Michael Todd (musician)

Michael Todd
Mic Todd at Warped Tour '07
Background information
Born	(1980-08-19) August 19, 1980 Woodstock, New York, United States
Genres	Rock, alternative rock, progressive rock, post-hardcore
Instruments	Guitar, bass guitar

Michael Todd or Mic Todd (pronounced as "Mike") (born August 19, 1980) is the former bassist for progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria. Todd left the band in August 2006 because of personal issues, but officially rejoined the group on April 25, 2007. Upon the time of his initial departure, he had been with the band for ten years. He officially parted ways with the band on August 4, 2011. He was born in Kingston, New York.

Shabütie

When the band Shabütie needed a new bass player to replace founding member Jon Carleo, drummer Nate Kelley suggested a former bandmate named Mic Todd. Originally a guitarist, he was asked to join the band to fill out their rhythm section. Picking up the bass solely for the new band, Todd became the band's steady bassist through their alt-rock days of Shabűtie into the band's transformation to progressive rock band Coheed and Cambria.

Departures from Coheed and Cambria

At the beginning of the 2006 European Tour, Todd left the band due to a growing heroin addiction, and eventually checked into rehab.^[1] During the time he was absent, Matt Williams of pre-Coheed band Jumblehead was Coheed's substitute bassist.

On July 10, 2011, during a tour with Soundgarden, Todd was arrested at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts for armed robbery and unlawful possession of narcotics after reportedly robbing a Walgreens pharmacy in Attleboro, Massachusetts.^[2][3] After his arrest, the band announced that Wes Styles would be taking over bass duties for the remainder of the tour.^[4] On June 12, 2012, Todd plead guilty to his charges in superior court and was ordered to serve one year of home confinement and three years of probation.^[5]

On August 4, 2011, the band released an official statement stating that they had come to a mutual decision with Todd to part ways.^[6] In 2012 Michael Todd was diagnosed with cancer.^[7]

Playing style

Todd's preferred bass is a Spector Euro model, which was used heavily in the band's music videos and live performances. In the past, he has utilized ESP basses (Delirium Trigger video), Spector basses (particularly the Rebop model), Fender's Geddy Lee Signature Jazz Bass (Live At The Starland Ballroom); since the Vans' 2007 Warped Tour, Mic has been seen using Fender Jazz and Precision Basses exclusively.

Mic Todd plays bass using the traditional finger approach, fingering the strings with the index and middle finger of his right hand, and more recently with a three-finger approach. He has been known to also use the slapping technique. He often arpeggiated the chords played by guitarists Claudio Sanchez and Travis Stever and makes heavy use of fifths and octaves of the root of the chord being played.

Vocals

During live shows with Coheed and Cambria, Todd provided the screaming vocals when playing older songs such as "Devil in Jersey City", "Everything Evil", "Delirium Trigger", "Hearshot Kid Disaster", "Junesong Provision", "In Keeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3", "Three Evils (Embodied in Love and Shadow)", and "The Camper Velourium III: Al The Killer", as well as new songs such as "The End Complete III: The End Complete", "This Shattered Symphony" and "When Skeletons Live". During live performances he also handled most of the backing vocals and harmonies – notably on "The Suffering", using a falsetto voice (as the original lines were sung by a female friend of the band).

Todd's basses

Spectors

• Rebop5: fretted five-string bass guitar, orange in color. Called "Amber" by Spector.

It is bolt-on construction, with two passive EMG-HZ bass humbuckers and a Spector "Tone Pump" active preamp and EQ. It was made in the Czech Republic and has black hardware with a phenolic nut (a black nut). This bass was used mainly during the Second Stage Turbine Blade and most of the 'In Keeping Secrets' era. This bass can be seen on the Live at the Starland Ballroom DVD along with his infamous red-edged double bass (the beast-monger) sculpted by Todd's grandfather.

• Euro 4 LX: A fretted four-string bass guitar with a natural maple oil finish.

It is of the neck-thru construction, with two EMG pickups, one P style and one J style pickup (the P at the neck position and the J at the bridge position). It has the same Tone Pump circuitry as the ReBop. Its hardware is finished in gold and has a brass nut. This was Mic's bass of choice in the Good Apollo Volume 1 era. This bass can also be seen in the videos "Welcome Home" and "The Suffering." He is also known to own a Black Cherry EuroLX 4. It can be seen in the "Ten Speed (Of God's Blood And Burial)" video.

• Q4: A fretless four-string bass guitar in a black stain finish. It is the same bolt-on construction as the Rebop, and has the same pickups, hardware, nut, and electronics. The Q4 is the prequel series of basses to the current "Legend" Spector series. It is used mainly for recording, very rarely showing up at live performances.

Fenders

• Geddy Lee Jazz Bass: A fretted four-string bass guitar in a black finish.

It has two Vintage Jazz Bass Single-Coil Pickups (stock). In the Live at the Starland Ballroom DVD, Todd is seen using this bass to play the Coheed and Cambria song "A Favor House Atlantic". He just recently removed the pickguard to give it an all black look.

• American Jazz Bass in alpine white, kept stock (The Running Free music video)

Mic Todd has favored Fenders recently; using them exclusively with Coheed and Cambria on the 2007 Van's Warped Tour. These basses include:

• Highway 1 Precision Bass in red with white pick guard
• Highway 1 Jazz Bass in black with black pick guard
• Highway 1 Precision Bass in black with white pick guard

Solo project

Todd's solo project is Flux Fortuna, a "folksy with some rock" collaboration with guitarist Bryan Hinkley (Clutch, Never Got Caught) and other Boston-area musicians. In an interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, Todd stated that he had been working on his own music during his hiatus from Coheed and Cambria. He confirmed that he will at some point put out a solo album, and that it will be "more folky and more simplistic" than bandmate Claudio Sanchez' solo project, The Prize Fighter Inferno.^[8] He cites female folk singers, such as Ani DiFranco and Ingrid Michaelson, as his songwriting influences.^[9]

References