Copeland says goodbye, headlines farewell tour

By Alyssa Herter
Western Herald

On Oct. 29, after 10 years together, indie-rock band Copeland announced their break-up via Myspace blog.

Though the break-up was made public, the blog post did instill a sense of hope for many fans.

“It has been discussed and we are not ruling out the possibility of recording one more album sometime in the future,” one line of the post reads. “However, this spring tour will be our last.”

Alyssa Herter/Western Herald - Indie rock band Copeland announced their break-up last fall and is currently headlining a farewell tour. Copeland’s front man Aaron Marsh.

Over the years, Copeland has released four full-length albums and six EPs.

Noteably, their sophomore release, “In Motion,” debuted at 115 on the Billboard chart’s Top 200 list.

Later this year, the band plans to release a re-issue of “In Motion” on vinyl.
Their sound has progressed from pop-rock, albeit a unique strain, to a more instrument-driven, pseudo-emotional sphere. Always a very guitar and piano-driven band, on their two most recent records, “Eat, Sleep, Repeat,” and “You Are My Sunshine,” they began incorporating strings and brass into their orchestrations.

Copeland’s evolution set them apart from bands that tend to retain a signature sound.

Alyssa Herter/Western Herald - Copeland’s Aaron Marsh.

Never in the mainstream, they did receive a lot of recognition in indie standards. They did a cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” that appeared on the ‘90s compilation of the popular “Punk Goes…” album series. They’ve also toured with the likes of Mae, Switchfoot, and The Early November.

In 2006, the band switched labels from indie representation on The Militia Group to major status with Columbia.

However, staying true to their indie roots, the band switched to Tooth & Nail Records just two years later to release “You Are My Sunshine.”

So could it be that there is Copeland music yet to come?

“The honest truth is that no one’s opposed to it,” said Copeland drummer Jon Bucklew.

According to Bucklew, the record label didn’t make as much profit off the last album as they’d hoped, so recording is put on hold. But the band is tired of touring, so options are at somewhat of a standstill for the band until their contract is up.

Breaking up seemed like the practical thing for now.

“There’s no bitterness,” said Bucklew. “But I’m in my ‘dirty 30’s’ now.”

“It’s time to be a grown-up,” Bucklew said.

The band is currently headlining a coast-to-coast farewell tour.

“We couldn’t end things without a proper goodbye,” the blog said.

As for the future?

Alyssa Herter/Western Herald - Copeland guitarist Bryan Laurenson.

Aaron Marsh is starting a recording studio in his hometown of Lakeland, Fla. He’s already produced a few albums, including a new release by current tour-mates We Can Make A Mess Like Nobody’s Business, which drops next week.

Copeland as the public knows them are over – for now.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=15727

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Mar 17 2010. Filed under A & E. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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