Aaron Coker Interview
*First off, how does it feel being the only member of the band with a Wikipedia entry?
Umm. Well. I wasn't aware of that... Those boys need one too. I think I'll make it for them.
*What bands have you worked with previously? How hard was it to jump into the Appleseed Cast material?
As far as touring and such I started with Old Canes while Appleseed was taking some time off a few years back. After that did some tours with Jim Suptic from Get Up Kids new band, Blackpool Lights. When I was out with them I met James Dewees [Coalesce, Get Up Kids, and Reggie and The Fell Effect] and he needed a drummer for a huge upcoming Reggie tour so I did that for the first half of 06'. Pretty much right after I got back Marc called asking if I was interested since Nate had decided to leave. I only had about 3 weeks to learn a set to start touring on so it was a bit difficult to jump right in but we seemed to gel pretty quickly and that made it a lot easier to just relax and play the parts. . If I effed up on stage, we could laugh and just move on. Everyone effs up. Especially us.
*The Appleseed Cast has had a history of burning though drummers. After touring with the band the past two years, do you feel that you're an integral part of the future of The Appleseed Cast?
All I can say is I love playing with this band and I of course hope to stay integral. I think it's working out great. A lot of the fans have been very supportive and said very nice things to me.
*You seem very focused while playing (some people have said you look annoyed). What's going through you're mind as you're drumming? Is drumming "work" in the traditional sense or is it "fun"?
Hmmm... Annoyed? Nope. I love playing on different stages of different cities every night. There have been times of being under the weather, or having difficulty with hearing my monitors, and I'm sure I looked bummed, but I'd still rather be there being sick and not hearing anything than working at home.
*Song 1 and Song 2 aside, when can we expect to hear the first material from the new album? Any chance of demos getting released? Also, what's the current timeframe for the album's release and is Militia Group likely the label? Any album titles being kicked around?
I can only say we hope to have it out in the spring. We have a small tour coming up in October that takes to Chicago and back. We are about 4 complete songs in right now. No titles yet either. Demos? Maybe. As far as I know Militia Group is putting it out.
*The two new songs played on the last tour (Song 1 and Song 2) are a measurable departure from previous material. What's the song-writing process like? Do the songs start as a guitar melody and proceed or is it more of a collaborate event from the very start?
Those two are different for sure, but to me it still sounds like Appleseed. The process has been basically someone coming in with a guitar part and just kicking each part around til it feels right to connect it to a new part until we feel we have a song. Not as easy as it sounds though.
*Sean from the forums asks: What are the band's most fun (and challenging) songs to play on tour?
Lately I love playing Song 1 [which may or not be the actual title, but it's new]. Also, we started extending and kind of picking up the energy to the end of Steps and Numbers. That's always fun for me, cause it's honestly improv every night and what drummer doesn't love that??
*Are you guys planning on pulling out any old songs that haven't been played recently for the next tour?
Hope so. We would love to play some older or more rare material, but we are also in the middle of writing a new record so we will just have to see what happens. It would be fun too though.
*What do you day-to-day when you're not on tour?
Not too much. I clean up the house. Straighten up all the drinks in the fridge [OCD I know, but it really looks great,kinda like MTV Cribs]. I play with my cats Mirabelle, Isaac, and Adrian. I hang out with my little nephew Ethan and get him video games and movies to watch. Shower. Twice. Watch HDTV. Eat a lot of sweets. . . and prepare to be a married guy. . . Every now and again I get to play golf on Wii.
*If you couldn't be a musician, what would your dream job be?
No clue. Wow. That's super sad huh
Thanks for your time, Aaron.
This is an incredible review, thanks so much for taking the time to transcribe that and put it up for our viewing pleasure! I give you credit from a journalistic standpoint for asking some of those more risky questions. Aaron answered those really elegantly, and totally made the review an intresting read. I particularly enjoyed the whole, 'making faces while drumming' bit. Not many people would ask a question like that, and the answer was hilarious. Have you tried to get any reviews of any of the other band members? I know Aaron (Pillar) always seems to nice about answering questsions, and usually gives us some really neat backstory behind the band and/or production of some songs.
Thanks :) The joy of being a fan and not being a journalist is that I don't have to have any journalistic integrity and can ask the more offbeat (or even the "dumber") questions :) I haven't tried to interview the other members yet. This interview actually fell into my lap (Aaron had emailed me already). Interviewing the other band members is certainly is something I would like to do at some point, though.
Ah, that was me. Storms/Joey. It wouldn't let me log in for some reason.
Aaron Coker rules! I'm surprised the little man doesn't play basketball anymore. He might remember me killing him when we'd play back in St.Joe. I know this wouldn't make any sense to the interviewer but you should have asked about his beloved New York Knicks. But it was a very good interview cause I personally got to see what old Aaron was up to and how his muscial career has taken off.
I almost didn't ask the question about burning through drummers because it almost seemed too pointed or unfair. Nevertheless, I wanted some assurance of the future and I know I'm not the only fan wondering that. I think his answer was satisfying.