Coheed and Cambria are on up note

As an up-and-coming rock band, one of the hardest things to get used to is touring.

"I love it," said Josh Eppard, drummer for the band Coheed and Cambria. "But you look around and realize you're living in a van with five or six people. These guys are your family."

"These guys" are vocalist/guitarist Claudio Sanchez, lead guitarist Travis Stever and bassist Mic Todd.

The past few years have been good to Coheed and Cambria. It's 2002 debut album "The Second Stage Turbine Blade" (which featured a guest appearance by Dr. Know, guitarist for the band Bad Brains), caught the ears of discriminating rock fans.

A few club tours and a stint on the Vans Warped Tour boosted Coheed and Cambria up to a buzzworthy band on the steady road to a popularity breakthrough.

Last year, the band unleashed "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3," a more cohesive album, Eppard said by phone from Boston. "We were ready to craft a record," he said, citing Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden and Pink Floyd as his favorites while he was growing up.

"When we did our first album," he explained, "we just wanted to write songs and go in a direction that we hadn't gone before. I mean we were raised in Orange County (Southern California), where there were a lot of punk bands. And we were not a punk band. This time around, we had already established who we were, and we just wanted to expand on the sound."

Before heading into the studio, however, the band had taken on a world tour that saw them visiting Japan and getting their videos on MTV, to the delight of their families. "We all have supportive parents," said Eppard. "It's funny. They seem more enthusiastic than we do, sometimes. I mean every time they hear our song on the radio or see us on TV, they give us a call. It's nice to have fans, especially ones in your family."

Salt Lake City is home to a loyal fan following, thanks to a tour with Utah's own the Used and a few visits to the Salt Lake City. "We've been to Salt Lake three or four times," said Eppard. "And we've always had a great welcome. I hope to be able to come back there again again and again."

---

If you go. . .

What: Coheed & Cambria

Where: In the Venue

When: Wednesday, 7 p.m.

How much: $15.50

Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499

Web: www.smithstix.com

---

E-mail: scott@desnews.com