Thrice, Hey Mercedes, und Held

Prior to forming Thrice vocalist/guitarist Dustin Kensrue and guitarist Teppei Teranishi had played in the rock group Chapter 11 together. Alongside bassist Eddie Breckridge and drummer Riley Breckridge, who knew Dustin and Teppei from school and the local skate park, began practicing together and played their first gig in 1998. The name Thrice was initially considered to be a temporary moniker however the group soon developed a following in the local area and became associated with the name. In 1999 Thrice released their debut EP entitled “First Impressions”, which was limited to 1,000 copies, followed by the full-length “Identity Crisis” in April 2000. Released on Greenfly Records, the album earned the group a significant national buzz, and a percentage of the album’s proceeds were donated to a local children’s charity.

Thrice subsequently signed with Hopeless/Sub City’s who reissued the band’s debut “Identity Crisis” and sent Thrice on tour alongside Samiam. In 2002 the band’s sophomore “The Illusion of Safety” was released to favourable reviews and the group embarked on an extensive national tour in support of Further Seems Forever and Face to Face. Once again a portion of the album’s proceeds were donated to charity, with the label matching whatever the band raised. Due to the success of the album and tour, Thrice caught to attention of major label Island Records, who signed the band and agreed to match any charitable donations.

The band’s major-label debut “The Artist in the Ambulance” arrived in 2003 and charted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200. Led by the tracks “All That’s Left” and “Stare At The Sun” the album found favour across the musical press and Thrice subsequently began playing larger venues, including dates with Thursday and Cohered and Cambria. The full-length “Vheissu” was issued in October 2005 with proceeds going to the Dave Eggers’ charity 826 Valencia and in turn the cover art was designed by Eggers. The album features a much richer and textured instrumentation than its predecessors and was once again supported by an extensive touring schedule including headlining the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour. The EP “Red Sky” followed in early 2006 and the elaborate four-disc concept album “The Alchemy Index” in 2007. The live albums “The MySpace Transmissions” and “Live at the House of Blues” appeared in 2009, succeeded by the studio album “Beggars” in 2009 and “Major/Minor” in 2011.