Coy: A Houston Phenomenon

Coy the Band

I had the pleasure of getting to meet all the members of the trio band “Coy” in person one sunny afternoon in an undisclosed café somewhere in Uptown Houston. From the moment I shook all of their hands, I knew this band had something special. Prior to meeting Aaron and Kameron, I had run into Brandon a couple times through mutual friends, something to do with super smash brothers or a party or Buffalo Wild Wings or something. Anyhow, I reached out to Brandon after listening to some of their music catalog (which you can check out here) and he was super stoked at the opportunity to answer questions about his band. Although they are a newer band with only a few songs and shows under their belt, their talent, passion, and excitement are more genuine than most musicians and bands, of all caliber, that I have personally met. Eager to get on with the interview, the members all had a table and a spot picked out for me.

In Coy, there are three members:

• Kameron Conover – Bassist
• Brandon Martinez – Guitarist/Vocalist
• Aaron Nichols – Drummer

Because the interview was so long and the band was super eager to answer all of my questions as thoroughly as possible, I’d rather format the remainder of the article with the questions I asked on top, with the direct quote answering below. This band has something special in sound, and I recommend everyone give them a listen, as its always fun to be able to witness a band start from the bottom, playing local shows and pushing out only a few songs at a time, and grow as you move along in life. The opportunity to witness a band mature from a band to a phenomenon is always a unique experience, so now more than ever, is the time to pay attention to Coy.

• So, what exactly is Coy and how did it all come together?
  • Kameron: “Coy really started with me and Brandon…we uh, were already friends-we’ve actually been friends for over 5 years…”.
  • Brandon: “Kameron started as a rhythm guitarist before branching out into some electronic stuff, and then finally settling into bass guitar. Aaron, however, is the latest addition to the band. So me and Kameron were in the pre-show crowd for “Animals and Leaders” just hanging out when we noticed a- “
  • K: “- tall dude who was eager to talk to anyone. So, after a little chitchat between us three, Aaron disappears into the crowd until late into the show, where Brandon and I notice the same dude from before, crowd surfing. The next day, somehow, Aaron came across a picture Brandon had taken of Aaron crowd surfing, and asked for it. One thing led to another, and the trio had their first jam session. Coy was the result of that session.

• Who are some of your biggest influences ?
  • Aaron – “OG chili peppers man I feel like they’re the pinnacle of rock and funk. Chad smith is my favorite drummer. 311 as well, their grass roots albums is a good showcase of their younger days. So full of energy. They’re pretty similar to us if I do say so myself.”
  • B – “Last Dinosaurs man, I learned a lot of technique from Shawn and that how I started writing based off my technique”
  • K “Flea is one of my biggest but so is Simon Brove off intervals. He goes from really dialing in with those drums, and sometimes he cuts through the mix where he gives these beautiful solos.”

• What are some major goals for the band?.
  • B:
    1. We need to finish our EP and put it on major streaming services in the next couple months…
    2. By later 2018 I would like to be touring Texas, just in a shitty van driving around playing shows. At the end of the day I just want people to hear us. Lots of people are reaching out to us currently and I want to capitalize one that.”
  • A:
    1. I’ve been trying to centralize our fanbase around Austin actually. There’s tons-Austin is like a central hub for our type of music.
    2. Set a foundation of our scene in our hometown and places like Austin
    3. Maybe find a future guitarist once we get a lot more established just for more freedome and layering during the sets.
  • K:
    1. Find the brown note.

What was your favorite show you have played?

• Opening for Ghostship at Warehouse live. This was our best set, flawless. We had our own dressing room and we played a 30 minute set. It was amazing. The sound guy there too was solid which is huge, as we have a bad track record for our sound guys. For example, our first show sounded like a talent show, so this was a nice change. The guy didn’t know where the click on was, and eventually after he couldn’t figure it out, the in ear click ended up in the speakers. Anyways, the best thing about that gig was I could tell our audience could feel our music like we feel it. Our crowd wasn’t huge but they were vibing, which really made us feel special. Some people actually left after our set which also made us feel pretty special.

I like to find out what everybody listens to in the car because it’s fun to hear answers and learn about someone through their music taste. So I asked the band members to finish the sentence:

• “In my car we don’t ever play _____.”
  • A: In my car we don’t even have an aux, so we use CD, it s a set in stone system. Country music will get you kicked off, also, I don’t really like EDM.
  • B: For me I hate country music, no honky tonk in my car. That’s where I lay down the line. Also taylor swift.
  • K: Same, fastest way to get kicked out of my car is playing country music. Unless some old George straight, you gotta respect that but like the “cold beer, big trucks” yuck.

And as a follow up, I asked each member to finish this sentence:

• “In my car, you will get a fistbump if you play ____.”
  • K: You will get props for playing any breaking Benjamin, any intervals, if you get into my car, and play something that makes me appreciate the instrumentation then I am a fan, if you play some good tiger
  • A: I am a huge disturbed fan and a huge fan of John Mayer, his older stuff especially. His mix is super fun to listen to. The drumming is simple but its really phenomenal. Dave Matthews band for sure too. They’ve been a really professional top notch band I have to appreciate. Tame impala as well, and some Mac Demarco, Neon Indian. Play those and you’ll get props.
  • B: Props from me would be some jazz like Moonchild or CHON, they are my favorite band and one of my other biggest influences. More than likely I know every note. Last Dinos as well is a band Ive been obsessed with for the past couple months.

On that note me and the band kind of chatted, enjoyed our lunch, and eventually went on our way. I am very happy to have met all the members and gain a little insight into who they are as a band. A great group of guys makes of Coy, and I am excited to see what the future holds for them. Houston could use a young and strong band in the mix amidst all the hip hop. Coy is a small yet dynamic group making their way to the forefront of the budding music scene in Houston.

Check out their soundcloud where they post all of their music here:

Also check out their social media:

Website

Instagram

Twitter

Facebook

From Houston with love,

K. R. Love ❤