Stephan Jenkins: Behind Third Eye Blind’s New Cover Album ‘Thanks For Everything’

Celebrating the Music of Bon Iver, Babyshambles & more

In gratitude and support for all that inspires us, we offer this little album. The idea with this EP was to amplify some of that music and art, and in doing so, catch inspiration for our next album. It’s a visual version of what we’re doing with these artist’s songs. We find art or music in one place, and then we take it someplace else. In both cases, I hope it will yield renewed interest in the originals.

~ Stephen Jenkins/Third Eye Blind

Thank You for Everything is a covers album with an unconventional take, the EP is mostly little-known music by Oakland-based Happy Diving, Santigold, Bon Iver, Babyshambles, Queens of the Stone Age, Tim Buckley and Chastity Belt. The theme for all of these songs is the incredible, unrepeatable vibe inhabiting each of them. It will be released on August 24th. Proceeds will be donated to one of their favorites, the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh.

The album art is a collaboration with Queens native Uncutt (“Protect Your Heart”) and Warhol’s Skull (1976).

**Jenkins on the songs selected for Thanks for Everything:**

“Ten” (Happy Diving)

“Happy Diving sounds like a 17 year-old skater with a cast on the wrist and hair in the eyes blithe fully flying blind and smiling into a half pipe. The band is carefree and careening, and luxuriating in effortless energy, and I wanted that feeling to inhabit me. “I absolutely want to shag the drummer,” my friend said. “Are they doing guitarmony?” I said. This is like bliss core Thin Lizzy. They broke up shortly after. It bothers me how so few people got to hear their music. Here’s our remedy. We tracked this somewhere in Europe with big smiles on our faces.”

“This Is Not Our Parade” (Santigold)

“Some songs let you see the whole landscape. Exotic, dark and cool. I heard a rave in that song that could burst out. This was one take with everyone in the same room in Memphis at a day off at the famous Ardent Studios.”

“Fuck Forever” (Babyshambles)

“There’s a raised fist in this song and that’s what we need right now.”

“Song of the Siren” (Tim Buckley)

“This has to go on any list of best song ever written. Elizabeth Fraser is also my favorite singer of all time and of course her version is definitive.”

“Joke” (Chastity Belt)

“We saw Chastity Belt at a club in Berlin. The drummer had a broken shoulder. No matter, she had a quiet style anyway. In the studio, I came to grips with what a great singer Julia Shapiro is. She’s Nico of the Northwest, plus she does that cool shit on the guitar.”

“In the Fade” (Queens of the Stone Age)

“It was pure joy to spend the afternoon fanning out on Queens of the Stone Age.”

“Blood Bank” (Bon Iver)

When I listen to Justin Vernon, I feel like a better person. I feel pure and authentic and sure of my convictions. I’ve been captivated by “Blood Bank” since I first heard it. I’m so in the landscape of the song, it’s as if I’m in a movie when I’m singing it. “Blood Bank” would be a really good movie — definitely shot on 16 mm film. We recorded it in Düsseldorf.