I don’t know about all that
“˜next big thing’ stuff.”

Musically, Coheed and Cambria cannot be compared to any of their
contemporaries. Some call them “emo,” some say
“melodic prog,” but in their own minds, it
doesn’t matter. Since the release of their second album,
“In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth 3,” it has not been
uncommon for Coheed and Cam-bria to play to sold out audiences.
Touring with major label bands such as The Used, Thrice and
Thursday have added to their popularity, as well as the 14 dates on
this summer’s Van’s Warped Tour. On Jan. 29 they will
be performing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live Show.

“We’ve never done anything like that before,”
Eppard said of their television appearance. “Hopefully it
will be a good opportunity and we’ll go in there and kick
some ass. But I am a bit nervous.”

Coheed and Cambria have been gaining a lot of attention lately,
possibly due to their unique style of music, as well as their
different approach to lyric writing. Their debut album,
“Second Stage Turbine Blade” is the second installment
of the story of the characters Coheed and Cambria, and their new
album is the third. Their tentative plans include a fourth album in
the series, and then a prequel to the story in another album, along
with a comic book about the characters.

“We all really like “˜Lord of the Rings’ and
“˜Star Wars,’ we’re all really big movie
fans,” Eppard said. “We all like science fiction and
horror so much that we wanted to incorporate that (in our music),
and we found a pretty cool way to do it.”

Despite all the attention, from fans as well as major record
labels, Coheed and Cambria have decided to remain independent.

“Pretty much all our friends that were on indie (labels)
are all now on major (labels) now, but we decided to take our
time,” Eppard said. “If we ever do make that jump to a
major label, it will definitely be when that makes the most sense,
and it will be good for the band and what we’re after,
collectively and individually.”

One reason the major labels are trying to lure the band away
from their current small label, Equal Vision Records, is because of
the turnout they have at shows. The
“radio-friendliness” of bands is becoming less of a
consideration for major labels as emphasis seems to be placed more
on live performance and fan base.

The band’s new video from “Keeping Secrets of Silent
Earth 3″ will be in rotation on MTV2, proving that one
doesn’t have to sign to a monster-huge label to be
popular.

Coheed and Cambria play at the Troubadour on Jan. 27 and 28.
Go to www.troubadour.com for more information.