Premier Guitar September 2016 | Page 88

What were you doing during the break ? Teranishi : We were all doing different things . Dustin was up in Seattle working with a church , I was in nearby Vashon Island where I started a leather / canvas goods design and craft studio . I was really keeping myself busy with work , but I was still making art by working with my hands and leather , so the creativity itch was being scratched . I did have thoughts of maybe dabbling in production or engineering , but I ’ d been doing music for my entire adult life , and it gets to a point where you just need a break . I took it as an opportunity to explore new things , so it wasn ’ t like me sitting around thinking , “ Man , I gotta get back on the road .”
So what was the catalyst for the return of Thrice ? Teranishi : I guess it was when Dustin and I went out to a Brand New show — they were doing something like a short , two-week West Coast run — and it gave us a fresh perspective on touring and
being in a band without being gone all the time . That experience allowed us to consider that we could go back on the road and be Thrice without sacrificing all of our time or home lives .
Why did you start playing guitar , and what still turns you on about it over the years ? Teranishi : My dad played guitar , so there was always one around the house , plus both my parents were really into music . And I think it was just kind of natural for me to want to pick it up . Probably around 5th or 6th grade I started really getting into Metallica and that ’ s what made me start playing guitar .
What was your first guitar ? Teranishi : It was one my dad got me — I don ’ t even know what brand it was — it was a half-size electric guitar . My first real guitar was a Fender Prodigy . It ’ s a super low-end model that I probably got at Guitar Center , but it had a Strat-style body ,
a humbucker in the bridge , and single-coils in the middle and neck positions .
What do you think makes for exciting guitar playing ? Is it passion , technical skill , creativity , or a mixture ? Kensrue : For me , exciting guitar playing is stuff that feels good — not stuff that ’ s super technical . I ’ ve never been into really technical guitar playing because I personally think real technical players can come off as generic . Lots of guys can shred my face off , but to me it seems like you need something more , like passion and creativity . I never thought of myself as much of a guitar player until maybe halfway through our career . I was a singer that was just trying to keep up with Teppei on guitar . On Beggars I started becoming more interested in playing guitar and began to feel like I understood my own style of playing more . I think now I can play with feeling and come up with some interesting stuff . For instance , on this record I ’ m playing
Photo by Sangsouvanh Ping Khounivichit
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