Watch out for 3hree Things every Tuesday, in which Riley Breckenridge, drummer of Orange County's favorite local alt-rock band Thrice, gives his take on life in Southern California as an OC native.
On tour, I spend a majority of my waking hours around loud, heavy, high energy rock music. That, coupled with the adrenaline that courses through my veins after playing an hour-and-a-half set makes it awfully difficult to come down after a show. Sure, a hot shower and a few beers helps, but in my ten-plus years of touring, I've spent a many a night wide-eyed and restless, staring at the roof of my bunk, thinking about how I badly need to sleep in order to be rested for the next show, and thinking about how I'm thinking about how badly I need to sleep, and thinking about how I'm thinking about how I'm thinking about how badly I need to sleep. And then it's 2 AM, then 3AM, then 4AM, and holy shit this is getting ridiculous, and then it's 5 AM, and hey, guess what? NO SLEEPING.
Thankfully, those nights are far and few between now, thanks to a handful of songs that help me clear my head, unwind, and get some much needed rest. (Also: melatonin.)
My nighttime playlist is deep, but what follows is a list of three songs that I've been using on this tour to help me find a balance and catch some much needed Zs. (Note: In no way am I implying that these songs are boring and/or snoozeworthy. I'm saying that they're so good that they put me in an almost meditative state, and if they didn't exist I'd have even bigger bags under my eyes and probably end up stumbling through this tour like a zombie from The Walking Dead.)
Hopefully, if these songs are new to you, they'll help you like they're helping me. I'd love to read some suggestions in the comment section, because this playlist is always growing and ever-evolving.
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Other Lives, “For 12”
Mogwai, “Kings Meadow”
I am of the opinion that there's no such thing as a Mogwai record that isn't great. While The Hawk Is Howling isn't my favorite, it does have some incredibly moving songs on it, the zenith of which is “Kings Meadow”, as far as I'm concerned. Call me twee, but I'm a sucker for songs that feature a harp. (Mostly because of how delicate and ethereal it sounds, but also because you can't really fuck around on a harp; you either rule or you just don't play one.) That said, the harp lines in this song take it from soothing and calming place to a place that just crushes me (in a good way).
