Thursday: Anything But Common
by Jeremy Wilkins [punkrock_138@hotmail.com]
Online Exclusive / Posted March 12, 2009 More Exclusives
"We always give 110 percent every night. It’s no joke up there. I’ve got the hands to prove it," said Thursday drummer Tucker Rule a few hours before headlining Rockstar’s Taste of Chaos stop in SLC on February 21st.
Rule was right––it is no joke on stage when Thursday performs. From the first crash of a cymbal, strum of a guitar and shout over the mic, Rule and the rest of Thursday mean business and their headlining stop on the Taste of Chaos tour was no exception.
The lights went down, the adrenaline exploded and was non-stop for an over hour-long set and an encore. Singer/screamer Geoff Rickly commanded the crowd that had already seen four other bands that night alone.
Before the chaos ensued however, I sat down for a face-to-face with Rule while kids lined up outside, around the brick-enforced walls of In The Venue. In the underbelly of a basement we discussed Thursday’s touring, live shows, the dynamics of the band, record labels and most importantly, their latest grand achievement, Common Existence, the new album released in mid-February.
Anyone who has followed or even been mindful of Thursday over the last 8–10 years should be well aware that when the band is on the road, they hit it hard.
"You’re either made for it or you’re not," said Rule of their extensive touring habits. "I think that I personally am made for it. I don’t mind it at all. Even when I get home, I still wash my clothes and put them back into my suitcase out of habit."
Those who have seen Thursday during one of their extensive touring cycles knows that the band not only packs a punch during their live show but a 1,000 m.p.h. kick in the teeth to compliment that punch, creating a live show and atmosphere that refuses to be forgotten. There’s energy in the air that other bands would do well to learn how to create for their own shows. So what’s the trick?
"Even though we’re a band on a stage and there’s a crowd, we still want the whole room to somehow be involved. It’s the non-elitist approach of not being on a pedestal," said Rule.
As a band, Rule and company have had to perfect this art of not putting themselves on a pedestal, not only in a live show setting with an audience, but also internally with each other. Thursday’s history has been spotted with media pressure as well as conflicts from within that have seen the band nearly part ways. Instead of tossing in the towel, the band has decided to learn, grow and become stronger. In their business, you either mature and move on or call it quits. For a band with such an astounding work ethic, calling it quits has never happened.
"We understand each other as people. We know who needs their space and when they need it. We all go home and have lives. Everybody’s got their own thing they do," said Rule about how they are able to keep tension low within the band. "We have this new thing called ‘PMA,’" Rule added with a smile and a laugh, "which is positive mental attitude. We try to go into everyday with PMA. We also like to surround ourselves with rad people that we bring out on the crew. We have a lot of good friends with us right now that really keep the ship afloat as far as PMA."
Keeping morale high is a key element for a band like Thursday that has run the gamut with the record labels since they began to catch fire like a dry weed field in summer around the late 1990s/early 2000s.
After outgrowing the indie label Eyeball that released their first record Waiting, Thursday moved to hardcore indie stalwart Victory Records. However, the band and label parted ways after one full-length album, Full Collapse, which brought them much of the legendary notoriety they still carry with them today.
Rule was right––it is no joke on stage when Thursday performs. From the first crash of a cymbal, strum of a guitar and shout over the mic, Rule and the rest of Thursday mean business and their headlining stop on the Taste of Chaos tour was no exception.
The lights went down, the adrenaline exploded and was non-stop for an over hour-long set and an encore. Singer/screamer Geoff Rickly commanded the crowd that had already seen four other bands that night alone.
Before the chaos ensued however, I sat down for a face-to-face with Rule while kids lined up outside, around the brick-enforced walls of In The Venue. In the underbelly of a basement we discussed Thursday’s touring, live shows, the dynamics of the band, record labels and most importantly, their latest grand achievement, Common Existence, the new album released in mid-February.
Anyone who has followed or even been mindful of Thursday over the last 8–10 years should be well aware that when the band is on the road, they hit it hard.
"You’re either made for it or you’re not," said Rule of their extensive touring habits. "I think that I personally am made for it. I don’t mind it at all. Even when I get home, I still wash my clothes and put them back into my suitcase out of habit."
Those who have seen Thursday during one of their extensive touring cycles knows that the band not only packs a punch during their live show but a 1,000 m.p.h. kick in the teeth to compliment that punch, creating a live show and atmosphere that refuses to be forgotten. There’s energy in the air that other bands would do well to learn how to create for their own shows. So what’s the trick?
"Even though we’re a band on a stage and there’s a crowd, we still want the whole room to somehow be involved. It’s the non-elitist approach of not being on a pedestal," said Rule.
As a band, Rule and company have had to perfect this art of not putting themselves on a pedestal, not only in a live show setting with an audience, but also internally with each other. Thursday’s history has been spotted with media pressure as well as conflicts from within that have seen the band nearly part ways. Instead of tossing in the towel, the band has decided to learn, grow and become stronger. In their business, you either mature and move on or call it quits. For a band with such an astounding work ethic, calling it quits has never happened.
"We understand each other as people. We know who needs their space and when they need it. We all go home and have lives. Everybody’s got their own thing they do," said Rule about how they are able to keep tension low within the band. "We have this new thing called ‘PMA,’" Rule added with a smile and a laugh, "which is positive mental attitude. We try to go into everyday with PMA. We also like to surround ourselves with rad people that we bring out on the crew. We have a lot of good friends with us right now that really keep the ship afloat as far as PMA."
Keeping morale high is a key element for a band like Thursday that has run the gamut with the record labels since they began to catch fire like a dry weed field in summer around the late 1990s/early 2000s.
After outgrowing the indie label Eyeball that released their first record Waiting, Thursday moved to hardcore indie stalwart Victory Records. However, the band and label parted ways after one full-length album, Full Collapse, which brought them much of the legendary notoriety they still carry with them today.
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