The Thirty

The past year has been one of peaks and valleys for local Christian screamo quintet The Thirty. While the band has hit the road on three tours, they’ve also had an equal number of lineup changes, which does little to nothing for band stability.

Even now, they are looking to add another guitarist to complete the group. But the constantly shifting lineup has produced a positive result.

“We’ve gotten a lot tighter,” says bassist Jesse Conn. “We’ve had the best musicians that we’ve had in our band right now.”

Other than musicianship, dedication and a desire to tour have been among The Thirty’s prerequisites. In the process of establishing their current lineup, with Conn, vocalist David Jolly, guitarist Zane Callister, synthesizer and lights maestro Casey Wentz and drummer Sam Sartorious, they’ve found the members that share that similar drive.

“Touring’s not made for everybody,” Conn says. “We’d rather get that stuff out of the way and find the people that want to do it right now.”

The group will perform this weekend with Theboyinthesnakepit, Daylight Prevails and Salinger at 6 p.m. July 5 at Grace Evangelical Church at 5103 S. 50th St. Cover is $5.

This performance will be their last in St. Joe for a while. The Thirty is embarking on their fourth tour, joining Texas Christian hardcore group Everthorn from mid-July through early August and continuing on to play a few more shows in the eastern U.S. through the middle of the month.

“This will be the longest one and the farthest we’ve been,” Conn says.

Drummer Sartorious has only been a member of the group for the past four months. Even though the band is currently short one member, he’s says they’ve gotten better attempting to fill in the musical gaps.

“It’s a good opportunity to play all of your songs through and rewrite stuff and make your parts better,” Sartorious says. “We can really rework stuff, which is good.”

The Thirty have an EP available for purchase entitled “That of Which Destroys Us.” It’s an ironic title. Considering the band’s faith, outlook and ability to adapt to their circumstances, what destroys their spirit appears to be nothing.

“We’re honestly a really positive band about everything, so even the worst situations are not that bad for us,” Conn says. “The way that we look at it, God has got a plan for us.”