Claudio Paul Sanchez IIIis an American writer and musician of Puerto Rican and Italian descent best known for being the lead singer, guitarist and primary lyricist for the alternative/progressive rock group Coheed and Cambria. He is the creator of the comic book series The Amory Wars, as well as Key of Z and Kill Audio, both co-written with his wife Chondra Echert. Sanchez co-authored the novel Year of the Black Rainbow with Peter David.
Musical career
Sanchez primarily provides lead vocals and guitar in Coheed and Cambria. However, he has also used theremins, synthesizers and harmonicas in his side projects. Early in his career, Sanchez first performed with several different bands, all of which lasted a short period of time.
After breaking up with Beautiful Loser, Sanchez went on a trip to Paris, where he began writing a story, initially referred to as The Bag.On.Line Adventures of Coheed and Cambria, named after a store near where Sanchez stayed while in Paris. Two characters named Coheed and Cambria Kilgannon live in a fictional foreign galaxy known as Heaven's Fence. In the original concept, Sanchez wrote a story about his girlfriend and himself traveling to a new, foreign place, but as the concept expanded the characters started to resemble his parents.
Sanchez was the lead singer and guitarist for Shabütie, which formed in Nyack, New York, in 1995. Shabutie released several EPs and wrote several songs which would eventually be released on The Second Stage Turbine Blade. The band broke up after Nate Kelley walked out on a performance, but was later reformed with Josh Eppard replacing Nate Kelley on drums. This new band was dubbed Coheed and Cambria, named after the characters Sanchez had written about in Paris. Coheed and Cambria achieved success on the East Coast after releasing and touring The Second Stage Turbine Blade, and gained mainstream success with the release of In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3, thanks to the single "A Favor House Atlantic".
