We'll Raise An Empire From The Bottom Of The Sea

Anyone that reads this is probably sick of me talking about Thrice but I don't care. They are my second favorite band of all time for a reason. Back in the day of being a young 16 year old high school kid with braces and down on his girl luck, I made a good friend named Badih through working at H-E-B. We either talked about how fucked up bitches were, or Thrice. Mainly just Thrice. He always knew of my guitar playing ability and he used to sing in a band when he was in high school so we started playing together. We played a horrible show on new years of 06/07. We played I think Saves The Day, Thrice, Rise Against and Judas Priest haha. It was a great time in it's own awful way. Me and Badih would later do little recordings of Thrice and Flight Of The Conchords. But it was around Christmas time of 2007 where we got the best idea ever. Do a Thrice cover show. Fucking why NOT? It's about the only way I'd be stoked to play electric guitar again. So I got my friend Joe who loves Thrice as much as me to play bass, and Badih got his close friend Matt to play drums. He had an empty house so we got to play there which was beyond amazing. We ended up playing:

1. To What End
2. Ultra Blue
3. T&C
4. Deadbolt
5. In Years To Come
6. The Beltsville Crucible
7. So Strange I Remember You
8. Trust

The show ended up going about a 7 out of 10. So Strange didn't sound all too great. But it really was a great time. Well we decided to turn this into an annual thing and are doing it again this year. But this time we have added our friend Vivek to play guitar to ease the pressure off Badih's singing. The songs for THIS year go as:

1. Deadbolt
2. Trust
3. That Hideous Strength
4. Firebreather
5. Cold Cash and Colder Hearts
6. Kill Me Quickly
7. Don't Tell We Won't Ask
8. Red Sky

July 31st. At Tanners shop. There may be some metalcore band playing before us. It should be just as fun as last year. Be there. Even if you don't like Thrice. Watch me play electric guitar for a change.

Michael Jackson straight up died yesterday. It's really a weird thing. I heard over the news, "Just like I remember where I was when Elvis died, I will always remember where I was when I heard the news of Michael Jackson dying." My experience? It had been a good day. I got snow cones with Bianca and then headed to pick up my brother from work which is at that huge building by the Omni downtown. I finished up my phone conversation with a good friend Oneida and once my brother got in the car, I just turned up the music. We were listening to Thrice. I actually tested him by showing him all the ending tracks to the Alchemy Index to see if he would catch that they all end in the same progression. He didn't. Anyway, it was at the light where Burger King was to my left where I got a text from my brother saying "Michael Jackson might be dead. He's in a coma." I remember my brother was talking to me about something and I just put the phone down kinda confused. Then I got another text saying "Confirmed." It was weird. I was on a curve, listening to Thrice, listening to my brother talk and trying to kind of grasp the text message I had just received. He's kind of just one of those guys that would live a long time secluded from the world. In come the never ending jokes about his death. I'm not down with it. I've seen people say things of "whatever, his music sucked anyway." False. I don't particularly enjoy his music but I don't think it sucks. The guy is "King Of Pop" for a reason. He had a bigger impact than arguably anyone did in mainstream music history. Sure, the dude had a fucked up last decade or so, but that doesn't undo what he did for music. He is an icon and a legend and will be deeply missed.

I talked too much about Thrice to not post yet another video of them. It's also kind of fun to post something off Identity in one post and then something off the Alchemy Index in the next. Completely different band.


Thrice-Firebreather

Tell me are you free
Tell me are you free
In word or thought or deed
Tell me are you free
While the gallows stand

And bullets lance the bravest lungs
We fold our hands and hold our tongues

Tell me are you free
When the fear falls on you
Tell me are you free
When the fear falls on you

Tell me are you free
Tell me are you free
In word or thought or deed
Tell me are you free
While the gallows stand

And bullets lance the bravest lungs
Will I fold my hands or hold my tongue

Or let the flames lick at my feet
Or breathe in fire and know I'm free
Flames will rise and devour me
Oh, to breathe in fire and know I'm free

Know I'm free!