The Thorns of Life
| Company type | Punk rock band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Defunct | 2009 |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York , United States |
Key people | Blake Schwarzenbach, Aaron Cometbus, Daniel Sea |
| Products | Music (live performances, bootleg recordings) |
The Thorns of Life was a punk rock ensemble originating from Brooklyn, New York. In October 2008, Blake Schwarzenbach, previously associated with Jets to Brazil and Jawbreaker, started collaborating on music with drummer Aaron Cometbus (formerly of Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder) and bassist Daniel Sea, who is recognized for his acting on The L Word as well as participation in earlier bands such as the Gr'ups. The group's name appears to be inspired by Percy Bysshe Shelley's poem Ode to the West Wind.
By November 2008, the band had already played multiple shows in Brooklyn, with performances documented through online videos and reviews. In early 2009, specifically January, they embarked on a tour across several Californian cities including San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, and Santa Rosa. Their concerts featured sold-out venues like 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, culminating with a final show in Santa Cruz on February 1. Their musical style was noted for its raw and intelligent punk riffs.
Schwarzenbach described the project as "loud and tender," merging elements from his earlier bands with a "storehouse of fond hatred" that reflected experiences from recent years. Although there were reports of a debut album named Legislators or Prophets expected in June 2009, it was never released. By August 2009, Schwarzenbach announced the dissolution of The Thorns of Life and introduced a new band called Forgetters.
No official studio recordings were issued by the group; however, bootleg recordings document twelve compositions created during their active period, including titles such as "My First Time," "I Hate New York," and "Black Art." Four of these songs—"O Deadly Death," "Ribbonhead," "Not a Track Bike," and "Black Art"—were subsequently performed by Forgetters, with the first two featured on Forgetters' initial album. Since 2018, Jawbreaker has incorporated the track "Black Art" into their live performances.