YRB: You’re ending the tour back home in California. Any special plans for the very last show?
Riley: Yeah, we have 5 or 6 home shows. A few of them are at the Anaheim House of Blues, which was the site of our first legitimate show and was a turning point in the band’s career. We went from small clubs to playing at a place that houses over 1000 people. It was after that show that we realized we could possibly do this full time. So, to go back and wrap the tour up there is gonna be really special. We added a final show for this tour at The Observatory, which is without a support band and is just gonna be us for 2 and a half hours. We’ll probably play everything in the song pool for this tour and maybe do some acoustic songs. We’ve never played for that long before, it’ll be cool.
YRB: What’s the possibility of Thrice recording a new album in the future?
Riley: It’s going to just come down to schedules lining up. This isn’t a situation where were breaking up because of creative differences or because so-and-so hates so-and-so. The deal is that Dustin wants to spend more time at home with his family and we’re all respective of that. We kind of agreed that if anybody left the band, it wouldn’t be the same band. That’s why we’ve had the same members for 14 years. We’re not breaking up. We probably will write and record again. I don’t know if it’s gonna be a full length, or an EP, or singles. It’s just a matter of everyone’s availability working.
YRB: Would you ever join another band full-time?
Riley: It would have to be the right situation. I’m not dying to tour full-time again. I love doing this, but a big part of that is because of the band I’m in and the friends I have. But if I could find the right situation and a band that I really enjoy playing for and that I got along with really well. I’m just gonna see what’s out there and make a decision that I think is the right one.
YRB: What are some of your personal plans after this tour?
Riley: My brother (Thrice bassist Eddie Breckenridge) and I are gonna be working on stuff. It doesn’t have a name or direction but its just the 2 of us getting in a room and jamming stuff out. But we’re definitely gonna kick that into a higher gear when we get home. I’m always writing music, and since Thrice is gonna take a break, I might put more instrumental/ambient stuff up on my BandCamp. And then I’m just gonna explore other options. Looking to get into writing more, whether it’s online content or freelance stuff. Just finding a way to pay the bills for a while, whether it’s getting a different drumming gig or touring with another band. It’s the beginning of a new chapter. I’m not exactly sure where I’m headed, but we’ll see what happens.
