Hi Mr. Nick Bogardus. My name's Walter. U were Thrice's manager for quite some time and i just wanted to say you guys as a whole really changed my life and helped me to become a well founded Christian. Thrice has been used to challenge me to see life accurately. I'm grateful for your existence. Anyways.

I was just wondering,since you worked with music for 10 years if there were any good little indie labels (besides hopeless/sub city) that help with charities and take positive and valuable social actions that i might be able to look into. I've been given the heart to really want to help others think about meaningful issues through music, or to at least help others to be aware. Thank you for your time.

I know you have a family and you might not be interested in replying back. If that's the case i understand. Thank you for putting this "ask me a question thing up" i'm glad i got to communicate with you.

Respectfully,

Walter Cabal

Hi Walter,

Thanks for the kind words, man! I’m grateful that God used Thrice to encourage your faith. He did the same for me so we have that in common.

As to your question about labels, it has been a few years since I worked in music but I think it is safe to say that most labels, and probably bands, are casually involved in some way with charities. As for labels that build into their business model and contracts partnership with charities, SubCity is the only one I can think of.

Thanks for reading and writing.

Nick

We all used to live together in the same house.  It was a lot like this. :)

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A few months ago my friend Teppei was telling me to check The Gaslight Anthem out because they toured together and he really liked them.  I’m bummed I didn’t do that until today.  I’m loving it.  For lack of better comparisons they’re a mish-mash of Against Me/Springsteen/the Killers.

This is a song called “‘59 Sound”.

Enjoy.

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Silversun Pickups is one of those bands I like because of a few songs rather than full albums.  When I get one of their albums I know most of it will be dispensible but one or two songs will be really good.  This song, “Growing Old Is Getting Old”, is “the song” from their new record, Swoon.

Aside from sharing initials with their most obvious influence, The Smashing Pumpkins, Silversun Pickups shares the same fuzzed-out guitars, a penchant for atmospheric keyboards, melodic base lines, the ability to create songs with great moods, and a guy singer with a voice that is a little higher than the average male’s range.  I love the Pumpkins but like their pupils they kinda fall into the too prolific category - I still hold that if Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness had been a single disc, and 12 songs trimmed down from 28, it would’ve been a real masterpiece.

Anyway, enjoy “Growing Old Is Getting Old”.  It makes me think of driving at night back home; something we’ll be doing in the near future.

Even though I really wanted to play drums as a kid my parents, being put in a position of choosing between the lesser of two evils, opted to go with the honking of a saxophone.  Yes, I played the saxophone.  The problem is you can’t rock with a saxophone, so I would set up boxes and pans in the garage and drum along to Metallica’s self-titled “Black Album”.  The problem is, again, you can’t rock with cardboard.

I came across this video of the Foo Fighters playing “Everlong” on Letterman in 1997.  You’ll have to excuse the red leather jacket, weird sweater, and bleached blonde hair, but once you’re past that watch the drummer, Taylor Hawkins.  It’ll make you want to play drums…even if you have to find a few boxes instead.

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In case you needed a reminder of how good Brian Wilson’s ‘teenage symphony to God” is, here’s one of the best pop songs ever recorded.  It’s incredible to think about how if the Beatles hadn’t made Rubber Soul, Pet Sounds probably wouldn’t have existed; and if Pet Sounds hadn’t been made, then Sgt. Pepper’s wouldn’t have been recorded.