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THURSDAY
by Lisa Sharer
Photos by Jonathan Williams
From the July 2006 issue of Prick Magazine.
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 Thursday is (L-R) Tim Payne, Tucker Rule, Andrew Everding, Tom Keeley, and Geoff Rickly. |
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If you have a television or follow music at all, chances
are you've heard of the band Thursday. If you haven't,
it's time to open your eyes and ears. Formed in New
Jersey in 1997, Thursday has quickly gone from indie rock darlings
to a mainstream musical force. Some may call the band's
sound "emo" or "screamo," but Thursday's sound can be better
described as a "post-hardcore."
The band's latest release, A City By The Light Divided, is a soul-baring
transformation for the better. With the inspiration of a new
producer, Dave Fridmann (Flaming Lips, Mogwai), this album has the
comforting quality of the old Thursday mixed with the vibrant sounds
of rebirth.
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 Geoff Rickly on vocals. |
 Tom Keeley on guitar. |
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In such a short time, this group of youngsters (all in their early-to-
mid-20s) has gone from rocking the tiny basements of New Jersey
to exploding on the main stages of America and Europe. In spite of a
short stint in the dark, Thursday is back with a vengeance. The band's
last album, War All
The Time, came out in 2003 and was met with a
hesitant audience. The extensive touring and promotion
of the album in 2004 left the band
drained and friction arose between the members.
Now, Thursday confesses that all it needed
was a break. Constant touring can be draining on
even the most punk rock of bands.
Now after almost two years, Thursday
is back on the road. The band recently headlined
the Shirts For A Cure Tour to help
raise money for breast cancer victims, as
well as a string of dates on the Taste of
Chaos tour.
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 Geoff Rickly. |
 Tim Payne on bass. |
 Tucker Rule on drums. |
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Thursday has been a frequent addition
to the long list of bands that form
the Van's Warped Tour each summer.
Their memories of the Warped Tour,
though draining, seemed to be some
of the best times they have had,
which is probably why they are
headlining this year's Warped
Tour. Through dehydration,
weddings and hallucinations,
Thursday parties it up in the
hottest time of the year.
"It was like 110 degrees
on the bus, and the beer was
the only thing that was cold,"
recalls singer Geoff Rickly of
one Warped adventure. "Van
Halen was on and we decided
that every time David Lee Roth
screamed we had to drink. It was
total Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
on a bus."
Let's put it this way, if one
of the band members ever offers
you a handful of Skittles, there
just might be some other goodies
in the mix.
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 Geoff Rickly. |
 Steve Pedulla on guitar. |
 Andrew Everding on keyboards. |
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While Thursday has had the opportunity to tour with
some of the biggest names in punk and alternative music, Rickly
says there were many "milestones along the way" that helped the
band achieve this success.
"Early on, when we played Hellfest to a crowd of nearly 1500
people and everyone was singing along to our songs," he recalls as
one of the first moments of realization. Now, with a national fan base,
it's safe to say that Thursday has hit the big time.
"Oh, and when we toured with The Cure," adds bassist Tim
Payne, recalling the tour the band did with one of its major
influences. "It was awesome."
Though the tattoos are few and far
between on these guys, the ones they do have
bear a specific meaning to each. Only three of
the six members actually
wear any ink. Rickly
sports one small tattoo
on his forcep that reads,
"love is love," and honors
a hardcore friend he
lost. Payne has a tattoo
on each shoulder, but is looking
to add to his collection
in the near
future.
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Drummer Tucker Rule has tattoos that go from jailbird to lovebird. The "SP"
scrawled on the front of his ankle was done on a drunken evening with a safety pin and
ink by Thursday's old tour manager, Smith Pugent. The penguin on his right wrist was
done by Yoni Zilber at New York Adorned in New York City. This colorful bird, sagging
his head, is the half heart shape that combines to make a whole heart with his girlfriend's
penguin tattoo. His left wrist poetically states "impact resonance," which is a
tribute to his own playing, where a sole drum intro, performed by him, was titled
"impact resonance."
While it was constant touring that nearly drove Thursday (rounded out by guitarists
Steve Pedulla and Tom Keeley, and keyboardist Andrew Everding) to breaking up,
the band's current travel schedule seems just as harsh. Once the Warped Tour is over,
the band has a short UK tour scheduled before finally getting a break for friends and
family.
"We'll have enough time to go shopping to buy people Christmas presents
[before going back on tour]," Rule admits.
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Thursday is currently on the Warped Tour.
For more information, go to www.thursday.net, or www.islandrecords.com.
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