Hilary Stohs-Krause / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Thursday, March 16, 2006 6:00 pm
Chaos. According to Webster’s New World Collegiate Dictionary, “chaos” is “the disorder of formless matter and infinite space” and “extreme confusion or disorder.”
Taste: “the distinguishing flavor of a substance.”
So what does chaos taste like?
It’s probably a safe bet that it’s not chicken.
Looking at the lineup for this year’s Taste of Chaos rock tour, hardcore, screamo and metal are much more likely to be on the menu.
Wednesday at 5 p.m. the Taste of Chaos tour will be bring its collection of rock bands to the Pershing Center. In addition to six headlining bands and a slew of supporting acts, including local band Eyes Catch Fire, the event will feature gaming and autograph sessions.
Taste of Chaos was organized by the same people who put on the Vans Warped Tour, which is how headlining band Thrice became involved, said drummer Riley Breckenridge.
The band has been a part of the Warped Tour four times, he said, including last summer. An organizer for Taste of Chaos asked Thrice if they were interested in joining the tour.
“We’re friends with the guys in The Used and My Chemical Romance, who did (Taste of Chaos) last year,” Breckenridge said. “They had a lot of good things to say about it.”
So far, he added, the decision to join was a good one.
Thrice also includes singer Dustin Kensrue, guitarist Teppei Teranishi and bassist Eddie Breckenridge.
Eddie is Riley’s brother, and with Thrice’s intensive touring schedule, tension between the two is inevitable, right?
“It’s actually brought us a lot closer,” Breckenridge said. “It brought the whole family closer. … Now, he’s my best friend, and I feel really blessed and lucky to be able to share all these experiences with him.”
While Thrice is a newcomer to Taste of Chaos, hardcore band As I Lay Dying was a part of the tour last year, singer Tim Lambesis said. The group decided to play again this year because they had a good experience.
“Whether or not people instantly become fans, they definitely remember us because we stand out so much on the tour,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for a lot of new fans to see us who wouldn’t normally see a band as heavy as us.”
The other members of As I Lay Dying are Phil Sgrosso and Nick Hipa on guitar, Jordan Mancino on drums and Clint Norris on bass.
Thrice also stands apart musically from the other bands, Breckenridge said, but for the opposite reason.
“I think we kind of bridge the gap between some of the … mellow stuff and the heavy stuff on the tour,” he said. “We’re very happy with kind of sticking out in that way.
“Hopefully we can be a breath of fresh air among all the chaos,” he added.
Despite their headlining status, neither Thrice nor As I Lay Dying is the typical hardcore band.
The members of As I Lay Dying, for example, are Christian.
“Because it’s something we believe so strongly, I think it affects every day of our life,” Lambesis said. “For me, when I write lyrics, (about) the struggles that I face and what I go through, I write from a Christian perspective.”
The band is just as powerful as any other metal band, he said.
“Underground music in general has always been about standing up for what you believe in and fighting for something that might be the opposite of mainstream belief,” Lambesis said. “It’s important to stand up for what you believe.”
This theme is symbolized in the band’s name. While it was inspired by the title of a William Faulkner novel, that’s where the correlation ends.
“To me, we’re all dying in some way,” Lambesis said. “It just represents our need for help and our need to change as people.”
The need to help is also important to Thrice.
Since its inception, Breckenridge said, Thrice has been involved with various charities. The first record label the band signed to, Sub City Records, donates a portion of every album’s profit to a charity of the band’s choosing.
When Thrice relocated to Island Records, Breckenridge said, it was important to the band that they continue contributing to the community.
“We feel very, very lucky to be doing what we’re doing for a living,” he said.
The band has been involved with centers for domestic and child abuse, programs geared toward kids from inner-city Los Angeles and breast cancer treatment for low-income women.
Currently, they are selling bracelets on their Web site, www.thrice.net, to benefit 826 Valencia, a writing and tutoring center for 8- to 18-year-olds in San Francisco started by writer Dave Eggers.
Breckenridge estimated the band has raised roughly $100,000.
They also encourage fans to do what they can.
“We wanted to let them know that you don’t have to be Bill Gates or Bono or sitting on a pile of money to make a difference,” he said. “A small donation can make a big change.”
Once the Taste of Chaos tour ends, both bands will still have full schedules,
As I Lay Dying will headline the Sounds of the Underground tour, which Lambesis said may come to Lincoln or Omaha during its summer North American tour.
Thrice will travel to Europe for about three weeks for a headlining tour, Breckenridge said, and will have a U.S. tour in the fall.
Reach Hilary Stohs-Krause at 473-7254 or hstohs-krause@journalstar.com.
If you go:What: Taste of Chaos rock tour
Where: Pershing Center, 226 Centennial Mall South
When: 5 p.m. Wednesday
Tickets: $27.75, available at the Pershing box office, all Ticketmaster locations, www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (402) 475-1212