First Time Hearing THRICE! Bass Teacher REACTS to "Stare At The Sun"

FULL-ALBUM Reactions, Lessons & More 👉 / lowenduniversity
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➡️ I'm a fan of many bands that sound like Thrice, but I've somehow missed out on hearing them over the years. "Stare at the Sun" from 2003's "The Artist in the Ambulance" has been highly requested, and Eddie Breckenridge's bass line pattern in the verses was tricky AF to get my head around. However, I really love what it added to the band's songwriting approach in conjunction with a plethora of other clever musical tricks. What a succinct, picture-perfect rock song that ticks all the right boxes and scratches all the right itches. I discuss the beautiful guitar work, the intro's smooth voice leading, the "asymmetrical" pattern of the bass grooves, how the band rearranged a "happy" chord progression to present a darker feel, and much more! 😎👉☀️
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0:00 Intro
1:02 Reaction / Analysis
12:31 Final Thoughts
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Mark Michell is an internationally-touring and recording bass player known for his work with Scale the Summit, Tony MacAlpine, Tetrafusion, Watermox, and more. Michell is a published educator and author for Hal Leonard, the world's largest music publisher, and has taught bass clinics around the globe for many years. He founded Low End University in 2015, and has since enrolled over 2,500 students through his lessons program. Alongside his educational endeavors, he played on many Billboard-charting album releases and is sponsored by Jackson Basses, EMG Pickups, and Dunlop.
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👉 Original Video from ‪@ThriceOfficial‬: • Thrice - Stare At The ...
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#Thrice #StareAtTheSun #TheArtistInTheAmbulance #ThriceReaction #EddieBreckenridge #ReactionVideo #LowEndUniversity
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Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, commentary, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair Use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational, or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. The original work played in this video has been significantly transformed for the purpose of music education.

[@DingleMcDangle]

Ahhhh my boy has finally found Thrice!!!!

[@LowEndUniversity]

😍

[@jeremy7383]

The Artist in the Ambulance is one of those albums you don't have to be a fan of the band to enjoy. It really showcases all they have to offer and is such a well made album. It really hits home on so many fronts!

[@Steamerbeen]

Mind blowing album

[@brandonnice3428]

Their entire discography is criminally underrated, but this album (20th ann. is siiiick too) is a staple in the genre(s) for sure

[@t3hi84n2g]

Thrice is one of the most overlooked, underappreciated bands out there. They've been making music for close to 30 years, they've got some of the heaviest, head-banging-est songs (Paper Tigers), the most somber, acoustic songs (Come All You Weary, Trust acoustic).. a few conceptual masterpieces (The Alchemy Index, Vheissu).. I cant say enough good about these guys. They were playing Vheissu a few years ago, I had tickets right on the cusp of lockdown and decided not to go and it is the show I regret not getting to see the most. My absolute favorite song by them has to be 'The Earth Will Shake'.. if you ever decide to revisit them I have to recommend it. They really show the range of what they can make you feel on that album, check it out!

[@Garamondable]

That Vheissu tour was fantastic shame you had to miss it

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

Thrice is one of the coolest bands ever. They have progressed over the years and kept pretty current with their style which is really cool but there are a ton of great albums.

[@frankdemariany]

The Alchemy Index is one of the most impressive works by any band ever IMO.

[@bigblueshoe777]

Good songwriting is correct. That's why Thrice still exists and have such a fanatic fanbase.

[@demonshinji]

Ed is such an underrated bass player. Phenomenal tone and composition every time. They’re one of my favorite evolutions of a bands sound to be honest.

[@beanikel]

Thrice actually re-recorded this album last year. The bass tone and production is much better and closer to what you would see live. I highly recommend a listen through!

[@johnnieriot13]

I literally just discovered the revised, idk is it an anniversary edition. It sounds great. And not just like remixed but completely re done

[@Elpuma07]

Oh man had no idea about this hell yeah

[@py_a_thon]

They re-recorded the album lol? Did no one tell them about AI? Or did they say "Nah...not good enuff yet"

[@sonancejasper]

Love the re-visit! Way less compressed. It's like you're in the room with them.

[@py_a_thon]

@@sonancejasper Any idea if they did a room record or tracked individual elements?

[@GearStuffandThings]

Thrice is a gem

[@webinfront]

The song right after this one on the album Paper Tigers also has incredible bass work on it and is a certified banger

[@gravitraxa-team8969]

Such a good song! This album rips hard

[@planetfucksquad]

Paper Tiger and Bloodclots and Blackholes are the two best tracks on this album

[@lostmotel6156]

Great track to start with for them. This whole album shreds and really showcases Eddie’s playing. They’ve had a pretty cool career arc, starting out as a metal/hardcore influenced punk band, then leaning more into metal tinged post rock and eventually going full on prog

[@LowEndUniversity]

Rad! I feel like I should've been listening to this band long ago already, just never quite got there!

[@lostmotel6156]

@@LowEndUniversityI think you will really enjoy a lot of their catalog 😁Paper Tigers and Hoods On Peregrine are a couple other bass forward tracks from this album

[@mattbrown2137]

Those 2nd and 3rd Thrice records were some of my favorites of the time

[@sicroyalty]

Illusion to Achemy is a perfect run, but honestly I think my favorite song from them is Beyond the Pines even though Palms is a pretty subpar album

[@kcd485]

Illusion was my introduction to them and continues to be my fav

[@mattbrown2137]

@@kcd485 deadbolt, betrayal, and shallows are the songs that made me a thrice fan

[@kingrexxo3557]

You're hitting ALL my good spots.... your choice in bands lately is spot on

[@LowEndUniversity]

😎🙏🏼

[@mjroberts725]

it's CGCF tuning on a custom built Gibson Grabber. The pickup is from an actual Grabber, but Ed has been building his own Grabbers for years now. That's the heart of the tone.

[@crisscarborough4899]

Im sure its been mentioned already but the re-recorded version of this album is amazing!

[@sxexaxn]

This entire album incredible.

[@christopherbrandel7901]

Favorite song by my favorite band. What a great riff. I love how it trades to the guitar for the chorus and comes back for the verses.

[@LowEndUniversity]

It's trippy!!

[@clayc8511]

You keep hitting it out of the park with these song/band choices! Should do a complete listen of Artist in the Ambulance!

[@Slevinlobell]

I 2nd this

[@dinosaurinatarpit7394]

You have to check out either "Silhouette" or "Paper Tigers" off of this record. Ed's tone on this record is incredible.

[@TheBrotherChamp]

Paper Tigers is a great choice!

[@JDY517]

The rad part about this tune is how the guitars and bass are swapping lines going from the verses to the choruses

[@livinginoklahomacityofficial]

Yes! I kept waiting for him to pick up on that!

[@nussy9261]

What's funny is Ed the bass player for the band thinks it's cheesy, and Teppei the guitar player thinks it's awesome. They were talking about it in an interview last year.

[@jeremyrafuse5330]

The Artist in the Ambulance and Vheissu are incredible

[@VitaEx]

Thrice is one of my fav bands the album vheissu is amazing start to finish changed my life! One of the guitarist does some great tapping licks with delay slides and a whammy pedal

[@robomalo]

Playing the chords at 5:20 reminded me of 88 Fingers Louie “100 Proof”

[@LowEndUniversity]

Very similar intervals! I love that bass intro. minor 3rds on bass in that range never fail to sound epic.

[@puiazaidarhzauva9928]

so stoked to see Thrice on here! you gotta check out "hoods on peregrine" from the same album!! incredible bass tone!!

[@Denbot_is_here]

I was going to suggest this song last week. Glad to hear it.

[@martinsanchez6864]

Understanding in a car crash by Thursday is a good listen.

[@Terryray123]

It surely is

[@abomb9299]

Great call

[@thechelseadaily]

Incredible how immediately called out how they could be in C tuning, which is of course exactly the tuning Thrice play in. Incredible band and Dustin Kensrue just released a solo record that is incredible. Very different from Thrice. Riley and Eddie Breckenridge have to be one of the best rhythm sections.

[@jjames6990]

Thrice gives me the same vibes that Hot Water Music does. Not necessarily stylistically, but the talent, musicianship, and complexity that gets glossed over when listening to their songs in passing or for the first time.

[@adamcoates2325]

Even though I’ve listened to Thrice a lot, every time I go back to them I forget just how good they are and am blown away every time.

[@JohnB-nq4js]

I see he noticed that lead-in for the next track, Paper Tigers, which is my favorite Thrice tune. Heavy ass riffs on that one.

[@theghostsofgiants]

This album is pretty straight forward (albeit really good) early 2000s post-hardcore, they start to play around with their sound a lot on their next album Vheissu which I personally think is probably their best, though I can't think off the top of my head which songs would be the best to look at from a bassist perspective, maybe "Of Dust and Nations."

[@andrewmeyer2926]

Thrice is a tremendous band. All of the ingredients blended in a way that allow each instrument to be heard and appreciated and the vocals weave through it all.

[@paulfield6815]

One of my favorite bands. Cool to see you doing one of their songs!

[@matthewbeaulieu9848]

This band is such a hidden gem like has already been said. Their live show is amazing and the music has progressed and changed so much. They love messing around and searching for amazing recording techniques and tones. The Beggars album is an amazing one with some great bass tone on it. Worth going through the whole catalogue start to finish.

[@davidjoaquin7854]

Agree about beggars.

[@rockxhero]

The bassist was great to watch live. Classic album that I love!

[@trowabarton222]

These guys were one of my favorite bands in high school. Amazing live show. This album and The Illusion of Safety are both amazing.

[@mdkotler]

You've now done most of my favorite bands.

[@LowEndUniversity]

💙🫡

[@lawrencemcstephens308]

Just saw this in my feed, joyous day! Thrice are one of my favorite bands of all time, and I have always felt they are overlooked by so many people! This was their 15 minutes phase on Island Records, and they went rogue on the following album before settling into the indie scene and experimenting with every subsequent album to the point where they are almost unrecognizable from this album. Love every era of Thrice, and Eddie Breckenridge is a phenomenal bassist! And he plays with a bum hand, too!

[@biznatcho7]

My favorite band of all time and my favorite record (Revisited version) of all time - hell yeah! 🙌

[@tandrus3]

Been meaning to suggest this song for a while. Told myself last week i was going to sit down and write it in the comments of all of your videos. So glad you read my mind!

[@LowEndUniversity]

I try my best! 😉

[@bak1386]

Artist in the Ambulance is an all time classic! Killer band

[@punkshowswpg4718]

Great choice!! You can pick any song off this album! Sheer greatness!

[@juancilliers8710]

Amazing song ♥️ Every song on that album is a masterpiece

[@juulsvern9961]

Always loved this song, and your reaction to it is great!

[@Daniel.Karlsson]

Love this band, love this record, love this song! Their progression from the first album to where they are now is really interesting and surprising. Would love to see you check out more.

[@martinsanchez6864]

Check out Alchemy Index by Thrice. It’s a few volumes of smaller theme mini albums based on elements. They sound cool at capturing a feeling. I really enjoy the wind and the water ones.

[@justadarnminute474]

Wow. Came here to listen to a song I haven’t heard in years to get a Mute Math reference, another band I hadn’t heard in years. I’ve had a quick browse of your content and I’m excited, I think I’ve found a gem.

[@BenFoote]

Do Deadbolt next.

[@charliekennedy91]

This whole release is killer. One of the first recordings I heard from Thrice and I was floored

[@Drouse1986]

This band helped shape who I am as a musician. This release in particular… when it dropped. 🙌🏻 My parents don’t know it, but they know the drums to this album. 😂 High School aged, and when I knew I was going to play drums seriously. Any time my band mates play a riff from this album, we end up playing the next couple songs from the album before the others snap us back on track. Very nostalgic, and still in regular rotation when I’m listening or just jamming at home. ❤

[@matt_62183]

Yes! This is my favorite band of all time! More Thrice please!!!

[@wordssoundsshapesshadows]

I was gonna rec this song but didnt think it was “punk” enough. Love that it got to you

[@LowEndUniversity]

I’m open to anything! Punk has just been a recent, fun path to explore since I missed practically all of it growing up. I’d love to hear any suggestions if you have ‘em!

[@wordssoundsshapesshadows]

@@LowEndUniversity Red Animal War is a band I’d love to see you breakdown. “jambalaya” (from Black phantom crusades) is fast as hell and fun.

[@wordssoundsshapesshadows]

@@LowEndUniversity also, from that album “Right now,today, I don’t believe in hell” has a real fun final third

[@Lapo1sse]

Oh man, so many things I wanna say here. Thrice is probably my favorite band of all time, even if they’re more punk-adjacent nowadays. They started out very punk-rock, then went more pop-punk/emo with Artist, then leaned harder into post-hardcore and all sort of other genres/sounds in the subsequent albums. Artist should be at the top of the list of candidates for a full-album review, as it’s a near-perfect album from beginning to end in my humble opinion. If you end up doing it, please review the Artist : Revisited that they re-recorded last year instead, though ! Dustin’s voice has gotten so much better and warmer, and touring the songs for over 20 years really made them more interesting.

[@patsgarage8593]

man...i totally forgot about these guys and this song!! love it!!

[@alispie]

When I started playing bass during the pandemic, this was THE song I wanted to learn (eventually).

[@aly9402]

It's been years since I've heard this song, and I always would mention the bass line every time I heard it. It's just so cool!

[@LowEndUniversity]

It really is! Sort of tough to follow at first, haven’t heard one like that in awhile on here. 😅

[@jaredlynn5452]

Definitely listen to more of their stuff!! They went from a heavy band to more melodic! I have every cd and literally can put anyone in and play start to finish without a skip

[@coachsandoval]

Check out “I don’t want to be blind” by Turnstile… love the bass on this song.

[@bradsmithstudios8881]

Out of an absolutely incredible catalog, Vheissu is my favorite record.

[@8dayssooner]

knowing how big of a CoCa fan you are, it really surprises me that you haven't crossed paths with Thrice sooner! this is one of my all time favourite albums of theirs.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Yeah! That’s actually another instance where I’ve heard about them. Maybe Claudio mentioned them in some interview, or I read about them touring together in the past. It’s definitely right up my alley.

[@normandst-aubin3571]

@lowenduniversity Thrice aged like fine wine! In my opinion, one of their best albums is the Alchemy Index concept album where they made it into 4 sections/chapters where the aim was to make the music feel like the 4 elements (fire, water, earth and air). One very cool baseline is found in one of the 'air songs' - Deadelus. Whats cool is, that this song is kind of a reply to the "Stare at the sun" song. In Stare at the sun they lyrics are about Icurus (Taken from the Greek mythology story about the Deadelus who made wings for himself and his son to escape a prison). In the story Icarus didn't listen to his dad's warning about flying too close to the sun (the wings were made of bird feathers and wax which would melt). Stare at the sun's lyrics are about Icarus' perspective on the whole story. Deadelus is about the father's perspective and how he sees his son flying too close to the sun and eventually falling to his death. The end of the song is very climactic and has a really cool bass and guitar line that kinda makes you feel like your in a plane going down in a circular pattern (like a man with just one wing would). Maybe it would be fun to hear what you have to say about this one next! The bass line is not extraordinairly hard but just really well written to give you an emotion. That type of song writting really is interesting to me! If you don't take it for the videos at least give it a listen cause its really great! Cheers and thanks for your work on these videos, you make me discover a bunch of bands!

[@danielrusso5473]

Home town boys! My show was at Chain Reaction in like 2001. Memories! They've evolved quite a bit, love the last few records. Songs like Scavengers nail the new sound. Eddie is a beast on bass!

[@coryculligan129]

My favorite band!!

[@paulfitzpa]

GOAT post-hardcore band, great bassline.

[@davidjoaquin7854]

Ed is really an underapreciated bassist.

[@py_a_thon]

Thank you for the reminder of them shapes involved with Cm to Fm. I forget that often because I very much enjou the blues form of dancing around Am, Fmaj and Gmaj.

[@JohnnyBNerdy]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE someone discovering Thrice for the first time, but also hell yeah Mute Math (I saw them at Voodoo 20 something years ago) The Artist in the Ambulance is a top ten all-time album for me

[@YMDBass]

I had heard about them, hell saw their name at many Warped tours but never really listened to em. I knew they were in that post hardcore phase "emo" phase that came through when I was in my "ra, its not punk enough" phase, and never went back, now I'm bummed I didnt, this is amazing.

[@LowEndUniversity]

You and me both! Love it!

[@vassili87]

That tone/bassline ❤

[@drivingtennessee4926]

The Receiving End of Sirens has some great bass lines as well. The Heir of Empty Breath is one of my personal favorites.

[@ItsMeA3k69]

Yessss! I requested this one!

[@LowEndUniversity]

Hope you enjoyed it!! Cheers!

[@Froyo__]

Good morning, Mark! Another great song selection.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Good morning, friend! Hope you dig it, thanks for always stopping by 🙏🏼

[@wesleyrostoll7371]

Big punk fan and a big Thrice fan. Every week Im like, Yes!!! With the song choices. Definitely check out more Thrice, you could choose ten different songs and get ten different styles from them.

[@LowEndUniversity]

Great to hear! They’re definitely in my wheelhouse in terms of other bands I latched onto growing up. I’ll be checking out more!!

[@Slevinlobell]

I named my only child/son after Dustin from Thrice, this band impacted me THAT much in the 00's. One of my fav memories ever is of 2004 and getting kicked out of a hotel in Hawaii at like 3am, me and 2 friends kept OVER AND OVER again singing this song over and over as loud as we could, drunk as hell on the balcony and got kicked out for singing this song and refusing to stop,lol. You HAVE TO check their catalog out. This record is one of the best ever recorded, and the album before this is an absolute masterpiece/monster of a riffing mayhem fest of fierce fast tempo juggernauts..The Illusion Of Safety is their best record IMO. ALLLL their records are amazing, Vhussei is super interesting and diff in a very good way. This song here is prob about their safest song ever. Great song, but on the simple safe side.

[@mikestonehouse8704]

Thrice is one of my favorites. I’ve seen them live several times. The early stuff as usual is the best. Vheissu is probably one of the hardest albums. Also check out the alchemy index it was a super cool way of writing music.

[@jonathanbarb5516]

Yes! Thrice for the win! They've stumped him! 😲😃🤘❤️

[@LowEndUniversity]

😵‍💫😇

[@goyeetyourself4565]

I been listen to Thrice forever very technical band

[@danielblakely952]

Going to see thrice next month when the come to anchorage

[@howardbecker4450]

My favorite band. So many directions to go.

[@jamesperry9197]

Haven't heard this in a while. that whole album is great

[@intro_game-night.theories]

Eddie makes his own basses based on the grabber.

[@TheParalytic]

This is my favorite band of all time

[@PraticallyPragmatic]

Thrice is godlike, you should check out “just breathe” from Palms if you want more fun Bass stuff

[@punkambassador848]

The lead guitar plays the bass part of the verses. Pretty cool song!

[@adamlandau3344]

If I’m not mistaken, the “weird tuning” is a 4 string in Drop C, which i think the guitars and basses are in for the whole album. But it could definitely be played in 5 string standard…

[@PeterPanarchy]

I have a couple notes. First, at the very end I noticed your head kind of snap with the sound change then sudden cut off. If you listen to the album in order that sound builds and bleeds perfectly into the next song, "Hoods on Peregrine." I've always loved that transition and to this day I cannot listen to "Stare at the Sun" without immediately playing "Hoods on Peregrine" next. Second, the rest of their music is really worth a listen. Their sound takes a really big change after this album, getting a lot softer and more experimental. That sound never appealed to me, but I have a few musician friends who *really* love it. Their earlier stuff feels more raw and almost punk like but musically is just as well crafted. That's the sound that drew me in as a fan.

[@BrokenWingman]

I love me some Thrice. Just listened to this album the other night. haha

[@nomadman_84]

I may recall this incorrectly but I remember that when this song came out Ed had "trouble" playing the riff for a continous period of time as it made his wrist hurt and he had to adapt. Someone can correct me or fill in the gaps. Favorite band of all time. Truly underrated. If you want to check out another badass song of theirs for bass, "Just Breathe" is an absolute delight. :) PS; Great channel, usually dont get into these but you do it in a way that is interesting and fun. Keep it up.

[@wingnut643]

Great video as always! I think I really need to dive into Thrice and give their discography a listen. I've heard them mentioned a lot but never have really made the effort to check them out. Also wasn't expecting a Mutemath name drop. They had some fun bass parts IIRC. Gonna throw a suggestion out for more Karnivool as well. New Day, Umbra, or Deadman would be great options, all from the same album as Goliath. And Chris Wolstenholme and Muse would be a good new band to check out. Live versions of Bliss live at The Mayan or Reapers from the Drones World Tour are both great with the bass mixed very well. Keep doing what you're doing!

[@phil80sx]

Was thinking thrice needed to be apart of this but you were still doing punk. So glad you got to thrice, such a positive influential band growing up in the 00’s. Thrice is actually the band I started listening to that pulled me out of just the punk rock genre with their identity crisis and illusion of safety albums.

[@CarlosFarra]

What an amazing song! This album is one of the best punk albums out there.

[@grahamferris3020]

Wish more would react to thrice. They’re awesome. More please

[@marcov9883]

It’s a really interesting bass line and I had to slow it down quite a bit to learn it. Once you figure it out, the rest of the song is pretty easy. Just incredible work from an incredible band.

[@guatobean2869]

Isn't he doing hammer-ons on the bass? It is such a fantastic bass line...I've always wanted to learn it but could never figure it out. Great tune to react to!

[@nbonati]

yesss, finally, can wait to see it

[@Spendycakes]

I love that you brought up MUTEMATH. And they had a song called "Stare at the Sun" as well

[@Slevinlobell]

Eddy is SUPER underrated and an AMAZING as all getout, bassist.

[@mattiabassriffs]

My favorite bass line ever

[@matthewayres1104]

I’ve been thinking about suggested Paper Tigers of this same album to you for a while. It has a really cool sweeping motion during the chorus

[@matthewayres1104]

I forgot that Stare at the Sun actually leads into Paper Tigers lol

[@Pooler18]

Of all the punk/hardcore/indie bands of the warped tour era I listened to I think Thrice has the best musicianship and longevity of any of them. I always liked them but they were never my fav band, but now I’m older I love them and acknowledge and appreciate how hard it is to keep putting out great music. Even great bands put out bad albums let’s be honest but these guys never have imo. It’s impressive. Their sound evolved with time and is still so good, heavy and relevant. In Exile is my fav song of theirs, it’s a groove.

[@JohnnyGingy]

That whole album is awesome!