Band of the Day: Codeia

Is it only Tuesday?! Good grief, this week is going slowly. You know what would help? Some new music to take your mind off things…

Simple things first – where are you guys from?

We are from Southern Germany, Karlsruhe and Stuttgart.

How did you meet?

Since we play a distinct kind of music it was quite a challenge to find three like-minded people with a penchant for similar sounds and unconventional structures, not to mention the necessary skills and technical equipment required to put ideas into practice. But at the end of the day, the internet and personal contacts helped us along the way.

How long have you been playing as a band?

The first time we met was in 2016. So it’s been almost four years now.

Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?

We were looking for something that captures the mind and expands on the nature of the genres we love.

What are your influences?

Isis, Neurosis, This Will Destroy You, Cult Of Luna, Russian Circles, to name a few. But we actually come from different musical backgrounds which involve hardcore, metal and art rock.

Describe your music. What makes you unique?

The foundation of our songs are guitar loops which are always created live, even in the studio. Those need time to develop and evolve – this is a key factor that shapes the structure of our songs. We also pay a lot of attention to the right choice of sounds and the overall dynamic, and try to keep things interesting by using unusual measures. All of those elements shape our sound.

Do you have any particular lyrical themes?

Yes. The titles of our first three records will together unveil one large title. But just like the title of the album, the songs do not tell a sequential story. It is all about describing different scenarios within a story. We try to paint a picture the way we try to capture different moods with the music. The result is pretty abstract and open for interpretation. So hopefully there are bits and pieces for everyone to find themselves within those scenarios.

What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?

As little lights and as much fog as possible. Just two lights behind to make our silhouettes visible. No breaks, no talking and of course an adequate volume. We try to play around 10–20 shows each year.

What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?

For the drums we used a DW kit in the studio. Live it is a Tama kit. Cymbals are from Zildjan, a Tama Starclassic snare, a Tama Iron Cobra bass drum pedal and Promark natural 5a sticks.

For the guitar we use a stereo set-up consisting of a VOX AC30HW top with a VOX speaker cabinet (2×12, greenback) and a Fender Hot Rod DeVille Michael Landau combo. Together they form a perfect canvas for two pedal boards with a lot of strymon stereo effects as well as two Boss RC-30 loopers. Pedals from Caroline Guitar Company, Hungry Robot Pedals, JHS, Earthquaker Devices and KMA Audio Machines provide all the sonic flavours we need.

For the bass we use a Musicman Stingray 5. It goes in an Ampeg SVT-VR + 8×10 Ampeg cabinet and into a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier + 4×12 Mesa cabinet. And of course we use lots of pedals as well, like a POG2, Darkglass B3K, Sansamp DI, Boss RC-30, Strymon Timeline, Wren And Cuff Pickle Pie B and many more.

What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?

We’re currently promoting our second LP As He Turned Back Towards the Eye of the Storm, which came out on April 13th.

What are your plans for 2019?

Promote our new record, play as many shows as possible and start writing new songs.

If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!

We would love to play with either Isis or Neurosis. This would be a dream come true. We would also like to share the stage with Tobias Stieler – who recorded our new record – and his bandmates from Kokomo.

Codeia: facebook | instagram | youtube | bandcamp | spotify

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