Ian Thornley has been main Massive Wreck on and off (totally on) for greater than 30 years now. Based in Boston by some Berklee Faculty of Music college students in 1992, Thornley introduced the band again to Toronto and had a wonderful run that stretched from 1997 to 2o03. Then got here a breakup, a solo profession with three extra albums, and eventually a reunion in 2010, which resulted in 5 extra albums. A sixth, The Remainder of the Story, is coming to shops on Oct. 24.
I had an opportunity to talk with Thornley from his dwelling studio.
Alan Cross: You’re now greater than 30 years right into a full-time music profession. Did you ever think about this might be the case?
Ian Thornley: Effectively, I didn’t think about it wouldn’t be the case, however I by no means thought that far forward, to be sincere with you. I by no means thought I’d nonetheless be grinding 30 years in. I didn’t assume it will nonetheless be fistfights within the mud to scratch out a residing. If I had considered it again then, I’d have thought I’d be shifting on to producing different individuals and doing different initiatives — music for movie, or one thing like that.
Occurring the highway now is a bit more tough annually, and staying out for prolonged intervals of time. We’ve got just a little man at dwelling now, and my daughter has grown. It will get tougher being away from dwelling, and sleeping on a bus is tough. However I nonetheless adore music. I’m nonetheless obsessive about it. And I’m making an attempt to get higher at it. Any manner I can maintain practising music and maintain doing it for a residing, I’m gonna do it.
AC: The primary Massive Wreck album (In Loving Reminiscence Of…) got here out in 1997, proper on the tail-end of the golden age of the compact disc. All the pieces concerning the enterprise has modified since then. Loaded query: How have you ever adjusted?
IT: It’s not like we had been actually profitable and actually loaded and had a bunch of cash after which somebody all of the sudden turned the faucet off. Our foremost supply of revenue has at all times been the highway, taking part in as many reveals as we will. We offered a bunch of that first report simply earlier than individuals stopped shopping for data. I’ve since adjusted my expectations. I believe a number of musicians my age who lived by means of that, there’s a shot you gotta take. It’s a giant piece of humble pie when all of the bands that had been simply earlier than us that actually hit — they’re nonetheless on the market taking part in reveals, whereas we… Effectively, the final couple of years, we’ve been slowly rising again up once more.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and world wide, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you once they occur.
Having stated that, there was one thing form of releasing about it as a result of I didn’t should serve a grasp. I didn’t should maintain rewriting (Massive Wreck hits like) That Track or The Oaf. I don’t should bow to any earlier expectations about what Massive Wreck means.
AC: How has your strategy and sound modified over all these albums?
IT: I believe it’s develop into extra refined. The method remains to be the identical. There are little shortcuts that we will make use of now, like my telephone. I can hum one thing into my telephone when one thing simply falls in my lap, and I’m, “OK, that’s one thing.” Generally I’ll sit right here on the pc and begin mapping a track out, or typically I’ll simply report one thing on my telephone and go away little breadcrumbs to go to later. But it surely’s nonetheless ready for a drop of inspiration. And then you definitely craft it.
As craftsmen, I believe we’ve gotten higher. I believe I’ve gotten higher. And I’m higher at recognizing a good suggestion from a not-so-great one. Again within the outdated days, a number of the concepts I’d come across would flip into one thing totally different within the storage the subsequent day once we began beating it round. Generally, although, the inspiration can get blurry, misplaced, whenever you begin pushing it in no matter course. After which you find yourself laying it down and also you say, “No, I don’t assume that is gonna work.”
AC: How a lot time do you spend chasing that guitar tone you hear in your head?
IT: It’s half and parcel with the chase for the proper refrain or the proper verse, a grouping of phrases, a grouping of notes. The issues that make your hairs rise up and offer you chills. Right now, I believe it’s all concerning the foolish rhyme and “Ooo, that was an excellent hook.” It’s not about all of the issues that maintain me up at night time, that are issues just like the guitar tone. I believe it’s all necessary. Half the juice going into the studio and recording is that, as a result of that may typically encourage a distinct half, or how a phrase will get laid down. Most musicians are reactive and also you react to what you’re listening to.
Identical factor with a microphone and an impact you place in your vocal. You’ll sing totally different, deal with the mic otherwise, relying on what’s occurring. In case you transfer a mic a centimetre (come what may) in entrance of an amplifier, it adjustments the sound drastically. Each on occasion you journey over some magic. There’s no plug-in for that. There’s no app.
AC: This album, The Remainder of the Story, was recorded at Noble Studios in Toronto, which is a extremely good studio.
IT: We obtained fortunate. We had been going to launch three EPs however then determined to do one EP and a full album. We booked the studio for 2 weeks to get fundamental tracks for 17 or 18 songs. However Dave (McMilliam, bass) and Sekou (Lumumba, drums) undergo their tracks in about 5 days. Nick (Raskulinecz, producer) stated, “You’re going to wish to get a truck to get your guitars and amps down right here as a result of we’re going to get to make use of all these goodies.” We ended up reducing a number of guitars there.
AC: Why is the album known as The Remainder of the Story?
IT: I simply figured it was an excellent tie-in to Pages, the EP that preceded this. We had been going to have Pages 1, Pages 2 and Pages 3, but it surely turned an entity unto itself.
AC: Any surprises?
IT: The surprises are one thing that occurs each single day whilst you’re within the studio. That’s why I’m the primary one in and the final one to go away. And the good things begins to occur when somebody says, “What if…?”
AC: What’s subsequent?
IT: We gave a number of reveals on the books for the remainder of the 12 months and we’re heading out the primary quarter of subsequent 12 months. We’re going out with Reside Throughout Canada, which must be enjoyable. I don’t assume we’ve performed with them earlier than. And we have now another concepts that we’re discussing as properly.
The Remainder of the Story is out Oct. 24. This interview was condensed and frivolously edited for readability.
© 2025 World Information, a division of Corus Leisure Inc.