Jonah Kanter

Thrice on Hiatus

Sad news indeed for any fans of the band, one of my favourites. Especially considering that they just put out a new record a couple of months ago. The following note was posted on their website:

Thrice is not breaking up.  If nothing has broken us up by now, I doubt anything ever could.

However, we will be taking a break from being a full-time band, and the upcoming tour in the Spring will be the last one for the foreseeable future.

Playing music for the past 13 years with Riley, Ed, and Teppei has been such a gift.  We have been able to see the world, share music with thousands and thousands of people, and make records with a variety of talented and inspiring people.  The four of us have been through many highs and lows and overcome them together.  I value their friendship, and it has been a great priviledge to play alongside them for so long.  They are truly an amazingly gifted group of people, and the ways we’ve grown together as people and musicians has been a joy to experience.

Along the way we have adapted to many changing situations, especially the growing families of both Teppei and myself, but it has been harder and harder for me with each step.  I have three little girls now under the age of 5, and it is a huge strain on my family and I when I’m away for several weeks at a time.  The way we’ve been doing things for a while is simply not sustainable for me anymore.

I don’t know what the future looks like for Thrice, or for any of us individually.  I do know that I would love to make more music in the future with them, as well as play some shows or short tours, but for the time being, I need to step out of the role of full time touring/recording musician, and will do so after this tour.  I will continue to make music in various capacities I’m sure, and continue in my work as a Worship Director at Mars Hill Church in Orange County.

I know this will be very disappointing news to many people, and for that I am truly sorry.  The amount of support and love we’ve been given in our career is staggering and overwhelming.  I know I’m biased, but I think we have the best fans in the world.

This upcoming tour should be a lot of fun.  We are planning for it to be somewhat of a celebration of the last 13 years and I’m sure we’ll be breaking out a bunch of songs that have been buried in the archives.  I hope to see you out there to celebrate with us.

I never expected to be able to do any of this, let alone do it for 13 years, with such amazing bandmates, such gifted and hard working crew and management, and such incredible and loyal fans.  

Thank you all.

I started listening to Thrice in the fall of 2003 when a friend had passed along the Artist in the Ambulance record to me. Since then, they produced amazing follow ups including Vheissu and the 4-CD elements record, which includes some of my favourite songs by the band. It’s also important to note that the band has done extensive charitable work through their music, donating proceeds from each album to a different organization.

Unfortunately I only got to see them live once, in Montreal. I definitely remember being blown away. Dustin is definitely one of the best unknown frontmen in music. The guy has an amazing vocal tone, featuring a rare combination of gritty and aggressive, and beautiful and ‘breathy’. 

The band notes how tough life on the road has been on their personal lives and families. This is an element of being a musician that is easy to ignore in your twenties. However, things change, glory fades, and priorities shift. I’m not professing to truly comprehend this myself, but I can certainly try and put myself in their shoes, or put in perspective stories I’ve heard from musicians I know. 

When I have a spare moment, I’m going to put up a Thrice cover on YouTube. In the meantime, stop listening to me and go get their records.

Update: This project was just brought to my attention - very cool. If you’re a Thrice fan, do check it out: http://occupythrice.tumblr.com/