The Beat Goes on for Josh Eppard
posted January 22, 2009, 4:14 am | Log In To Post Comments | 
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Tags: Coheed and Cambria, Weerd Science, Mours, 3, Sick Kids, news
Weerd Science is Joshua Eppard. Joshua Eppard is a rapper, rock musician, composer and all around humble guy from Kingston, NY. His first band, 3, performed at Woodstock 1994. Dude was 14 years old. Prior to that he'd also layed down the drum beat for a song off the B-52's 1992 album Good Stuff (uncredited) at the legendary Bearsville Studio in Woodstock, NY. Josh is most notably known for his drumming and compositions with Shabutie / Leader One (for one show) / Coheed and Cambria from late 1999 until 2006... but during all this time he's been composing and recording rap songs... from various tape recorders to Wavis' parents' basement to Applehead Studio to Darkworld Studio... Hell even that period of time that he left 3 (2 years after their record deal with Universal fell through), joined / left Bleed Theory / Divest, joined Shabutie / Coheed... he recorded a "dungeon hip-hop" record with Bobby Delicious and Wavis, Newborn. That album never saw the light of day. He didn't intend to market his hip-hop ("this is hip-hop for the love, not a #1 on the charts"), but Josh Eppard didn't stop making it. Whenever he was home from touring the world with Coheed and could get a minute with Wavis, they'd get some music going and Josh would spill his guts over it. A few demos got out and spread on the internet in 2004. Equal Vision Records approached him and were like, "dude, you should put out a record!" So Eppard got his Super Posse of Awesomeness together and they performed some shows with the then unknown Gym Class Heroes providing support (they give him a shout out on the track "On My Own Time (Write On!).") throughout the Northeast United States. While Josh was on tour with Coheed in Europe Friends and Nervous Breakdowns was put together. It was released on March 22, 2005. I remember because I rushed out to the mall (the nation's 3rd largest) that day and searched through every single music store for it. The only place that carried it was Hot Topic. Blech. So expensive there I had to gather all the change I had around to cover the cost. I put it in on my stereo in the car and was instantly hooked from the moment the intro began. It hit me in a spot nothing else had ever touched me like before. "Nerd Rap" works I guess. But I feel putting it in any subgenre just sells it short. Josh Eppard's got a whole thing of his own going on. As a drummer he was recognized in Modern Drummer's 2006 best-of issue as the 5th best Prog drummer. Coheed's second and third albums went Gold. They're beginning to get recognition as one of the major players in the creation of the "New Prog" subgenre. Hell they even had an appearance on MTV's TRL in January 2006. Josh, of course, then got himself banned from all interviews because he accidentally slipped the word "shit" on air (resulting in this way awesome screencap). The VJ threatened that he wouldn't be invited back to the show... which has since ended it's terrible reign on music television. Anyway so now... well beginning November 2007... Josh sat with Wavis and they got to write and record a Weerd Science album. It's called Sick Kids and it blows my mind. You know something's good if it makes you think and makes your hips shake simultaneously. That's mah shit fo real yo. No release date yet, but today Dirty Ern from the Weerd Science camp busted on the scene... posted a blog adressing the delay of the record and posted up a freakin' new song!!! My favorite one at that. "The Clap." And it features my girl Anni Krueger on background vox.
Buuuutttttt... now he's got a new rock band. Mours. Posted a song on myspace last Sunday. "Christmas From Hell." Super epic emotional rollercoaster. They're spending every day in the studio pumping out new songs. 2 singers. Man, it's good stuff. I'm anxious to hear more final mixes... but it's tough with inspiration being so great from all these wonderful January vibes. Dudes just can't stop making music together.
2009 is sweet :)
