In 2015 I had the great pleasure of seeing my favorite band (Coheed & Cambria) live twice in SoCal and interviewed their bassist Zach Cooper over the phone after they released their newest album The Color Before the Sun. Here's the transcript from said interview:
*Also, Neverender refers to the band playing a specific album in its entirety during a show.*
[AM] Is the band planning to continue creating music separate from the story/concept or will you revisit The Amory Wars?
[ZC] I couldn't imagine abandoning The Amory Wars at all. It's possible that we'll do more music like [The Color Before the Sun], but it's also conceivable that we'll continue [the story].
[AM] On Reddit, the band confirmed there will be a Good Apollo Neverender, could you expand on the current timeline of touring the new album and when we could
expect more Neverender news?
[ZC] I dont even think there is a timeline right now. Everything is promoting and touring [the new album] so it's probably gonna be awhile but that's definitely gonna happen. We just don't know when.
[AM] How do you feel like the band has changed/evolved since you joined in 2012?
[ZC] Just like any band we spent a couple years playing together so there's a connection there. You spend so much time on the road you become better friends so the dynamic has definitely changed.
[AM] How does your bass style differ from Mic Todd's?
[ZC] I am probably not as busy of a player as he is. I have a tendency to play less, for sure. And I know that's kind of a point of contention -- that I'm boring. (laughs) I'm pretty aware of that kind of stuff, I get it. It makes sense. What drew me to the band was Mic's playing and I was a big fan and loved his approach. But I also know that I'm not him so I'm gonna approach things differently. He also did a lot of slappy stuff, and I don't do that at all.
[AM] What is it like being a new addition to an already established band like Coheed?
[ZC] Oh dude, absolutely it was crazy on a bunch of different levels. I've toured in the past like band, trailer, playing in front of a bar kind of stuff. Being on the road and adjusting to that life of press and pushing a record. And it was also being scrutinized, finding out how much people do or don't like you. Like no matter what, if I'm in the band for another ten years I'm still gonna be the new guy, it's just what it is. (laughs) So, I like to think that I have had a positive effect on the sound of the band.
[AM] Which of the older songs (pre-2007) do you enjoy playing the most?
[ZC] "The Crowing," "Al the Killer," "Devil in Jersey City," "Junesong Provision," "Welcome Home," "Ten Speed of God's Blood and Burial"
[AM] How has the experience of being a part of C&C compared to your expectations before joining?
[ZC] It's surpassed my expectations tenfold. It's been incredible just getting to play this music and being a part of the new direction of the band, the traveling, getting to see areas of the world I would never otherwise go. There's still new adventures all the time, and I'm extremely grateful to these guys for taking me along.
[AC] From what you've seen, has Claudio changed at all since Atlas was born?
[ZC] Absolutely, that's something that is inevitable. Fatherhood brings on so many new emotions/feelings and changes your outlook on the world. It's had a profound effect on him.
[AM] I thought "Peace to the Mountain" was one of the more unique tracks on the new album, could you talk a little bit about how that song came to be?
[ZC] We were working on the music and Claudio had the idea, while we were running through stuff in his basement we joked about making it "Beatles-esqe." (laughs) So in the studio we had string and horn players come in, and Claudio directed them. The whole thing came together amazingly, we recorded live in this old church just standing around banging stuff, clanking things against the wall. It was a really fun track, and it's also my daughter's favorite song on the album.
[AM] By any chance, do you know what mountain Claudio is referring to?
[ZC] Just like a generic mountain. It goes back to the "Island" and the feeling of claustrophobia. "Peace to the Mountain" is like I'm going out to find more open space.
[AM] How did the band decide who would play which role in the "You've Got Spirit, Kid" video?
[ZC] It was the director and the guys who came up with the concept for the video. We had a loose idea of who would be doing what. Josh was really excited about being naked in the video. He was like "I'll be naked the whole time. I'll be the naked guy." (laughs) I was like, "I'll be the nerd that gets picked on, I can relate to that."
[AM] When I saw you at The Observatory, you played certain album pairs in reverse order ("Everything Evil," "Devil In Jersey City"), what's up with that?
[ZC] When we put a set together it's about how the songs flow individually in the context of the whole set, so we'll mix up orders of songs and if it feels good we'll go for it. Sometimes it has to do with the song that's happening before, like "Al the Killer" is kind of more uptempo and driving so if we went right into "Devil in Jersey City" it maintains that kind of energy. Whereas "Everything Evil" dips a little so it adds more dynamics to the set.
[AM] This is a question I like to ask in all of my interviews: what do you envision for the future of music with improved technology and easier collaboration?
[ZC] Oh man, it's already happening. The future is now, it's crazy. Collaboration is so easy with home recording setups and sending files to other people, it's really wild. I can see that growing and getting easier with more compact recording rigs and more avenues to send bigger files. I honestly don't know for sure but I'm excited to see where that technology goes.
© Austin T. Murphy 2016
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