Post-hardcore quartet Thrice formed in Irvine, CA, in 1998. Guitarist/vocalist Dustin Kensrue, guitarist Teppei Teranishi, bassist Eddie Breckenridge, and drummer Riley Breckenridge all knew each other from high school and the skate park, and decided that starting a band sounded like a pretty good idea. The usual round of practices, battle of the bands competitions, and random local gigs ensued. By late 1999, Thrice had enough songs (and enough courage) to cut a record. Working with Death by Stereo's Paul Miner, the quartet recorded 12 tracks and by April 2000 had self-released the Identity Crisis LP. More support gigs and local buzz followed, and Thrice sparked the interest of Hopeless/Sub City's Louis Posen.In 2001, Posen signed the band, reissued Identity Crisis, and sent them out on tour with Samiam. Tours with Midtown and Hot Rod Circuit followed, and eventually Thrice re-entered the studio with producer Brian McTernan, set to record its official label debut. The sessions proved to be a trying period for the young group, but they eventually emerged with what would become The Illusion of Safety. More touring followed before Thrice saw Safety drop from Hopeless/Sub City in early 2002. Naturally, the band headed back out on tour, this time around supporting Further Seems Forever and Face to Face. That summer Thrice headlined for the first time, and also began testing the major-label waters. Eventually, Island won them over and signed the band in June. A stint on the Warped Tour followed, and Thrice spent the fall in clubs with Hot Water Music and Coheed & Cambria. February 2003 found Thrice in the studio, again with McTernan, but this time with Island's budget. The sprawling yet more focused The Artist in the Ambulance appeared in August 2003, and Thrice supported it with an ambitious slate of tour dates that included jaunts to Europe. Ever since its signing with Sub City, the charitable arm of Hopeless Records, Thrice had been actively supporting non-profits and charities. This didn't change with the arrival of Island -- portions of the proceeds from Artist in the Ambulance went to the Syrentha J. Salvo Endowment, which provided financial assistance for cancer screenings. A new studio effort, the ambitious Vheissu, followed in October 2005, while the EP Red Sky appeared early the next year. ~ Johnny Loftus, All Music Guide
Philadelphia's Circa Survive was formed by former Saosin vocalist Anthony Green with guitarist Colin Frangicetto -- both of them veterans of the local emo and hardcore scenes looking to indulge in the rule-breaking freedom of the neo-progressive movement of the mid-2000s. After Green and Frangicetto discovered likeminded bandmates in second guitarist Brendan Ekstrom, bassist Nick Beard, and drummer Steve Clifford, Circa Survive recorded their debut album, Juturna (named after a Roman goddess), for Equal Vision Records in 2005. Lots of touring followed, including Warped Tour dates, and the album steadily sold close to an impressive 100,000 copies. A spot on the 2007 Coachella festival led into the late May release of Circa Survive's follow-up, On Letting Go. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia, All Music Guide
The secretive instrumental art metal outfit Pelican was formed in Chicago by guitarists Trevor de Brauw and Laurent Lebec, with bassist Larry Herweg and his sibling drummer, Bryan. Owing a great debt to pioneering forefathers Neurosis and often compared to Boston's nearly as influential Isis (minus the vocals, naturally), Pelican coincidentally also found a home at Isis mastermind Aaron Turner's Hydra Head Records. After making their debut with an eponymous four-song EP in 2003, Pelican expanded their epic, otherworldly trance-metal to continent-sized movements with 2003's critically acclaimed Australasia album and followed it with 2004's The Fire in Our Throats Will Beckon the Thaw. After nonstop touring, playing in clubs, small halls, and mammoth festivals, the quartet took a much-deserved break. They returned to the studio in 2006 and released City of Echoes in June 2007, followed by the live CD/DVD After the Ceiling Cracked later that December. ~ Ed Rivadavia & Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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