MC: How did Comic-Con go this year?
Sanchez: It’s our 10th year doing Comic-Con. We’ve been doing it for a while now with the book that is attached to the band and some of the other books that I do that aren’t. Evil Ink has become an established company in print. We do San Diego, which has been great for us every year. We do New York, which has been tremendous. And now we’re branching out to Chicago and Baltimore, Philadelphia, we’re also looking to do the Emerald City [Seattle].
MC: Do you enjoy doing these types of events?
Sanchez: Comic-Con is a real treat. It’s a way to interact with the fans of the band that like that dimension of what we do—the comic books being another side of creativity that I get to exercise. It’s fun to go out and do Comic-Con… it’s almost like the band’s live show with respect to its music; that’s sort of how Comic-Con feels to the comic book.
MC: Since Coheed and Cambria’s debut release in 2002, the way artists interact with their fans has changed quite a bit. How does Coheed handle the “direct to artist” format on platforms like Twitter and Reddit?
Sanchez: It was sort of an easy transition [for us]. Back in the day, before Coheed got signed to Equal Vision, we had a small website (under the band name Shabütie) that we sort of used as a blog. A friend of ours blogged about the shows we would do up and down the Hudson River. During that time, that blog, in that moment, really helped grow our fan base. So [the direct fan interaction] has always been in the DNA of the band… a social media outlet before Facebook, Twitter.
Like the comic book signings at Comic-Con and even with Coheed, fan interaction has always been a part of our growth. It feels very second nature and good to have that outlet to communicate with fans.
MC: Do you wish you could have interacted with bands when you were a fan?
Sanchez: For me, growing up I didn’t necessarily want to meet the artist. But then there were moments when I did. Did I feel like I got what I wanted out of them? Probably not, they were busy. But at the same time I put that idea in my mind, “If I could, I would be a little more open [as an artist].” So I think the timing with social media is just right.
MC: These sites expose your fans’ passion for your art. What was it like to see your art inked on someone else’s body?
Sanchez: It was certainty flattering. Whether it’s [our logos] the Keywork or the Dragonfly, sometimes I see art that really blows me away… One time I saw a tattoo on this girl’s neck of me naked riding a dragon. It was wild. I’ve seen sleeves of comic book art. It’s just like… wow. To see that much passion behind something like this is really rewarding and makes you feel like you’re doing something right. It really excites me that it’s touching people in that way.
MC: We’ve also heard some crazy 8-bit versions of your songs on YouTube created by the Coheed faithful.
Sanchez: I’m a big fan of that. I don’t know if you remember there was this kid that would make 8-bit versions of Iron Maiden songs and he would sing over them. And they were great. I became a fan. With all these 8-bit versions of Coheed songs, I keep thinking to myself, “maybe one day I’ll actually sing across them.” That’d be kind of fun.
MC: Coheed has very unique merchandise: instant USB thumb sticks of a show just attended, comic books, etc. How important is unique merch these days?
Sanchez: We try to incorporate everything in terms of the merch. [We have to respect that] there are so many different versions of a Coheed fan. Some may not like the concepts, and just like the music and some might want even more than the music, the backstory. It’s trying to make use of all those things that we do when we package something.
Certainly with the comic book, coming up doing that sort of dimension of presenting the band—this hyper-concept driven music—you don’t even need to really get into the concept to enjoy the band, but it’s something that has become the cornerstone of what we do in terms of everything else. Looking at it subjectively and trying to figure out how to really make it more than just music, and more of a culture.
