Josh Eppard, best known as the drummer for Coheed and Cambria, has teamed up with the nonprofit HeartSupport to launch a new mental health initiative aimed at the music community. It’s a deeply personal move for Josh Eppard, who has long been candid about his own struggles and is now using that experience to reach others who may be silently fighting similar battles.
This collaboration comes at a moment when conversations about mental health are more visible than ever in creative circles, but the reality remains, many still carry their pain quietly. For Josh Eppard, that silence is something he hopes to help break. Having faced heroin addiction and the difficult road back to recovery, he understands how isolating it can be when people feel like they can’t talk about what they’re going through.
HeartSupport, founded by Jake Luhrs of August Burns Red, has been steadily growing its reach in the heavy music scene, offering resources for those dealing with depression, anxiety, trauma, addiction, and more. The nonprofit uses a mix of online forums, journaling prompts, videos, and peer-to-peer storytelling to offer people a place to feel heard and understood. Eppard’s involvement now brings that message deeper into the world of progressive rock, where emotions are often poured into songs, but not always spoken aloud in real life.
Rather than offering support from a distance, Eppard is stepping in fully. The campaign will feature a mix of video messages, social media interactions, in-person talks, and live Q&A moments where fans and followers can hear his story and engage in honest conversation. He’s not trying to be a guru or give lectures, his goal is to connect and to remind others that they’re not alone.
“Mental health isn’t a niche issue. It affects everybody,” Eppard said. “Whether you’re playing to a crowd or standing in it, there are things people carry that nobody else sees. This is about opening that up and letting people know they have permission to speak, to feel, and to ask for help.”
The timing lines up with Coheed and Cambria’s tour schedule, giving Eppard the chance to meet fans both online and face-to-face. It’s an opportunity he plans to use to keep the message front and center: mental health shouldn’t be a backstage issue, it deserves space out in the open.
Fans taking part in the campaign will have access to HeartSupport’s full range of tools, including writing exercises, moderated community chats, and digital resources. Eppard will be an active participant in those spaces, offering support not from a distance, but side by side.