#applehead studios

VIDEO: Northern Faces – “Cops Come”

Alt-rock band Northern Faces just released the new video for “Cops Come,” from their self-titled debut album, out now via Equal Vision Records. The video focuses on the band’s live show, aiming to capture the infectious energy of the track…and the band’s buzzed-about performances. You can stream the video below. Northern Faces performed at Riot Fest this past weekend in Chicago. Upon returning…

Team Sleep

Woodstock Sessions, AppleHead Studios, Oct 18th 2014

Ever (Foreign Flag), Blvd Nights, Death By Plane, Princeton Review, Staring at the Queen, Your Skull is Red, Natalie Portman and Dreamland

Big news!

We will be heading back down to Applehead Recording in Woodstock, NY to record our next full length album sometime in June '14. Really looking forward to working with Chris Bittner and Michael Birnbaum again. Previously we recorded our last album, Everything at Once, with them. Not only were we extremely satisfied with the outcome of our time there, but while we were there it was just a great vibe, work environment, and really helped shape where we are today.

If you are attending this year's Move Music Festival in Albany, NY and have a smart phone, be sure to download the Timbre app (free) to help you figure out your day. The app features all the acts performing, where they're performing, as well as song samples! 

Upcoming Shows:

4.25.14 - Move Music Fest (Red Square) - Albany, NY w/ Black Taxi & Carl Daniels [Join FB Event]

5.9.14 - Drury HS - North Adams, MA w/ Barricades & Twin Berlin [See FB Event for more info]

5.16.14 - BCHS - Delmar, NY [Join FB Event]

Check out some press we've been getting!

This is our third year in a row being featured in the Metroland's annual "Readers' Poll" edition. Really can't thank the Capital Region enough for keeping us in mind. [Full list of winners]

Back to work...

-Stellar Young

Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp | Instagram 

I was trying to write something else when I became so distracted that I had to put this timeline into words.  Here's a brief history of 3 and Coheed and Cambria.

The band 3 started out in the early 90's as an outlet for teenage friends- Joey Eppard and Chris Bittner.  The duo needed a drummer so they, with the help of seasoned musician and father, Jimmy Eppard, threw 11 year old Josh Eppard behind a snare drum and a high-hat.  Legend is, Josh kept good time and just had a natural groove.  After about a year of honing their skills in the basement they gave themselves a name and began playing shows around Kingston and Woodstock, New York. 

In 1993 it seemed as if the trio hit their big break...  Michael Lang, co-creator of the original 1969 Woodstock Festival, wanted to represent the band and give them a prime performance slot at the Woodstock 1994 Festival.  Joey, Chris and Josh signed a contract with Lang along with Jimmy Eppard and Michael Birnbaum as co-managers of the teenagers.  A movie was even made about them.  Unfortunately, everything fell to shit.  Their prime time-slot ended up being noon the first day of the festival and the movie never saw the light of day.  Needless to say, they ended the contract and continued to write, grow, and perform. 

In 1998 their efforts and creativity were about to pay off.  3 was picked up by Universal Records.  Great, right?  Well amidst recording their debut, Universal went through a merger and dropped 75% of their acts and staff.  The trio soldiered on, just trying to get their music heard.  Eventually they crossed paths with Tom Benton, who personally funded the completion of their debut record and created a record label (Planet Noise Records) to get it out.  19 year old Josh, however, couldn't escape the burning desire to play on as much music as he could.  Against the advice and will of his family and friends, he left the band that turned him into a musician, and pursued a career in studio drumming.  He was replaced in 3 by his mentor and local legend, Chris "Gartdrumm" Gartmann (of Peacebomb).  The late Jason Foster (of Lunchmeat) also had a stint with the band on electric guitar around that time.   

Paint By Number eventually saw a release in 1999 (with all the album artwork designed by the members).  3 continued to perform and write.  Because so much time had passed since writing the PBN material, they were already well on their way to writing their sophomore album.  However, the band saw another change in 2001.  Chris Bittner (CJB) left to pursue a career in studio production with Michael Birnbaum at the studio designed and built by Jimmy Eppard, Applehead Recording Studio in Woodstock.  He was replaced by another of the band's idols, Peacebomb bassist, Joe "Cooch" Cuchelo.  Longtime friend and collaborator, Billy Riker, was also added on electric guitar.  That year the band put out a solid live CD with their line-up, Half Life.  Also around that time, Josh hung up his studio hat and began writing and performing with their local favorite, (and frequent gig partner) Shabutie.  Adding the youngest and most experienced member to the group, Shabutie changed their name to Coheed and Cambria and rehearsed frequently at the house the members of 3 lived in together in Woodstock.  Co&Ca did what wasn't already done for their debut album with Chris Bittner at Applehead and got picked up by Equal Vision Records.  They released Second Stage Turbine Blade in 2002 and began touring heavily with Kwame Wiafe-Akenten as their "merch master."  Labelmates, Breaking Pangaea, took Co&Ca out on their very first organized package tour.  Coheed and Cambria played their first Warped Tour- performing on a side stage for the length of the nationwide festival tour.  By the end of that year Co&Ca were playing overseas and Joey Eppard released his first (and thus far only) solo album, Been to the Future, on Planet Noise Records (it was recorded in various rooms, including Joey's closet).  Not long after, 3 added yet another member from Peacebomb... the frontman, Joe Stote, on percussion.  Their sophomore effort was recorded at IIWII Studios in Weehawken, New Jersey as well as at Joe Stote's home studio.  3 released Summercamp Nightmare in 2003 on Planet Noise and toured a bit nationally with the ever-rising-in-recognition, Coheed and Cambria, (who that year put their gold (unless it's Platinum now) record, In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 out on EVR)...  Though mostly they played their own gigs. 

2004 saw the self-recording and release of 3's Wake Pig (Planet Noise).  Coheed and Cambria headlined Warped Tour and Claudio Sanchez released his first comic book.  3 experienced their first major national tour, opening for newly-signed-to-Columbia-Records Coheed and Cambria's first headlining fall tour, with Underoath in the middle slot.  This tour garnered all sorts of exposure and new fans for the bands, including owner/founder of Metal Blade Records, Brian Slagel (he's the dude who first put Metallica on the map!) as well as Dream Theater's drum master, Mike Portnoy.  Josh embarked on his first hip-hop tour in December with Gym Class Heroes supporting Weerd Science.  He performed with Wavis on keyboards, Danny Ilchuck (iLL)and Kwame as hype men.  At the end of 2004 Coheed and Cambria went into Applehead to work on their third album with Chris Bittner and Michael Birnbaum.

In 2005 3 continued to play shows.  March 22nd EVR put out Josh's alternative hip-hop record, Friends and Nervous Breakdowns, which was recorded over half a decade with Chris Bittner and David "Wavis" Parker.  That same day Co&Ca's first live DVD was also released- the now gold certified, Live At The Starland Ballroom.  May 10th CI Records put out the Fire Deuce EP, Children of the Deuce.  The satirical EP was written, performed and recorded by Travis Stever, Joey Eppard, Billy Riker, Gartdrumm, Claudio Sanchez, Josh Eppard, Mark Schiskie (3's tour manager at the time) and Joe Stote while they were on that '04 fall tour.  Weerd Science and his Super Posse of Awesomeness went on another tour, this time supporting EVR labelmates, Bane.  Coheed and Cambria began performing live again that spring, while their third album was outsourced for post-production.  A few days before the record release, they added Wavis on keyboards and third guitar to the live line-up.  Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness was released on September 20th on Columbia, and has since been certified platinum.  During all this Joe Cuchelo was replaced by a former member of the Joey Eppard live band, Daniel Grimsland.  3 was also picked up by Metal Blade and November 1st Wake Pig was rereleased with 2 new songs, new packaging, and imprint of Metal Blade Records as well as the Josh-Claudio-Travis-Mic label, Evil Made.

In 2006 both acts toured extensively internationally.  3 found themselves in Japan, Europe and Australia for the first time.  That summer, however, Coheed's European tour was cut short due to internal tensions.  Mic Todd and Josh Eppard decided to leave Coheed and Cambria.  Josh's tech, Michael Petrak (MP) filled in for the scheduled US shows and the band recruited longtime friend, Matt Williams, to fill in on bass.  3 played a few shows with this Coheed and Cambria line-up along with Chiodos and The Dillinger Escape Plan.  Josh began demoing some Weerd Science tracks with iLL.  On Halloween EVR released Claudio Sanchez' solo debut- The Prize Fighter Inferno's My Brother's Blood Machine and Columbia released the second live Co&Ca DVD, The Last Supper: Live at Hammerstein Ballroom, in which both Josh and Wavis appear.  Travis Stever self-released his solo record, The English Panther, on iTunes in December.

Spring 2007, while working on their fourth record, Mic rejoined Coheed and Cambria.  Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters recorded drums and tDEP's Chris Pennie took over the position as drummer in the band.  During that time 3 was also working on a new album.  They were walled up in renown drummer Jerry Marotta's Jersville Studio in Woodstock working with 2x Grammy nominated engineer, Roman Klun, on their Metal Blade debut.  3 toured with legendary English Prog band, Porcupine Tree, that May and The End is Begun was released July 24th.  In celebration of the release, 3 went on a mini-headlining tour of the Northeast as well as Toronto and Montreal and headlined the ProgDay Festival before touring with classic German hard-rock band, Scorpions.  Porcupine Tree's front man, Steven Wilson, had said that 3 was the greatest band to ever open for PT, so they pulled 3 on the second half of their "Fear of a Blank Planet North American tour" in October.  Coheed and Cambria released No World For Tomorrow on October 23rd.  Also around that time Josh entered Darkworld Studio to begin working on his sophomore Weerd Science album, Sick Kids, with Wavis.  Coheed toured without Wavis and Kwame (Gangstroph) and added 2 female back-up vocalists to their live show as well as Wes Styles on keyboards.  Weerd Science and the Super Posse of Awesomeness performed their first show since 2005.

During 2008 Josh and Joey started performing together locally under the name Eppard Brothers (set up by DJ Dirty Ern).  CJB was in attendance at the first show, so the brothers called him up to play bass.  The original 3 locked in as if they never stopped performing together.  Josh also played a few shows with Wavis' band, Counterfeit Disaster.  Josh and Wavis continued working on Sick Kids and brought the project to Applehead Studio where Chris Bittner also began to contribute.  3 embarked on the largest tour of their career, the inaugural Progressive Nation tour with Dream Theater, Opeth and Between the Buried and Me.  August 29th Mic Todd played a set with Eppard Brothers.  Coheed and Cambria continued to tour internationally and held 4 night concerts in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and London where they performed their first 4 records from front to back- dubbed Neverender.  Joe Stote left 3 after they headlined a North American tour.  Weerd Science performed a show with Wavis on keyboards, Dirty Ern on the turntables, and Mazeman hyping).  Travis released his second solo record, under a different moniker, Davenport Cabinet.  October 14th Equal Vision put out Nostalgia in Stereo.

In 2009 Josh began to rock again, forming Mours with Wavis and Anthony Masington.  This project featured Josh drumming, singing and even playing guitar.  Though they recorded several songs (including one with a vocal contribution by Mic Todd), they never performed live.  Sick Kids was still being worked on too.  Weerd Science did some east coast shows, now with Anthony on guitar in addition to Wavis on keyboards and Dirty Ern on the turntables.  A new hype man was added to the mix too, Mattrix.  Majestic from the 2001 Leader One collaboration hyped some shows as well.  3 did some shows too, but spent most of the year recording their version of a greatest hits record with Roman Klun.  The album consisted of new renditions of old songs.  3's Revisions was released on October 27th by Metal Blade Records.  They also suffered another label dispute.  Their contract with Metal Blade was up and were promised a spot on Roadrunner Records' roster when they fulfilled their MB contract, however, when it came time to switch...  Roadrunner dropped them (the label cut back tremendously that year).  After toying around with the idea of going at it without label backing (and releasing soundboard quality performances for purchase on aftershowmusic.com to raise funds), 3 was picked up again by Metal Blade Records.  Coheed and Cambria released a DVD of Neverender performances, including a documentary on some of the band's history and they entered the studio to begin work on their first record that Chris Pennie would perform on.

Coheed and Cambria's Year of the Black Rainbow was released on April 13th, 2010. They continue to tour internationally.  Josh Eppard joined Terrible Things with two musicians who toured with Coheed in the past with their respective bands.  Fred Mascherino was in Taking Back Sunday, Breaking Pangaea and pursued a solo career under the moniker- The Color Fred.  Andy Jackson was in Hot Rod Circuit and Death in the Park.  Fred actually opened for one of the Neverender shows.  Terrible Things signed with Universal Records and have been constantly touring (supporting Circa Survive, Good Old War, Story of the Year, Anberlin, 30 Seconds to Mars, The Offspring, Minus The Bear).  The self-titled Terrible Things album is set to release August 31st.  CJB has embarked on a new project with the DJ for Weerd Science, Dirty Ern.  They call their production duo, Flannel Channel.  3 has been in the studio (working on their 6th studio album) and are now back in Applehead Studio working with Chris Bittner once again.  Joey Eppard continues to perform solo shows as well (as he has for the past decade).