Thrice named their most recent album "Vheissu," a phrase from Thomas Pynchon's novel "V." Vheissu also means "Who are you?" in German.
"The band has been trying to find out exactly who we are and what we are," said the group's drummer, Riley Breckenridge in an interview with The Spectrum. "It also goes hand-in-hand with musical exploration."
But don't let them fool you. Thrice, who are playing on the Taste of Chaos tour, which stops by Buffalo Friday night, was pursuing a certain aesthetic when they named what has become their most popular album to date.
"We were looking for a one-word title that was mysterious," Breckenridge said.
Breckenridge said Thrice's broad-based theme of examination is an important part of their message.
"(It's about) finding out where you get your news from. Also, a lot of people in personal relationships will write someone off based on first impressions."
This stance against early judgment of character is part of what has earned Thrice the reputation for being the nice guys of the Orange County post-hardcore scene, along with their melodic approach which teeters on the brink of emo.
Thrice formed in 1998, in a scene of flash-in-the-pan acts, and gradually gained the pan-American popularity that many bands find quite quickly due to the instant access that Web sites Purevolume and Myspace Music allow.
"For young bands now, it's such an easy way to get people to hear your music," Breckenridge said. "When we started, you had to go flyer competing shows, hand out mix tapes at shows. There are bands that have been around a month and they've got 60,000 friends on Myspace and have a tour."
But nice guys that they are, the members of Thrice don't feel any more legitimate than the younger acts like The Receiving End of Sirens, who are also on the Taste of Chaos Tour. Breckenridge said that he and the other members of the band remain humble despite the homage other bands have paid.
"It's weird to have young bands come up to us and say, 'Illusion of Safety' made us want to be in a band.' We don't feel worthy. We're definitely appreciative, but I don't know. It's just weird," he said.
"I was talking to some of the guys in As I Lay Dying," he added, "and they were saying they weren't very talkative at first because they listened to 'Illusion of Safety' and it really influenced them. When they say they're nervous talking to you, it's like, 'Dude, I'm nervous talking to you.' "
Despite the awkward positions Thrice's popular status may put him in, Breckenridge acknowledged that there are obvious benefits to no longer being an unknown act.
"You get so run down when you're in a van. It's really nice to have the bus," he said. "You can come in and rest and rejuvenate when you're trying to give every show your all every night."
Thrice is currently a long way from their California home. During the interview, Breckenridge was standing outside in Portland, Maine, about as far from Orange County as one can get within the lower 48.
"I've been trying to keep my toes warm all day," he said.
"We've been on the road pretty consistently since almost April of last year," Breckenridge said. "We'll have a week (at home) here, two years there. You miss your friends and family."
Musicians don't get into the biz for warm nights by the fire with their loved ones, though.
"It's better to be out and playing than to be home wishing you were out and playing," Breckenridge said.
The Taste of Chaos tour will play the Buffalo Bills Field House at Ralph Wilson Stadium, March 10. Deftones, Atreyu, Story of the Year, As I Lay Dying and Funeral for a Friend will also be playing.
