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BIO | INTERVIEW 1 | INTERVIEW 2
2006 - Joey Eppard about 'Wake Pig'
Due the fact “Wake Pig” which had been released as on of the first efforts by Metal Blade in 2006 was your first European output, you are still pretty unknown. So please introduce the band to our readers. And a really interesting thing – why is band called 3?
Hello, this Joey Eppard, singer/songwriter, guitarist and producer for the band 3. Allow me to introduce you to the band...
Joey Eppard - lead vocals / acoustic and electric guitar / producer
I’m a philosopher at heart. Having grown up in a musical family, I’ve been writing songs since age 3. Over time I developed my own approach to playing guitar without the use of a pick. I’ve also toured doing original material in 3 very different markets, Rock/Alternative, Funk/Jam, and Folk and these experiences culminate in the music of 3. Some of my biggest influences include: JOHN LENNON / THE BEATLES, LED ZEPPELIN, PRIMUS, STEVIE WONDER, ANI DIFRANCO, JONI MITCHELL, ELVIS COSTELLO, PINK FLOYD, THE POLICE
The Gartdrumm - Drums / backing vocals
The Gartdrumm is a very animated drummer and personality. He’s known for his over the top live performance style and wild facial expressions. His main influences include LED ZEPPELIN and MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
Billy Riker - electric guitar / orange hat
The wild card of the group, Billy is unpredictable, innovative and master of his own brand of lawyerly logic. He has a photographic musical memory, and worships everything from KING DIAMOND to the theme song for “The Price Is Right“ He brings most of the metal and prog infleunces to the project having been a dedicated fan of acts like METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, LED ZEPPELING, KING CRIMSON, PINK FLOYD, RUSH, DEVO, GENESIS, VOIVOD, YES and many others...
Joe Stote - percussion and keyboards
Joe is a musical Jack of all trades. He brings enough gear to every show to be a one man band. In addition to his fluency in percussion and keyboards he plays a mean guitar and has a solid sense of production style. He is also a very unique hybrid of artistic integrity and business sense. Some of his main influences include: 70’s Funk, Early Punk Rock, New Wave, TALKING HEADS, THE GRATEFUL DEAD, THE PIXIES and JANE’s ADDICTION
Daniel Grimsland - bass / backing vocals
Daniel is a very smart bass player. He knows how to make every note powerful and has great sonic instincts. Some of his most influencial artists include, TONY LEVIN, THE BEATLES, PAUL MCCARTNEY, BOB HALOIGAN and RADIOHEAD
The number 3 has been a recurring theme in my life. I see it everywhere in everything. It is a reference to the construct of our reality as having predominantly 3 aspects. For example, we live in a 3 dimensional physical universe on the 3rd planet from the sun, experiencing time as past, present and future in a form that consists of body, mind and spirit. Also we think of ourselves as being a 3-dimensional band in that we have more than one side to who we are.
What was the intension founding a band that plays music like early GENESIS did?
To do what we love. To bring a sense of adventure back to popular music, to offer more to the listener than your standard pop format without being overly contrived.
You also used a huge drum solo on your album! Well, this is something a band hasn’t used for decades…
True. There’s a whole generation of kids out there that have never witnessed a live drum solo at a rock show. When Gartdrumm and Joe Stote get into it people are transfixed. We got so used to people asking “which record has the drum solo on it?” at our shows, that we decided to go ahead and do the unthinkable. I guess we enjoy breaking rules.
Originally “Wake Pig” was released in the US even earlier… so you must be writing new songs already? Is a new output in the works?
Yeah we’ve got quite a few new songs and we’re breaking some of them in at our live shows. The next 3 record is probably a year away at this point because we’ll be touring in support of “Pig” for at least the next 10 months or so…. We did post a live performance of a new track called “D-Ripper” on our my space page: http://www.myspace.com/3 I’ve also got a solo acoustic record that’s just about finished. You can listen to a couple of those tracks on my my space page: http://www.myspace.cpm/joeyeppard
It is well known that you are big buddies with COHEED AND CAMBRIA… Did you grow up together?
When I first met Claudio, COHEED’s front man, he was playing in a band with a friend of mine, a talented drummer by the name of Nate Kelly. They opened for us at a place called The Backdoor in Nyack, NY. I remember letting him use my amp. Its funny looking back, he mentioned something about not wanting to be the singer, but the rest of the guys in his band had talked him into it. I’d heard a demo of his before the show and was quite impressed with it, so I told him I thought he had a great voice. Our bands continued to play together and we became pretty good friends.
A few years later when Claudio and Nate had parted ways, he was in need of a drummer so he asked my brother Josh, who was no longer drumming for 3. They needed a place to rehearse so I let them use my living room. Every Saturday for about a year they would show up at about noon and do their thing for a couple hours. It was cool listening to them develop the material that would eventually become 2nd Stage Turbine Blade. They even opened for 3 under the name Leader 1 when they were just getting started.
After some debate, they settled on the name COHEED AND CAMBRIA. They had a couple of guys from Equalvision come out to a show, but the sound guy was totally butchering their mix. You couldn’t even hear Claudio’s vocals. I stepped in and got the mix together, pushing Claud’s vocals out front and balanced the rest of the instrumentation. Suffice to say, they got the deal with Equal Vision and hit the road full time. Watching their rise to fame, literally from my living room to the world, is one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever witnessed. After a couple of tough breaks in my own music career, I was in danger of becoming just another jaded musician, but COHEED’s story gave me hope.
What about touring in support of them to promote “Wake Pig”? Should be a blast of package…
Yes that would be the ultimate show. It will happen. When? Only time will tell.
What about touring anyway? Will your European fans see you in the near future on stage near them?
We’re working on that right now. Its looking good for the fall.
What are your plans at the time? What will happen 2006?
We plan on touring and writing. I think you’ll see this band really start to develop its world potential.
What bands would you name to check out?
OJOS DE BRUJO, KISS KISS, COHEED AND CAMBRIA and of course early GENESIS!
Any last wise words to say?
“Fear is the mind-killer” - Frank Herber
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