- Copeland (band)
-
Copeland Origin Lakeland, Florida Genres Alternative rock, indie rock, emo, slowcore, acoustic rock, indie pop, ambient, baroque pop Years active 2001–2010 Labels Tooth & Nail Records(2008-2010)
Columbia Records(2006-2007)
The Militia Group(2002-2006)
Theory 8 Records(2001)
Academy Fight SongAssociated acts Anchor & Braille, States Website www.thecopelandsite.com Past members Aaron Marsh
Bryan Laurenson
Jonathan Bucklew
Stephen Laurenson
James Likeness
Rusty Fuller
Thomas Blair
Jarrett SmithCopeland was an indie rock band, originally formed in 2001 by singer Aaron Marsh (who also plays the guitar, mellotron, organ, and piano) with his friend, bassist and backup singer James Likeness, in the city of Lakeland, Florida.
Contents
History
Inception
Aaron Marsh attended a performing arts high school, Harrison Arts Center. Bryan Laurenson, guitarist, and Jonathan Bucklew, drummer (who took the place of Rusty, ex-drummer of Copeland and drummer on 'Beneath Medicine Tree'), gave the band an original sound. In 2002, they signed a record deal with independent label The Militia Group and released their debut album, 'Beneath Medicine Tree', a year later. In 2004, 2005, and 2006 they performed at the annual Cornerstone Florida Festival in Orlando, Florida. 'In Motion', Copeland's second full length CD, was released on March 22, 2005—it was produced by Matt Goldman and Aaron Marsh, and mixed by Ken Andrews. The early copies of In Motion that were issued included a four-song acoustic ep (a compilation of lo-fi versions of songs from 'In Motion' itself), as well as 'Beneath Medicine Tree'.
2006 to 2008
Columbia Records announced their signing of Copeland in a press release dated November 14, 2006.[1]
Beneath Medicine Tree features a heavy medical theme. Aaron Marsh admits that the lyrics in this album were inspired by the hospitalization of his girlfriend and the death of his grandmother. The album booklet includes photographs by then-bassist James Likeness of hospital scenes.[2] Marsh cites that, "With Beneath Medicine Tree, I wanted to make a record that moves people," while "With In Motion, I wanted to make a record that makes people move."[3]
Lead singer Aaron Marsh has also been featured with other bands such as Underoath on their album They're Only Chasing Safety, Anberlin on their album Cities and Lydia on their album Illuminate.
On July 18, 2007 James made public his decision to no longer be a part of Copeland. He cited pursuing a career as a graphic designer (a field in which he has a college degree) as a chief reason in his decision to leave the band.[4]
As of September 6, 2007, Copeland announced that they had officially split ways with Columbia Records.
About a year after ESR they released a B-side album entitled Dressed Up & In Line. It was released on November 20, 2007 and is composed of B-sides, remixes, and a few new songs as well.
Although stated by some to be a Christian band, Aaron Marsh has said that they are not. [5]"I think that's kind of a defective term," Marsh says. "It's not our nature to have religious connotations. We are not a ministry band. We have some people in the band that are Christian, but that is not the focus of our band" and [6]"We have no agenda in our band other than art." Copeland are signed with Tooth & Nail Records, which signs almost exclusively with Christian bands.
2009 to disbanding
On October 29, 2009, Copeland released an official statement that after a farewell tour in the spring, they would be ending Copeland. They made it clear that it was not a bitter break up, they had just run their course as Copeland. They did say that there could possibly be one last studio album, but the spring tour would be their last.[7] As part of their final tour, the band toured Asia, including countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.
Members
- Aaron Marsh - lead vocals, guitars, piano, organ, mellotron
- Bryan Laurenson - guitars, piano
- Stephen Laurenson - guitars
- Jonathan Bucklew - drums, percussion
Other projects
- Copeland is involved in To Write Love on Her Arms.
- Aaron Marsh was involved with the band Anchor & Braille along with Anberlin's Stephen Christian, producing the band's debut album Felt, which was released on August 4, 2009. Marsh is currently involved with a new project called The Lulls In Traffic.
- Bryan Laurenson's first band was Last Kid Picked, out of Annapolis, MD
- Bryan and Stephen Laurenson have recently formed a band, States, with Mindy White (previously of Lydia).
Discography
Albums
- Beneath Medicine Tree (March 25, 2003)
- In Motion (March 22, 2005) - #115 U.S.
- Eat, Sleep, Repeat (October 31, 2006) - #90 U.S.
- Dressed Up & In Line (November 20, 2007)
- You Are My Sunshine (October 14, 2008) - #48 U.S.
EPs
- Copeland / Pacifico Split EP (2001)
- Copeland / The Pale Split EP (2003)
- Know Nothing Stays the Same (2004)
- Sony Connect Sessions (2005) - A bonus disc with the initial copies of In Motion.
- Best Buy Exclusive Bonus Disc (2006) - Included with the initial copies of Eat, Sleep, Repeat that were sold at Best Buy.
- The Grey Man EP (February 24, 2009)
Instant Live
Copeland teamed up with Instant Live to create a series of 21 limited edition CDs of many of the band's shows during their tour with Daphne Loves Derby, The Spill Canvas, and Melee, between October 13 and November 7, 2005.
Compilation/Guest appearances
- From Brooklyn with Love (2001)
- Stepping Stone Volume 1 (2002)
- Take Action Volume 3 (2003)
- Hello. We Are the Militia Group (2004)
- Denison Marrs on "The Right Time" by the band Denison Marrs, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2004)
- They're Only Chasing Safety on "Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape" by the Florida metalcore band Underoath, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2004)
- You Can't Trust a Ladder on "The Last Time" and "A New Language" by the band The Myriad, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2005)
- [[Maybe This Christmas Tree (2005)
- Happy Christmas Vol. 4]] (2005)
- ¡Policia! - A Tribute to the Police (2005)
- Punk Goes 90s (2006)
- Photographs EP on "Photographs" by Lakes, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2006)
- Cities on "Inevitable" by the band Anberlin, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2007)
- Illuminate on "Hospital" by the band Lydia, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2007)
- Apples and Oranges, on "Empty Bottles" by the artist Stacy Clark, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2007)
- The Mother of Invention, a comedy film directed by Joseph M. Petrick & Andrew Bowser. Copeland provides a cover and music video for "Tears of a Child" (Vincent Dooly) (2009)
- The Way I Fell In on "Heaven or Hell" by The Morning Of, Marsh provides guest vocals. (2010)
- Disappearing World on "The Worst of Your Wear" by the band Fair (band), Marsh provides guest vocals. (2010)
Covers
Punk Goes 90s:
Policia! A Tribute to the Police:
Know Nothing Stays the Same (EP):
- Another Day in Paradise by Phil Collins
- Coming Around Again by Carly Simon
- She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel
- Take My Breath Away by Berlin
- Part-Time Lover by Stevie Wonder
Friends of P - Tribute to the Rentals:
Others:
- The Tears of a Child by Vincent Dooly from The Mother of Invention.
- Do You Hear What I Hear (Christmas Song)
Singles
From: Beneath Medicine Tree
- Walking Downtown
From: In Motion
- Pin Your Wings
From: Eat, Sleep, Repeat
- Control Freak
From: You Are My Sunshine
- The Grey Man
External links
References
- ^ Columbia Records Press Release
- ^ Album review on Punknews. URL accessed on April 9, 2006
- ^ Copeland Biography. URL accessed on January 7, 2007
- ^ James' Announcement on Copeland homepage. URL accessed on August 19, 2007
- ^ Iowa State Daily Interview
- ^ Emotional Punk Interview
- ^ http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=2924030&blogId=516348947
Categories:- Musical groups from Florida
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