Autobiography:

"Well, where do I begin? My dad, a musician himself, bought me my first guitar when I was about 11 years old. I started my first band when I was a freshman in high school. Being only a cover band who were supposed to break up after our first gig, we jokingly called ourselves, 'A One Time Thing.' Turns out after that we decided to stick together and attempt to write our own music. The name, well that just kind of stuck. After a few members coming and going throughout the years, A One Time Thing finally came to an end in 2004. Before that, I got together with a few good friends of mine and started up another project entitled, 'Star-crossed Romance.' We really had some chemistry. That all started in 2003, so I had two bands going for a short period of time. In A One Time Thing, I was pretty much calling all the shots, but Star-crossed Romance was more of a group effort, even though I had the same position in both bands. As Star-crossed Romance slowly started falling apart due to my lack of ambition and my mind being focused on chemical intake, I held on to that little light at the bottom of the box. That light was 'Harry's Bronze Coffin.'

So why Harry's Bronze Coffin? Well, if you're wondering where the name came from, it's a Houdini reference; that should be enough for you to figure it out if you're willing to do the research. Magic is only one of my fathers many practices, and it was something that always fascinated me as a child. Tales of Houdini really just bring back memories of my childhood, however, I've always been terrified of death. This title not only represents something positive-happy thoughts from my childhood-but something that has had such a negative impact on my being (my fear of death). To sum things up, I was going for something original, personal, and not so cliche. I've actually come across bands who go by both A One Time Thing and Star-crossed Romance, though it shouldn't be that big of a surprise. I originally gave birth to Harry's Bronze Coffin in order to express the darkness in my mind, as I was rather emotionally unstable at the start of things. That doesn't mean that everything I have to say now is going to be morbid and disgusting. Even within the darkest depths of space shines the light of God, and that's just enough light to give me something positive to sing about from time to time. I consider myself to have become a modern day philosopher, and somewhat religious in my own way. I was born Catholic, and those of you who understand where I'm coming from understand my fear of both God and the Devil. It is these fears, my constant quest for truth, and not only the truth behind existence, but the truth behind my forgotten past that inspires me to write today.

So what happened to me? If you read up on my lyrics from my past works with A One Time Thing, you'll notice that I sing about nothing but love and heartbreak, but honestly, what does a high school boy truly know of these things? As you read into Star-crossed Romance, you'll notice the transformation beginning. My realization of what is real, what is important, and the sad truth of things. I preach nothing but infinity, balance, and karma as H. B. Coffin, but I preach silently, for a preacher who does so loudly only puts himself in danger. My beliefs are just that, and everyone has the right to believe what they will and what they want to believe, but there's always someone seeking truth. One day someone, perhaps my future son, may ask me what that is, and I just want to have the best answer possible. I don't want him, or anyone to be scared. Fear is too strong and will be used as a weapon to take over the minds of those in need of an answer and a solution. I know I have been programmed, and I have programmed myself, as we all program ourselves, but before that I'd been programmed since birth through psychology. I don't blame my parents or anyone for the way I've turned out, I only accept who I am and what I've become and I try to find reason behind that.

I've had nothing but what could be considered a great life, but just because I've been fortunate financially doesn't mean that I've been completely stable emotionally. All I know is that, whoever you are, wherever you are, whatever is happening to you, it could always be a lot worse, and we all have to remember that. It is my personal belief that Heaven and Hell may just be a state of mind. If that's true, we all need to work on making ourselves happy, and through that process, we must realize that there's other people in this world who want to be happy too. We are all one as a race and must work together to make this world a better place and to make ourselves better people. No matter what happens there is always hope. I, as H. B. Coffin, promise to attempt to preach this truth, only to those who are willing to listen, and not to force it upon those who'd rather sing along to a different tune.

To those of you, stubborn full of hatred, perhaps even towards myself, always remember... Karma is a dissonant tune.

Learn to forgive and forget, or you might lose yourself in a forest so dark, you won't know how to find your way out."

- Raul A. Rodriguez '08