September 18th, 2009
Interview: Thursday
Long-running New Jersey post-hardcore band Thursday kicks off its U.S. headlining tour in support of recently released Common Existence tonight at First Unitarian Church. Hope you got tickets, because the show is way sold out, befitting a band that’s maintained a loyal following through five impassioned albums and several label changes (they’re currently signed to Epitaph). Yesterday, we had a nice chat with frontman Geoff Rickly as he prepared to hit the road:
Did Philly play any kind of pivotal role for the band when you were first starting out?
Yeah, I mean, it was very much about New Jersey for us when we were younger, but then Philly kinda became…when it stopped being so much about playing in New Brunswick because the Melody was gone, Philly really became the closest big city to where we were from. It’s funny that it’s in a different state, but it still feels in some ways the most like a home city for us.
Do you remember the first show you ever played here?
In Philly? I was trying to remember that because I think it’s possible that the first show was at the Killtime. Either that or it was Stalag. I can’t remember because both of those places had that illegal, weren’t-really-sure-if-we-were-supposed-to-be-there kind of a feeling [laughs].
So that would have been ‘99, 2000?
Yeah, right around there.
Do you have vivid memories of playing here in Philly? Have there been particular high points?
Oh yeah. I mean, I think we actually…I’m gonna say this and somebody’s gonna remember better than I do, but I think the first show we did when [2003's] War All the Time came out was at the Church as well. We played there and CB[GB]’s, and then we started a big national tour, and I remember it being one of the best shows we ever played and I also remember it being insanely hot, like beyond belief hot. My parents, who are so supportive and love the band and everything, had to leave cause they were like, “It’s just too hot — we were standing in the back and we couldn’t breathe.”
Yeah, it’s hot there and it smells like vomit outside because of the Ginkgo trees.
Oh right, I never connected that with the trees.
It took me a little while to figure that out — at first I thought people were continually puking into the bushes.
Yeah well, I definitely saw somebody puke right out front during a Hot Water Music show. So I probably thought, oh that smell’s still from that time.
What do you find the most interesting about Philadelphia in general?
Umm, I have so many friends there and to me it feels…this is gonna sound wrong but it feels to have this — and especially more 10 years ago — this sort of freewheeling, lawless sensibility about it. Not so much as a town like Baltimore where you’re like, “I’m gonna die,” but I dunno, I always kinda felt like if you’re in Philly with friends you could probably do just about anything you can think of without getting into too much trouble.
Would you say Philly has its own special vibe compared to other cities in terms of the feeling at shows and the people that come out to see you?
Philly’s very different from a lot of cities. I dunno, maybe it’s just because we know so many people from Philly, but it feels so close-knit and kind of like semi-bohemian. Like, everybody’s always going to eat vegetarian Chinese food. And I really dig that about Philly. And also, I’ve always known our promoters in Philly — I’ve always known Sean [Agnew] from R5, and that’s a really good feeling. And we also toured with the Cure in 2004 and we had our defining show with them in Philly, when the kids went crazy and Robert Smith actually came and watched us.
What was that like?
It was amazing enough to be on that tour, but to turn around and see his head behind your amps was the most gratifying and terrifying thing at the same time. It was like, “Ohhhhhh shit!” I was like, “I’m already into this, but now I’m really gonna get into it,” and then the next change in the song came and I was like, “Oh my God we are so ripping off the Cure right now.” I never really thought about it until there’s Robert Smith standing there and noticing it.
