"I think Star Wars has influenced the conceptual dimension of Coheed because I'm a fan of those stories and how they were told," Sanchez says. "Storytelling is such an important part of what the band does, for me personally. I like to take the parallels of my life and work them into a fictional story because it allows me to take some of my own experiences and over embellish them."
Officially beginning in 2001, the alternative metal band originally started under the name Shabutie in 1995. Sanchez and his bandmates Travis Stever (guitar), Michael Todd (bass), and Josh Eppard (drums) have been compared to the likes of Rush and Yes for their elaborate concept album approach, as well as for their intricate guitar riffs and impressive vocal ranges.
What sets Coheed and Cambria apart from other alternative metal and hard rock acts is not only the band's dedication to their musical style, but also the Bag.on.line Adventures storyline which is extensively explored in each of their concept albums. So far three studio albums have been released: The Second Stage Turbine Blade (2002), In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3 (2003), and Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV: Volume One: From Fear through the Eyes of Madness (2005). Two additional albums which complete the five-part saga are to be recorded and released in the near future: Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV: Volume Two, and The Bag.on.line Adventures of Coheed and Cambria."
Just as Lucas released his Star Wars saga in the middle of the story with A New Hope, Coheed and Cambria are releasing their records out of sequence as well. Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV Volume One represents the start of a two-part conclusion to the saga, which will be followed by the story's prequel.
As a young kid seeing the films for the first time, Sanchez remembers the saga's most emotional moments best. "The only thing that really stained my memory is when Han Solo was encased in carbonite," Sanchez says. "That was a very sad moment in cinema for me."
Like any young fan, Sanchez found himself collecting Star Wars action figures along with his G.I. Joe toys. In fact, Sanchez still enjoys scouting out figures to add to his Star Wars collection to this day. "I collect a lot of different action figures," Sanchez explains. "I enjoyed collecting them as a kid because my storytelling came from playing with them. But I continue to collect so that I can look forward to my kids being able to play with my collection."
And when he wasn't creating adventures for his action figures, Sanchez says he happily suited up as Rebel scum for Halloween. "I remember dressing up as Admiral Ackbar one time because I liked him a lot," Sanchez smiles.
With Sanchez's ultimate understanding of how to entice fans with a good story in his own Coheed and Cambria musical sagas, it's no surprise that he has theories as to why Star Wars remains a timeless classic. "A New Hope was always my favorite because it had very defined characters and you knew who the scared adolescent was, and who the villain was. I think a lot of people have a hard time living in this world so films like these enable them to fantasize about being in another world altogether."
Witnessing the downward spiral of Anakin Skywalker as he transitioned from Chosen One to Number One Baddie on the big screen wasn't easy for Sanchez to see. "It's really hard for me to say what my thoughts are on Anakin's fall to the dark side, or on making right or wrong choices, because I really liked the mystery of Darth Vader," Sanchez says. "I enjoyed creating my own version of the history of those characters."
One opinion Sanchez has no difficulty revealing is his admiration of composer John Williams' musical score for not only Sith but the entire film saga. "The music brings out a lot of the emotions of what's going on in the film," Sanchez says. "He brings out the triumphant moments and the sorrowful moments so admirably."
In addition to watching Jedi and Sith battle to the death in the theater, Sanchez says he likes to continue learning about the saga through Star Wars video games. "My favorite is Shadows of the Empire because it was a bridge to The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. I like how it fills the gaps."
Sanchez also has a soft spot for comic books -- so much so that he published two comic books and one graphic novel to offer clues to their fans about the hidden meanings in their concept albums -- The Second Stage Turbine Blade and Good Apollo I'm Burning Star IV. The comics (The Second Stage Turbine Blade 1 and 2) are written by Sanchez and illustrated by Wes Abbott, and revolve around the main character -- Coheed Kilgannon -- who confronts his repressed memories of his deadly parents and ponders the larger idea of cosmic destiny. The Good Apollo graphic novel was illustrated by Christopher Shy. Sanchez debuted his comic at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2004, and returned the next year to promote the graphic novel. The comic was published independently at first, but Sanchez recently started a comic book company called Evil Ink, and the comics are distributed by Diamond Comics. But as a fan himself, he also made a point to wander around the convention checking out Star Wars comics and collectibles.
"I had a booth at Comic-Con the last two years, so I was there on business first but I also enjoyed walking around and checking out all of the other booths," Sanchez says. "A few years ago I went to the L'expo in France and got to see all of the Star Wars models there, which was amazing."
To find out when Sanchez and his bandmates will be playing in your area and to read news of their next release, visit the official Coheed and Cambria site here.
Stay tuned to Star Wars Rocks for more interviews from some of your favorite bands and celebrities.
