Exclusive Q and A: Thrice Talk Hiatus, Jazz, and 'Anthology'

posted in: Exclusive Interviews • Rock

Throughout the past decade, Thrice fans have become accustomed to surprising stylistic changes with each new album, but no surprise was greater than when the band announced their hiatus in November 2011, only several months after the release of their last studio album, Major/Minor. Though the band made clear that the hiatus announcement was not a breakup, many devoted fans still felt the loss acutely. As a send“off, the band organized a farewell tour that would be recorded and memorialized in Anthology, a live double album that the band is offering as a set of four vinyl LPs. We recently caught up with bassist Ed Breckenridge to reflect on the band’s career, his plans for the future, and what advice he would give his 15-year-old self.

OS: Reflecting on your entire Thrice career thus far, what have been some of your favorite moments with the band?

EB: There are tons of moments¦that’s hard. Recording sessions are filled with lots of amazing moments, shows, working out new songs. It’s really hard to single them out. I’d say that my favorite part about being in the band was meeting so many great people and learning so much about music, life, and the world. I’m already missing that a ton.

OS: Are you going to pursue any other non-musical projects during the group’s hiatus?

EB: Musically, I’m working on some music with my brother and our sound engineer Mike Shumaker. But aside from that I’m trying to figure it all out, really. I never chose a single creative path outside of the work with the band. One month I’d be building guitars and the next I’d be doing graphic design and then leatherworking, and then shaping surfboards. Now I’m kind of stuck trying to decide one path that will be a way to make a living. It’s tough because the clock is ticking, money is disappearing, and I’m really, really, really indecisive and hard on myself. At the moment, I’ve been trying to get into building interiors for houses, restaurants, and shops. A month ago I was going to do graphic design. Maybe I’ll do both… or neither. Ugh.

OS: If this hiatus were to be the definitive end of your career together as a band, how would you like Thrice to be remembered?

EB: I’d like us to be remembered as a band that cared about personal expression and learning the craft of music with a blank canvas always ahead of us. Doing something different, something challenging, and especially something honest.

OS: Anthology was recorded live during your farewell tour this past year.  What are some of your personal favorite live albums?

EB: I like a lot of old live jazz recordings. Miles Davis’ At Newport 1958 is so good. Frodus’ R4d10-4c71v17y too, but a lot of the other live albums I’m thinking of are actually DVDs.

OS: What was it like to construct the setlists for that tour from fan requests taken through your website? Did you enjoy playing certain fan-constructed sets more than others?

EB: At first glance, it was a little hard to take. There are some songs that we all loved playing that weren’t on the list. Knowing that this could be the last tour and that those songs may never be played again was hard to swallow. But, the set the fans chose ended up being great, and people were really into it each night we played. I’m glad we did it that way. Each show had amazing energy and response.

OS: This year Thrice received the OC Impact Award in recognition of your musical career. After years of worldwide touring, does the band still feel a strong tie to the OC area and where you’ve come from?

EB: Definitely. I think there are influences of Orange County or Southern California music that can’t escape us. I think that the music you grow up on will forever be apparent in your work no matter how much influence you gain from traveling and learning outside of your home base. We learned heaps from touring, but we are so grateful for the bands and venues in Orange County.

OS: You’ve been in Thrice for nearly 15 years at this point. If you could talk to your younger self at the age when you started the band, what advice would you give him?

EB: I’d try to make myself a bit more confident. I was always really hard on myself and still am. I don’t know¦maybe it makes me better at what I do, but there were times where I didn’t enjoy it as much as I could have or should have because I thought we sucked, or weren’t as creative as so and so. It’s good for drive, but bad for taking in how enjoyable an opportunity it was.

Pick up Anthology today, and check out a live version of the live album’s title track below.