Jason Tate
02/03/09, 12:59 PM
Please state your name and what you do in the band.
Tom Keeley, I play guitar.
You've been a band for over ten years. How does it feel to have made it this far amidst all of the public drama surrounding the band and the near-breakups over the years?
Honestly, the dramas and near breakups are almost unmentionable next to the idea that we've been able to choose to play music every day for 10 years. I never thought I'd be able to say that I was in a 'successful' band for that long. I get to make art every day, and be so lucky as to effect other people with it, have a powerful exchange of ideas with 5 of my best friends whenever I wish....I can’t imagine doing anything else this rewarding.
We know about the drama really well from the documentary that came with the recent *Kill the House Lights*. How was the band dynamic during the writing/recording of *Common Existence*?**
The band dynamic was better than it’s ever been. We've spent so much time killing ourselves to find the right balance of compromise between the six of us. But that was always a process of "how could this be easier for me?" I don't know why or how but this time around it became partially a process of "how can I help you realize your ideas better". Having 6 strongly opinionated creative voices in the mix often creates a situation of every man for himself. But the hard truth is I couldn't do this without each one of the other guys, and vice versa...so it only makes sense to try and celebrate their ideas rather than fear the hell out of them as being different from my own. Honestly this recording process was easier than any before it as a result.
*Kill the House Lights* was released on Victory Records after a major public fallout with the label. Were there any reservations going back to work with them?
For sure. But there are steps to be taken to make sure that everyone is protected legally and that the creative voice of the band is represented accurately..blah blah. It just made sense to release it through Victory, despite past hurt, they have been an important part of our history as a band, and for a project like KTHL, a retrospective, and after making sure we felt safe doing it, Victory proved to be a good fit. We are all older and wiser now, and no matter how wronged we've felt in the past we always look forward to "Better". So for all intents and purposes we were happy to have the water be officially under the bridge.
In the *Kill the House Lights *documentary, Tony Brummel made note that Thursday made a mistake leaving Victory for Island Records. Are there any regrets for going to a major label? What did you think about that statement in general?
What’s the saying about opinions? How does it go? Tony is certainly entitled to his opinion regarding our split. I would be completely shocked if he ended up saying anything but what he said. He has to promote his label, and I'm sure he is a big believer in the impact his label had on our band, we certainly are as well. It was a very impactful 2 years. Just not the right marriage. I have not one single regret about our path as a band. I can't imagine nor do I want to imagine what would have happened had we chosen to work with just one label. How limiting of an experience over 10 years would that be? I might be inclined to agree with Tony if we had broken up or if I was presently miserable without explanation, but that’s not the case. We are happier than we've ever been as a band, without label conflict, moving forward with a strong sense of purpose. And we've been through so many changes over the last 10 years as a band that have only served to enrich our lives and deepen the creative well from which we draw inspiration. Each progressive step we've taken as a band, risky or not, has turned out to be the exact right decision. All you can do is try to 'be there', move forward, learn, be grateful for all achievements and missteps. I don't regret a thing.
After being a free agent, you decided to choose Epitaph Records to put out your post-Island records full-length. What other labels pursued you, and why did you choose Epitaph?
There were a few other labels we were talking to. Out of respect for the other labels I'd rather not name names. I will say that it was one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. Each label we spoke with were really impressive on every level important to us. Creative Vision, Honesty and Transparency, History, Work ethic ....etc. At the end of the day Epitaph just made the most sense.
Has Epitaph given you any pressure to write a single on this next album?
Nope. I mean, we picked a couple songs as potential singles, but that was only after the songs were written. We've played that game in the past, and done it in a way that made sense to us. Playing with the guidelines of 'writing a single' was something that has been actually really fun and challenging for us in the past. Its helped us grow as song writers, and opened up our musical vocabulary. But our intention with EVERY song, not just a select few tracks, is to create something so powerful that it impacts people on a deep human level and lasts a long time...not just because you can’t get a nursery rhyme melody out of your head. I think that trying to quantify what makes a song a good single is a worthy study but not nearly the most exciting part of making music. Epitaph has been wholly supportive of this. They encourage us to make our art as we see fit. Thankfully that has yielded a record they are excited about and are willing to stand behind.
*A City by the Light Divided *caused many fans to feel divided. Some asserted that it was the band's best work and others could not listen to it, many blaming issues with production. How did you feel about the split opinion between fans with this album?
It’s just part of the deal. The best any of us in the band can do is to make music we are challenged by and excited about. Once it’s done, you kind of have to give up on feeling in control over anything other than playing live and spreading the message. It’s never easy to hear that people don't like your music, but what can you do about it except tell them why you love it? There certainly did seem to be a split down the middle. I think partially it had to do with the fact that on War All the Time we were casting a wider net of sorts. There were a lot of people who heard about our band through the mass of promotion and radio play that came with being a "New" band in the public eye....new to the 'mainstream'. Not every one of these people was the kind of person who invests wholly of themselves in music...a lot of these new folks were casual listeners and not willing to invest in a more challenging offering from us. No harm no foul...just looks bad on paper. haha. And as far as alienating those who had invested in us...I’ll say writing music is trial and error..it’s hard to quantify what the hell makes your music "successful" . Before we wrote City, I for one had felt that we had explored the room labeled "Thursday’s sound". I knew where the creative ceiling and walls were, and that’s scary as hell. Why paint the same room a different color and call it a different room when you can knock a wall down and keep building? A lot of the sounds on City came from an attempt to go way left of our creative center, look around, and bring back elements that made sense in the context of our band. Play with different sounds that better referenced our disparate musical influences but ultimately helped grow our collective voice. This was the first record where we really chased after this, and I think it may have yielded a record skewed more towards the experimental...I don’t think it was as balanced as it could have been but at the time, that was what was so exciting. The idea that people thought they knew exactly who we were as a band, and that we had the opportunity for the first time since we started the band to challenge that and reinvent some things that needed to be reinvented. This time around I think we've struck a better balance between forward leaning and harnessing our natural strengths...sonically that seems to mean that Common Existence contains a wide range of new colors and is one of our heavier records.
*Common Existence* uses producer Dave Fridmann, who was the one responsible for the work on *A City by the Light Divided*. After hearing the criticism about it on the previous album, were there any hesitations in choosing to use him again?
We never questioned that working with Dave would be a rewarding creative process. The songs change throughout recording until it’s time to get them mastered...it is a wholly organic process with last minute changes and epiphanies...very open ended process. And the truth is we addressed some sonic issues that we had with City, and it was an effortless conversation. Dave is a damn genius and we work with him because he helps us to realize our music in ways we never could on our own. There is no dogma, just what works and what is exciting. Knowing this going into it basically erased most of our worries. So, no serious hesitation.
Are you afraid of receiving the same criticism on this album that you heard on the last?
Sure. Any criticism is damn scary. But again the best we can do is make art we find new, exciting and challenging. Hopefully what excites us today is sonically different than the last thing we were excited about..haha. otherwise we should start a Thursday cover band. I think that most of Dave's records sound unique. As I said before, there's no dogma to his process, no great homogenizing force that makes it all sound the same. He produces from a place where the song dictates the process. So if we're doing our job and bringing a wide variety of sounds and ideas to the table, we can't really help but make something unique.
What are some of the influences for the new record, musical and otherwise?
I won’t speak lyrically. But sonically it’s kind of all over the place. I think we'll always have our roots in post hardcore. Bands like Far, and Quicksand will always be part of our musical vocabulary. But I've always felt that a song was a space, expansive and warm or claustrophobic and cluttered. I've always enjoyed playing with those spaces and treating them 3 dimensionally. So bands like Mogwai and Sigur Ros have acted as examples on how to create those vast open spaces with sounds acting more as shapes passing along a horizon or skyline. Whereas bands like Converge or Envy can often create claustrophobic spaces filled with growling and angular shapes. It’s not all about a melody or a lyric, it’s about density, texture, impact, velocity and using silence as a tool....that’s been a challenging one....figuring out when the hell NOT to play. So that’s all nice and conceptual, but a digression I guess......let’s just say the record is big heavy, dense, melodic, expansive, lush, dissonant, immediate, future shit. haha. compare it to whatever bands you think embody that stuff.
The song "Running From the Rain" was featured in a commercial for Saturn vehicles. Instead of backlash that would have hit hard in the beginning of your career, many seemed content that the band received mainstream exposure. How do you feel the scene has changed in the decade you've been a band?
I think the scene has transformed from a communal gathering in which we have face to face dialogues in real time to an increasingly digitally isolating, abusive self aggrandizing race for the number one spot. There are communities online for sure, but something scary happens when we are in front of the computer which happens less face to face. We get fucking mean. We feel like we can get away with saying whatever we want in the name of sarcasm, with no consequence. People become little Napoleons, promoting themselves as the most important, the most bitingly critical, cynical...fucking mean man. Music is supposed to be a unifying entity...it’s the oldest language, it’s supposed to bind us together, and that was true for us when we started in our little 'scene'. Not only were people accepting if you were different, but they celebrated those differences and wanted to understand your ideas, even if they disagreed. Now it seems, from behind closed doors and in front of a computer we feel like we can get away with being abusive of others ideas in increasingly exclusionary online "communities". We value post counts and making fun of bad grammar over possibly learning something important about someone who has different ideas than we do.
It’s a shame, because it’s been going on long enough now that bands actually write songs about it. Championing sarcasm and one upmanship and popularity over messages of humility, acceptance, and empathy. Not only boring to me, but offensive.
There’s room for all the glossy tongue in cheek dance jams in the world out there about who’s sneakers are cooler. But it’s getting too big and fat and tired for its own good...in the past there have been underground scenes in which people were making the new shit. Basement shows, kitchen shows, vfw halls...actual gatherings of people willing to exchange ideas openly without negating one another’s views....places where people make and share the music that changes the mainstream..if we're all too busy hiding behind a computer to get up and make a community happen, if we're all too concerned with pwning each other on a message board to realize the power of accepting ideas ulterior to our own...we're either going to undermine this process of change in music or miss it altogether.
I'm not saying basement culture is the only way to do it. I'm saying that online culture often eats itself, especially the online youth culture surrounding punk music. We disempower ourselves by getting caught up in, let’s face it, elementary school style whining and bickering over, what?? Difference of opinion and personal taste?? shit that means NOTHING if we aren’t actually willing to listen before we start barking. There are certainly exceptions to this idea, there is just a really strong, seemingly automatic switch that flips when we get online, that immediately makes it difficult to have a really inclusive, enriching and enlightened community....or scene. IMHO..........rofl?
How has the Internet changed the way you operate as a band? Do you think the Internet music revolution has done more good or bad for your band?
For the most part, we've benefitted from having the internet at our disposal throughout our history as a band. We never made any money from record sales. The only way we can survive as a band is by touring and playing live. The internet has always been a really useful vehicle for word of mouth and spreading music. If someone downloads a song that they otherwise would not or could not buy and it engages them in a way that gets them to a show, puts them in the room, cuts out the middle man...I’m all for a direct feed. That being said, we've worked really hard with labels always put a lot of effort and thought into creating a physical 'product' alongside the labels we've worked with...so for those who wish to buy a cd through the label...I think it’s well worth it...it helps keep the industry moving by putting money into a stream of revenue that cycles through and benefits not only labels, but producers, studios, engineers, musicians.....everyone. I think that downloading has undermined the music industry a bit...and that does effect us as musicians even if we aren’t seeing money directly from selling a cd. So it’s a catch 22 and I don’t know what the answer is. Truthfully, if you see value in art, than it makes sense to exchange money relative to the value you perceive. However, if you can't afford to do so, you shouldn't be excluded from the exchange.
Can we expect to see Thursday in neon clothes and shutter sunglasses?
Shit yeah yo. Fuckin freaky dude. Maybe towards the end of a long tour, during a long night of drinking...uhhhhh...probably not, but stranger things have happened. How would that make you feel?? I certainly am concerned with looking nice and dressing appropriately,,...but I’m not all that interested in dressing like a cartoon. I'd find it more interesting if it was ACTUAL vintage BUM equipment or Hypercolor clothes that people were into...though..maybe those are the super hipsters...the OG's so to speak.....ah I say avoid it altogether. Unless we're talking Skidz....srsly...why isn't the new shit all about Hammer pants??
I know the "screamo" tag has been placed on Thursday regularly even though you guys never claimed to be a screamo band. Do you feel that being placed in such a confined category still affects the perception of the band? I know when I mention Thursday to people they associate you guys with that buzz word, yet on the past few releases you guys have really expanded your sound.
I get it. It takes a long time to describe a bands sound accurately to other people. We end up speaking in broad strokes. Ultimately I couldn't care less about what people call it. If someone hears "A City By The Light Divided" or Common Existence and says....WTF??this isn't SCRAMS?! I’d say, you're damn right it’s not. And if someone stops listening at that point, its they're right to do so. I would just hope that most people have a long enough attention span to spend time with whatever music or art they are discovering...it’s meant to be digested, explored, felt, lived in....music or visual art...not just glanced at and discarded. Not if you want to actually get something out of it other than "hated it!" or some flavor of the month flirtation. People can call it whatever they want. Its normal. I'm not worried. It has nothing to do with our creative process, and ultimately people are going to talk about it how they see fit. I just hope that those turned off by labels find a way to intersect the music without preconceived notions as to its meaning, and have a real time authentic interaction with it...so they can form their own opinions about what to call it.
Do you think a day will ever pass when Thursday and screamo aren't compared?
Yes. Soon. It’s already happening here and there. Maybe when the next "Nirvana" happens and dance/screamo/emo whatever goes the way of NU-Metal...hopefully we've been left of that center long enough to not go down with the ship.
What do you think about the current music climate? Changes need to be made to the way music is released and how record labels operate, so what do you think would be the best way for actual change and progress to be made?
I wish I knew. It would be great if everyone could pull a Radiohead and give it away. But not every band has spent time as 'the biggest band in the world'. Once you sell millions of records you can sort of afford to take chances like they did. We however have not sold millions of records, so. I've heard so many ideas about different models for music/commerce, i.e. selling it like cable, subscriptions services that give you access to vast libraries of music....only selling services AROUND the actual music, basically selling ACCESS to music....and they all sound legit, like they could work. But then they disappear or fail. I think what needs to change to a great extent is the mentality of those who consume music. It’s been a free for all over the last 10 years in which people grab as much music for free as their hard drives can hold...and who wouldn't be tempted to do that?
We've obviously supported file sharing, and still do, but I think there needs to be a slight yet powerful shift in everyone’s mind from FREE IS BEST, GOTTA GET MINE to WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NEVER PAYING FOR ART THAT HAS VALUE? Everyone has a responsibility to strive for a balance between exercising their freedom of choice to customize your own experience with art and music, and making sure not to abuse or take advantage musicians and artists. Putting money into the industry helps labels make recording budgets, which pay for studios, which allows them not to charge an arm and a leg for bands to record...it is a cycle. And as a music consumer, we all play a part. no money= much harder for artists to make their art=less art for those who want it=everyone’s bummed. So strike a balance...download it...make sure you like it first...then go buy it and experience it usually as the artist intended it to be experienced. Music has value, it’s not wrong to expect compensation. And it’s not like we can't make informed decisions these days about exactly what it is we are paying for.
What bands would you like to bring out on the next Thursday tour?
I'd like to tour with the following bands in some capacity in the next 2 years.
converge, envy, silversun pickups, m83, me without you, holler,wild rose, moving mountains....and many more. we'll see.
In the past you have mentioned a collaborative song with other bands , I believe Converge and Cursive were among the bands to be involved, but that has been put on hold. Is there any plans to revisit that song and eventually release it or did it just not work out as planned?
That was actually for a collaborative ending to a song that proved too lofty a goal. It was just impossible to get all the bands on board in time to get it done. It was going to be for the end of the song on common existence called Last Call. A lot of people who got stoked on our stolen demos from ACBTLD will realize its demo#5. We just couldn’t get it done. I'm actually fine with that, I think the song turned out great and I’m stoked to finally have it out on a record
What bands inspire you/do you listen to regularly? What about within the 'scene'?
I sort of have old standby's that never seem to get old...Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", Portishead's "Dummy", Calexico's "Feast on Wire". Kid A. Newer Singer/Songwriters like Ray Lamongtagne, Kathleen Edwards, Andrew Bird. There's been a strange 90's revival happening lately...slightly shoegazey...bands like The Secret Machines, Giant Drag, The Silversun Pickups, M83. A lot of these bands seem to make super catchy yet dark and textural songs. They somehow do more than just try on old 90's clothes...they manage to take old sounds and song structures and warp them in a way that makes it all sound like new if not cutting edge shit.
Tom Keeley, I play guitar.
You've been a band for over ten years. How does it feel to have made it this far amidst all of the public drama surrounding the band and the near-breakups over the years?
Honestly, the dramas and near breakups are almost unmentionable next to the idea that we've been able to choose to play music every day for 10 years. I never thought I'd be able to say that I was in a 'successful' band for that long. I get to make art every day, and be so lucky as to effect other people with it, have a powerful exchange of ideas with 5 of my best friends whenever I wish....I can’t imagine doing anything else this rewarding.
We know about the drama really well from the documentary that came with the recent *Kill the House Lights*. How was the band dynamic during the writing/recording of *Common Existence*?**
The band dynamic was better than it’s ever been. We've spent so much time killing ourselves to find the right balance of compromise between the six of us. But that was always a process of "how could this be easier for me?" I don't know why or how but this time around it became partially a process of "how can I help you realize your ideas better". Having 6 strongly opinionated creative voices in the mix often creates a situation of every man for himself. But the hard truth is I couldn't do this without each one of the other guys, and vice versa...so it only makes sense to try and celebrate their ideas rather than fear the hell out of them as being different from my own. Honestly this recording process was easier than any before it as a result.
*Kill the House Lights* was released on Victory Records after a major public fallout with the label. Were there any reservations going back to work with them?
For sure. But there are steps to be taken to make sure that everyone is protected legally and that the creative voice of the band is represented accurately..blah blah. It just made sense to release it through Victory, despite past hurt, they have been an important part of our history as a band, and for a project like KTHL, a retrospective, and after making sure we felt safe doing it, Victory proved to be a good fit. We are all older and wiser now, and no matter how wronged we've felt in the past we always look forward to "Better". So for all intents and purposes we were happy to have the water be officially under the bridge.
In the *Kill the House Lights *documentary, Tony Brummel made note that Thursday made a mistake leaving Victory for Island Records. Are there any regrets for going to a major label? What did you think about that statement in general?
What’s the saying about opinions? How does it go? Tony is certainly entitled to his opinion regarding our split. I would be completely shocked if he ended up saying anything but what he said. He has to promote his label, and I'm sure he is a big believer in the impact his label had on our band, we certainly are as well. It was a very impactful 2 years. Just not the right marriage. I have not one single regret about our path as a band. I can't imagine nor do I want to imagine what would have happened had we chosen to work with just one label. How limiting of an experience over 10 years would that be? I might be inclined to agree with Tony if we had broken up or if I was presently miserable without explanation, but that’s not the case. We are happier than we've ever been as a band, without label conflict, moving forward with a strong sense of purpose. And we've been through so many changes over the last 10 years as a band that have only served to enrich our lives and deepen the creative well from which we draw inspiration. Each progressive step we've taken as a band, risky or not, has turned out to be the exact right decision. All you can do is try to 'be there', move forward, learn, be grateful for all achievements and missteps. I don't regret a thing.
After being a free agent, you decided to choose Epitaph Records to put out your post-Island records full-length. What other labels pursued you, and why did you choose Epitaph?
There were a few other labels we were talking to. Out of respect for the other labels I'd rather not name names. I will say that it was one of the hardest decisions we've ever had to make. Each label we spoke with were really impressive on every level important to us. Creative Vision, Honesty and Transparency, History, Work ethic ....etc. At the end of the day Epitaph just made the most sense.
Has Epitaph given you any pressure to write a single on this next album?
Nope. I mean, we picked a couple songs as potential singles, but that was only after the songs were written. We've played that game in the past, and done it in a way that made sense to us. Playing with the guidelines of 'writing a single' was something that has been actually really fun and challenging for us in the past. Its helped us grow as song writers, and opened up our musical vocabulary. But our intention with EVERY song, not just a select few tracks, is to create something so powerful that it impacts people on a deep human level and lasts a long time...not just because you can’t get a nursery rhyme melody out of your head. I think that trying to quantify what makes a song a good single is a worthy study but not nearly the most exciting part of making music. Epitaph has been wholly supportive of this. They encourage us to make our art as we see fit. Thankfully that has yielded a record they are excited about and are willing to stand behind.
*A City by the Light Divided *caused many fans to feel divided. Some asserted that it was the band's best work and others could not listen to it, many blaming issues with production. How did you feel about the split opinion between fans with this album?
It’s just part of the deal. The best any of us in the band can do is to make music we are challenged by and excited about. Once it’s done, you kind of have to give up on feeling in control over anything other than playing live and spreading the message. It’s never easy to hear that people don't like your music, but what can you do about it except tell them why you love it? There certainly did seem to be a split down the middle. I think partially it had to do with the fact that on War All the Time we were casting a wider net of sorts. There were a lot of people who heard about our band through the mass of promotion and radio play that came with being a "New" band in the public eye....new to the 'mainstream'. Not every one of these people was the kind of person who invests wholly of themselves in music...a lot of these new folks were casual listeners and not willing to invest in a more challenging offering from us. No harm no foul...just looks bad on paper. haha. And as far as alienating those who had invested in us...I’ll say writing music is trial and error..it’s hard to quantify what the hell makes your music "successful" . Before we wrote City, I for one had felt that we had explored the room labeled "Thursday’s sound". I knew where the creative ceiling and walls were, and that’s scary as hell. Why paint the same room a different color and call it a different room when you can knock a wall down and keep building? A lot of the sounds on City came from an attempt to go way left of our creative center, look around, and bring back elements that made sense in the context of our band. Play with different sounds that better referenced our disparate musical influences but ultimately helped grow our collective voice. This was the first record where we really chased after this, and I think it may have yielded a record skewed more towards the experimental...I don’t think it was as balanced as it could have been but at the time, that was what was so exciting. The idea that people thought they knew exactly who we were as a band, and that we had the opportunity for the first time since we started the band to challenge that and reinvent some things that needed to be reinvented. This time around I think we've struck a better balance between forward leaning and harnessing our natural strengths...sonically that seems to mean that Common Existence contains a wide range of new colors and is one of our heavier records.
*Common Existence* uses producer Dave Fridmann, who was the one responsible for the work on *A City by the Light Divided*. After hearing the criticism about it on the previous album, were there any hesitations in choosing to use him again?
We never questioned that working with Dave would be a rewarding creative process. The songs change throughout recording until it’s time to get them mastered...it is a wholly organic process with last minute changes and epiphanies...very open ended process. And the truth is we addressed some sonic issues that we had with City, and it was an effortless conversation. Dave is a damn genius and we work with him because he helps us to realize our music in ways we never could on our own. There is no dogma, just what works and what is exciting. Knowing this going into it basically erased most of our worries. So, no serious hesitation.
Are you afraid of receiving the same criticism on this album that you heard on the last?
Sure. Any criticism is damn scary. But again the best we can do is make art we find new, exciting and challenging. Hopefully what excites us today is sonically different than the last thing we were excited about..haha. otherwise we should start a Thursday cover band. I think that most of Dave's records sound unique. As I said before, there's no dogma to his process, no great homogenizing force that makes it all sound the same. He produces from a place where the song dictates the process. So if we're doing our job and bringing a wide variety of sounds and ideas to the table, we can't really help but make something unique.
What are some of the influences for the new record, musical and otherwise?
I won’t speak lyrically. But sonically it’s kind of all over the place. I think we'll always have our roots in post hardcore. Bands like Far, and Quicksand will always be part of our musical vocabulary. But I've always felt that a song was a space, expansive and warm or claustrophobic and cluttered. I've always enjoyed playing with those spaces and treating them 3 dimensionally. So bands like Mogwai and Sigur Ros have acted as examples on how to create those vast open spaces with sounds acting more as shapes passing along a horizon or skyline. Whereas bands like Converge or Envy can often create claustrophobic spaces filled with growling and angular shapes. It’s not all about a melody or a lyric, it’s about density, texture, impact, velocity and using silence as a tool....that’s been a challenging one....figuring out when the hell NOT to play. So that’s all nice and conceptual, but a digression I guess......let’s just say the record is big heavy, dense, melodic, expansive, lush, dissonant, immediate, future shit. haha. compare it to whatever bands you think embody that stuff.
The song "Running From the Rain" was featured in a commercial for Saturn vehicles. Instead of backlash that would have hit hard in the beginning of your career, many seemed content that the band received mainstream exposure. How do you feel the scene has changed in the decade you've been a band?
I think the scene has transformed from a communal gathering in which we have face to face dialogues in real time to an increasingly digitally isolating, abusive self aggrandizing race for the number one spot. There are communities online for sure, but something scary happens when we are in front of the computer which happens less face to face. We get fucking mean. We feel like we can get away with saying whatever we want in the name of sarcasm, with no consequence. People become little Napoleons, promoting themselves as the most important, the most bitingly critical, cynical...fucking mean man. Music is supposed to be a unifying entity...it’s the oldest language, it’s supposed to bind us together, and that was true for us when we started in our little 'scene'. Not only were people accepting if you were different, but they celebrated those differences and wanted to understand your ideas, even if they disagreed. Now it seems, from behind closed doors and in front of a computer we feel like we can get away with being abusive of others ideas in increasingly exclusionary online "communities". We value post counts and making fun of bad grammar over possibly learning something important about someone who has different ideas than we do.
It’s a shame, because it’s been going on long enough now that bands actually write songs about it. Championing sarcasm and one upmanship and popularity over messages of humility, acceptance, and empathy. Not only boring to me, but offensive.
There’s room for all the glossy tongue in cheek dance jams in the world out there about who’s sneakers are cooler. But it’s getting too big and fat and tired for its own good...in the past there have been underground scenes in which people were making the new shit. Basement shows, kitchen shows, vfw halls...actual gatherings of people willing to exchange ideas openly without negating one another’s views....places where people make and share the music that changes the mainstream..if we're all too busy hiding behind a computer to get up and make a community happen, if we're all too concerned with pwning each other on a message board to realize the power of accepting ideas ulterior to our own...we're either going to undermine this process of change in music or miss it altogether.
I'm not saying basement culture is the only way to do it. I'm saying that online culture often eats itself, especially the online youth culture surrounding punk music. We disempower ourselves by getting caught up in, let’s face it, elementary school style whining and bickering over, what?? Difference of opinion and personal taste?? shit that means NOTHING if we aren’t actually willing to listen before we start barking. There are certainly exceptions to this idea, there is just a really strong, seemingly automatic switch that flips when we get online, that immediately makes it difficult to have a really inclusive, enriching and enlightened community....or scene. IMHO..........rofl?
How has the Internet changed the way you operate as a band? Do you think the Internet music revolution has done more good or bad for your band?
For the most part, we've benefitted from having the internet at our disposal throughout our history as a band. We never made any money from record sales. The only way we can survive as a band is by touring and playing live. The internet has always been a really useful vehicle for word of mouth and spreading music. If someone downloads a song that they otherwise would not or could not buy and it engages them in a way that gets them to a show, puts them in the room, cuts out the middle man...I’m all for a direct feed. That being said, we've worked really hard with labels always put a lot of effort and thought into creating a physical 'product' alongside the labels we've worked with...so for those who wish to buy a cd through the label...I think it’s well worth it...it helps keep the industry moving by putting money into a stream of revenue that cycles through and benefits not only labels, but producers, studios, engineers, musicians.....everyone. I think that downloading has undermined the music industry a bit...and that does effect us as musicians even if we aren’t seeing money directly from selling a cd. So it’s a catch 22 and I don’t know what the answer is. Truthfully, if you see value in art, than it makes sense to exchange money relative to the value you perceive. However, if you can't afford to do so, you shouldn't be excluded from the exchange.
Can we expect to see Thursday in neon clothes and shutter sunglasses?
Shit yeah yo. Fuckin freaky dude. Maybe towards the end of a long tour, during a long night of drinking...uhhhhh...probably not, but stranger things have happened. How would that make you feel?? I certainly am concerned with looking nice and dressing appropriately,,...but I’m not all that interested in dressing like a cartoon. I'd find it more interesting if it was ACTUAL vintage BUM equipment or Hypercolor clothes that people were into...though..maybe those are the super hipsters...the OG's so to speak.....ah I say avoid it altogether. Unless we're talking Skidz....srsly...why isn't the new shit all about Hammer pants??
I know the "screamo" tag has been placed on Thursday regularly even though you guys never claimed to be a screamo band. Do you feel that being placed in such a confined category still affects the perception of the band? I know when I mention Thursday to people they associate you guys with that buzz word, yet on the past few releases you guys have really expanded your sound.
I get it. It takes a long time to describe a bands sound accurately to other people. We end up speaking in broad strokes. Ultimately I couldn't care less about what people call it. If someone hears "A City By The Light Divided" or Common Existence and says....WTF??this isn't SCRAMS?! I’d say, you're damn right it’s not. And if someone stops listening at that point, its they're right to do so. I would just hope that most people have a long enough attention span to spend time with whatever music or art they are discovering...it’s meant to be digested, explored, felt, lived in....music or visual art...not just glanced at and discarded. Not if you want to actually get something out of it other than "hated it!" or some flavor of the month flirtation. People can call it whatever they want. Its normal. I'm not worried. It has nothing to do with our creative process, and ultimately people are going to talk about it how they see fit. I just hope that those turned off by labels find a way to intersect the music without preconceived notions as to its meaning, and have a real time authentic interaction with it...so they can form their own opinions about what to call it.
Do you think a day will ever pass when Thursday and screamo aren't compared?
Yes. Soon. It’s already happening here and there. Maybe when the next "Nirvana" happens and dance/screamo/emo whatever goes the way of NU-Metal...hopefully we've been left of that center long enough to not go down with the ship.
What do you think about the current music climate? Changes need to be made to the way music is released and how record labels operate, so what do you think would be the best way for actual change and progress to be made?
I wish I knew. It would be great if everyone could pull a Radiohead and give it away. But not every band has spent time as 'the biggest band in the world'. Once you sell millions of records you can sort of afford to take chances like they did. We however have not sold millions of records, so. I've heard so many ideas about different models for music/commerce, i.e. selling it like cable, subscriptions services that give you access to vast libraries of music....only selling services AROUND the actual music, basically selling ACCESS to music....and they all sound legit, like they could work. But then they disappear or fail. I think what needs to change to a great extent is the mentality of those who consume music. It’s been a free for all over the last 10 years in which people grab as much music for free as their hard drives can hold...and who wouldn't be tempted to do that?
We've obviously supported file sharing, and still do, but I think there needs to be a slight yet powerful shift in everyone’s mind from FREE IS BEST, GOTTA GET MINE to WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NEVER PAYING FOR ART THAT HAS VALUE? Everyone has a responsibility to strive for a balance between exercising their freedom of choice to customize your own experience with art and music, and making sure not to abuse or take advantage musicians and artists. Putting money into the industry helps labels make recording budgets, which pay for studios, which allows them not to charge an arm and a leg for bands to record...it is a cycle. And as a music consumer, we all play a part. no money= much harder for artists to make their art=less art for those who want it=everyone’s bummed. So strike a balance...download it...make sure you like it first...then go buy it and experience it usually as the artist intended it to be experienced. Music has value, it’s not wrong to expect compensation. And it’s not like we can't make informed decisions these days about exactly what it is we are paying for.
What bands would you like to bring out on the next Thursday tour?
I'd like to tour with the following bands in some capacity in the next 2 years.
converge, envy, silversun pickups, m83, me without you, holler,wild rose, moving mountains....and many more. we'll see.
In the past you have mentioned a collaborative song with other bands , I believe Converge and Cursive were among the bands to be involved, but that has been put on hold. Is there any plans to revisit that song and eventually release it or did it just not work out as planned?
That was actually for a collaborative ending to a song that proved too lofty a goal. It was just impossible to get all the bands on board in time to get it done. It was going to be for the end of the song on common existence called Last Call. A lot of people who got stoked on our stolen demos from ACBTLD will realize its demo#5. We just couldn’t get it done. I'm actually fine with that, I think the song turned out great and I’m stoked to finally have it out on a record
What bands inspire you/do you listen to regularly? What about within the 'scene'?
I sort of have old standby's that never seem to get old...Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", Portishead's "Dummy", Calexico's "Feast on Wire". Kid A. Newer Singer/Songwriters like Ray Lamongtagne, Kathleen Edwards, Andrew Bird. There's been a strange 90's revival happening lately...slightly shoegazey...bands like The Secret Machines, Giant Drag, The Silversun Pickups, M83. A lot of these bands seem to make super catchy yet dark and textural songs. They somehow do more than just try on old 90's clothes...they manage to take old sounds and song structures and warp them in a way that makes it all sound like new if not cutting edge shit.