Aaron Proffitt

I was driving earlier today and thought to myself; “for nearly a decade now, I have claimed to have one favorite band.” This band, Thrice, has been satisfying the musical appetite of this dude for quite some time now. I love this band. They are based out of Orange County, California, which is fittingly one of the places that I lived in Southern California growing up; along with San Diego and Riverside.

The first time I saw them perform was at Mariner’s church in Irvine, circa late 2000. They actually opened up for a relatively popular Christian punk band called Dogwood that night. I was in awe of how hard the music was (yep I have always been a sucker for hard music), how talented they were as musicians, how unique their style was (when everyone else in the post-hardcore scene was doing the same thing, they always pushed the envelope) and how spiritually based their lyrics were. These guys were younger than me too by a couple years which amazed me. Their front man Dustin Kensrue is a believer but I’m not real sure about the rest of the band members.

Since that time, I have purchased every single thrice album, including their first ep “First Impressions,” their first full length album “Identity Crisis” (which some people think is the best punk/post-hardcore album of all time), “The Illusion of Safety,” “The Artist in the Ambulance,” “Vheissu,” “The Alchemy Index,” and now their latest release “Beggars.” I got the album shortly after it’s release on itunes in mid-September and have to say, it is their finest work yet. Every single album that they have released has brought something new to the table. No longer are they that punk/post-harcore group from So. Ca. that screams a lot. They are musical geniuses that have crossed over various genres and sounds to produce their own sound that is uniquely their own. In a musical era when trendy is safe, popular, and profitable, Thrice has gone against the current to hold true to what it is. Listen to their latest work and admire the direction they have gone with sort of a more groovy and driving sound. And, on top of that, the lyrics are soaked in truths from the Bible.

So this is my owe to my favorite band of all time. This post is about two years too late but its never too late to introduce many of you to a band that will stand the test of time, trend, and talent. Check them out.

Gotta throw in the posed cheesy band shot…