This California, USA-based emo quartet was formed in the town of Irvine in August 1998, when the bass/drums brother team of Eddie Breckenridge and Riley Breckenridge (b. 5 January 1975, USA) began practising in their parents' living room. Fellow Irvine High School students Dustin Kensrue (b. 18 November 1980, USA; vocals/guitar) and Teppei Teranishi (b. 13 September 1980, USA; guitar) soon joined up with the brothers, and made their live debut shortly thereafter with six original songs at a local benefit show. Further shows followed, as did a demo, First Impressions (which the band later disowned, despite especially high priced bootleg copies selling via the Internet). The following year, Thrice weathered a several month layoff, but managed to land some key shows opening for several renowned bands, and began recording tracks for their first proper recording.
In April 2000, a limited number of copies of their debut album, Identity Crisis, via the Greenflag label was released. A year later, the album was reissued by SubCity, and was supported by dates with Samiam, as well as a spot on the South By Southwest Music Festival, and the Warped Tour. The following year, Thrice's follow-up, The Illusion Of Safety, was released and was supported by even more heavy touring. The quartet celebrated signing to Island Records by touring with the Warped Tour, before relocating to Bearsville, New York to begin work on their major label debut. Engineered by Michael Barbiero, the resulting album, 2003's The Artist In The Ambulance, packed quite a punch. The quartet's knowledge of how to write a strong pop melody helped push the band towards crossover success. The follow-up Vheissu moved in a more eclectic direction, with heavy use of electronics and a spiritual angle to the lyrics.
DISCOGRAPHY: Identity Crisis (Greenflag/Sub City 2000)***, The Illusion of Safety (Sub City 2002)***, The Artist In The Ambulance (Sub City/Island 2003)****, Vheissu (Island 2005)***, Red Sky EP mini-album (Island 2006)***, The Alchemy Index, Vols. I & II: Fire & Water (Vagrant 2007)***, The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth (Vagrant 2008)***.
Solo: Dustin Kensrue Please Come Home (Equal Vision 2007)***.
VIDEOGRAPHY: If We Could Only See Us Now (Island 2005).
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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