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Fall Out Boy, Pierce The Veil, Blink-182 and 23 more bands tell us what they're thankful for

You know who has a bad publicity team—besides Bill Cosby? Thanksgiving Day. The biggest shoutout the last Thursday of November ever gets is that it’s the day before the Black Friday shopping orgy—and that’s a drag. In our seemingly futile effort to protest Christmas decorations going up in September and the alleged importance of camping in front of a big-box store instead of breaking bread with your loved ones, AP and its assorted agents asked people from a bunch of bands what they were thankful for this Thanksgiving season. Let all of us give thanks for what we have (or haven’t) got. Life is too short to not let people know the real truth, you know?

PETE WENTZ, FALL OUT BOY

“My two kids and my family. And I'm thankful that in 2014, I'm still being interviewed by AP, and I'm still able to get out and play music on a stage with a band that we started 12 or 13 years ago. I'm more thankful for where I am in the world now, and I'm able to appreciate it now more than I have in the past. I am truly thankful for it.”

 

TOM DeLONGE, BLINK-182

“I’m thankful for the opportunity at this point in my life to do all the various things I’m doing. I have a media company called To The Stars where I’m surrounded by a bunch of great artists, animators and novelists. We’re doing really, really cool transmedia projects. I’m thankful I get to do that in the same building as my wife, in a company we are building together that she’s running called Reissued. We’re doing all of this on the beach within miles of my house. It’s a really cool life I have here in Southern California, and it’s very conducive to my family. It’s taken my whole life to create this whole ecosystem, but I’m really enjoying it, and I’m thankful for that.”

 

GABE SAPORTA, COBRA STARSHIP

“Of course I'm thankful that I can do this for a living. Personally, I'm really thankful that I've been able to calm down. I used to be such a maniac; if something bad would happen, I would freak out. Now that I've lived a couple years, I see anytime that something bad has happened, something good has always come as a result of it.”

 

VIC FUENTES, PIERCE THE VEIL

I'm thankful for the people in my life that have stuck with us during this recording process. It's been pretty intense. People like my parents, my girlfriend, my friends, our producer Dan [Korneff] and his wife—anyone who has been involved in putting a lot of themselves, and their time, into our record. It's priceless. It means more to me than I can even tell them. To have them there through this has been amazing.”

 

TYLER JOSEPH, TWENTY ONE PILOTS

“I’m really thankful for shelter. I think we don’t give shelter enough credit. When we invented shelter, it was a giant step in the right direction. I would say shelter, followed by Wi-Fi.”

 

DEREK SANDERS, MAYDAY PARADE

“I'm very thankful for my family. I have a daughter, a three-year-old girl who is just the sweetest thing, and I'm very thankful right now to be home with everyone and to be able to live the life that I live. I feel like I'm a very lucky person. Not only do I have an amazing family and home life, but I get to travel the world and play music. I couldn't ask for anything more than that.”

 

JORDAN WITZIGREUTER, THE READY SET

“I’m thankful for the ability to do what I get to do for a job and just get to travel around the world, play music, have people connect with it and enjoy it. I think it’s the best possible thing for me.”

 

JOE TAYLOR, KNUCKLE PUCK

“The thing I’m most thankful for is that we all get to play music every night. Because we started playing in a bedroom, and now we get to play in venues to lots of kids, and that’s really cool.”

 

GEOFF RICKLY, NO DEVOTION/UNITED NATIONS

“Now that I run a label, I’m thankful for all the people who put out Thursday records for all those years. Seeing how hard it is, I’m thankful there are still people who want to do that. People say, ‘Labels screw everybody over.’ Any label that’s still around now isn’t screwing anybody over. Consider it funding the arts in a non-profit way, because there’s not a lot of profit to be made. I’m thankful that there are people who are willing to put out people’s records at a loss or at a break-even situation. That’s just amazing.”

 

JOHN O’CALLAGHAN, THE MAINE

“I'm thankful to be in California right now and being enjoying the weather—everybody else I feel like has crazy snowstorms and whatnot right now. The sun is beautiful; I'm very thankful for that. To be honest, I'm really excited and thankful to be able to make another record. Not to be cheesy and 'Thank you so much, fans,' but it's pretty incredible to be 26 and working on our fifth album. I'm very fortunate that people still give a shit.”

 

TIM KASHER, CURSIVE

“Longevity. Doing music as a career is so difficult, and being able to turn 20 with Cursive, that’s great. I’m thankful for that.”

 

JOSHUA MOORE, WE CAME AS ROMANS

“I am thankful for all of the opportunities that being in We Came As Romans has given me. The chance to travel; the chance to meet a ton of people; the chance to meet fans. That’s the stereotypical band-guy thing to say, but at the end of the day, that’s the reality of it. I really am thankful for all of this, and it doesn’t bug me if it sounds cliché.”

 

JULIET SIMMS

“I'm thankful for so much. I'm thankful for being able to create music and put it out for people that love it. I'm thankful for all of the pledgers that joined me in this campaign and made this happen, because without them, none of it would happen—I wouldn't get to do what I love.”

 

TYLER CARTER, ISSUES

I'm thankful for the touring that I've been able to do this year. We've been able to see the world, meet fans from all over and really get a grasp on why we're doing so well. We have so much love and support all over the world, and [the fans are] helping me to take care of myself and my family and in turn, take care of the band. It's been a blessing.”

 

MATTY MULLINS, MEMPHIS MAY FIRE

I've recently gone through a time in my life where depression and anxiety had completely convinced me that life would no longer be good, that there was nothing to look forward to and that happiness was not even real. I'm thankful for incredible people, for therapy and for almighty God, for renewing that trust in my life. I'm thankful that true, real healing has been brought into my life and that I'm actually happy again.”

 

KELLIN QUINN, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS

“I'm thankful for my family and I'm thankful for our amazing fans. As I get older, I realize how important interactions are with the people you care about most. It's important to make the most of everyday with the people you love.”

 

JAKE MCELFRESH, FRONT PORCH STEP

“I’m thankful for my faith in God, I’m thankful for my family, and for the breath in my lungs. If you have food on the table and shelter over your head you should be thankful, and everything else is sugar on top. I was kinda poor growing up, but I always had food and shelter and I was thankful for that. Now, I tour the country, I’m going to tour Europe twice early next year, and I’m still thankful for food and shelter.”

 

RONNIE RADKE, FALLING IN REVERSE

“I'm thankful I have a healthy daughter. She's so beautiful. She's so amazing. And I'm thankful for having this success, after sometimes doing stupid things deserving of some backlash. I'm thankful to have such loving, supportive fans who are still supporting me right now.”

 

BRADLEY WALDEN, EMAROSA

I'm thankful for the people that are helping me and are there for me right now, and my family. I'm thankful for opportunities that are presenting themselves. I'm thankful for the people in my life every day.”

 

LIAM WILSON, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN

I'm thankful for my wife Jessica, our baby-to-be, our dog Sandwich, our AeroPress coffee maker, ‘reverse missionaries,’ blackout curtains, the Dusty Fingers compilations, Black Rock City, BibliOdyssey, friends and fans near and far, my band and everyone who works with us, and the power of love.”

 

NICK HAMM, CITIZEN

“I'm thankful for my family for being so awesome with always supporting us doing this band, and letting my brother [Eric, bassist] and I still live at home. They're the coolest and they support everything we do, so I'm really thankful for them.”

 

CHRIS FRONZAK, ATTILA

“I’m thankful for my family. That’s pretty much it. I’m thankful for my family, and for being in a band that tours the world and allows me to meet new people and see new things.”

 

JUSTIN PIERRE, MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK

“I’m thankful to just be in a place in my life now where I can enjoy every moment. I think for a very long time, I had been either drunk or fucked up or something, and this January I’ll be sober for five years, the longest run I’ve had since I’ve been, like, 14. It’s just weird; I feel like there was maybe a 10-to-12-year period of trying to get there, then eventually just getting there. It’s just really nice to be able to just be trusted as a human being again, to just be aware and to be able to celebrate birthdays, funerals and all of that stuff. It’s a very vague thing, but it’s kind of new to me in the last few years to be fully aware, in the moment and alive. I’m just grateful for that.”

 

DAN “SOUPY” CAMPBELL, THE WONDER YEARS

“I’m thankful for the friends that are my family. The guys in the band, and the people we surround ourselves with—everyone is always here for one another when you need it. It’s great to have that kind of support system.”

 

TYLER SZALKOWSKI, STATE CHAMPS

“I'm thankful for being able to live the dream as a musician, for my career, my friends and my family. Oh, and Starbucks and my iPhone.”

 

DANNY WORSNOP, ASKING ALEXANDRIA

“I am thankful for steaks, blowjobs, liquor and bartenders.”