Eleven Questions With The Thermals

Portland | Sam Huff

The term “pop music” is something that has always made me uneasy. All too often, pop gets pigeon-holed as a mass market, radio friendly and non-confrontational sound. But when I discovered The Thermals a fews years back, they reaffirmed that pop music can have a much different face. The Thermals have taken the three-chord punk rock I grew up to and infused it with a healthy dose of insightful [and sarcastic lyrics and melodic sound reminiscent of old Undertones and Ramones tracks.

Our crew met up with Dan from Renegade Mag [with camera in hand and headed out to The Thermals show a couple weeks back…Hutch Harris [singer/guitarist answers 11 questions about The Thermals drinking habits, riots overseas, and the Zombie Son of God….

HECKLEWOOD: Thanks for taking some time to answer some questions! For those out there who might not know the full lineup, who’s who and what’s your weapon of choice?

HUTCH HARRIS: Hutch Harris sings and plays guitar, Kathy Foster plays bass, Lorin Coleman plays drums. Joel Burrows played guitar as well at the Hawthorne show. He doesn’t always play with us. We still play as a three piece a lot.

HW: Like us, you guys reside here in PDX…How come Portland rocks so fucking much?

HH: We’d like to take all the credit for it, so we will! Really though, the Northwest has been producing great rock music for years, but it’s obviously Portland’s time to shine now. Man, Portland’s getting an ego, i think. Everyone here is really pumped on music, and they should be! Portland is the fucking best.

HW: I think the first time I heard of you guys, one of my friends had seen you in some basement show in Eugene or Portland and told me it was the best show he’d ever seen….Can you give us a good “basement show” story?

HH: Well, one time we played a basement show in Eugene or Portland and yr friend was there and guess what it was the best show he’d ever seen? How’s that? There was also this time we played a basement in this art space in Baltimore. It was over 100 degrees and filthy and water was leaking from pipes right over our heads! I thought we would be electrocuted. I really didn’t want to die in Baltimore.

HW: Your last album, “The Body, the Blood, the Machine,” definitely takes a sarcastic approach to religion….Would you agree with the statement that Jesus was the OG zombie? [definition: a dead body that has been brought back to life by a supernatural force

HH: Something else for Jesus to take credit for? Isn’t dying for yr fucking sins enough? I’m sure there were other Zombies before Jesus. Wasn’t Lazarus a zombie? I do like when Professor Farnsworth lets out a “Holy Zombie Jesus!”

HW: What’s one band you never miss when they come to town?

HH: We are gone so much we miss most bands! But if I’m here and Sonic Youth is here I am there!

HW: So, give it to us straight….do you guys tip a few back before a show? Maybe kill some pre-show nerves? If so, what’s your drink of choice?

HH: Vodka, Corona, Exotic Mood-Modifiers…

HW: Your self-described “no-fi” sound from the first album [More Parts Per Million evolved to “mid-fi or some-fi” for your second [FUCKIN A, and finally peaking at “hi-fi” for your latest LP. Where do you go from there, uber-fi?

HH: “The Body, The Blood, The Machine” might be hi-fi compared to our first two records, but compared to most other records out there it is very thermals(which is to say not hi)-fi. Which is what all our records sound (and will continue to sound) like.

HW: Are you guys ever nostalgic for the old no-fi days, recording on a 4-track and playing musty basements?

HH: Not at all. Now it’s all Pro-Tools and thousand-seaters and that’s the way we like it! Having said that, if my computer freezes up one more time today i am pulling out the 4-track. Also, I’m sure we haven’t played our last basement show.

HW: Word is you guys have your fourth LP on the way soon….can you give us a little clue to what will sound like?

HH: Like the best thing ever, which is what our new record will be.

HW: I hear you guys have a pretty eclectic taste in music….what’s some of the more unexpected albums someone might find in your collection?

HH: Fela Kuti, Steely Dan, I-Real-I-Za-Shon, Crass, Britney Spears, Adam Green, Barry White, Zapp, Dear Nora

HW: It always seems bands have at least one horror story from playing overseas…do you guys remember one particular time when things really went pear-shaped?

HH: Us, overseas horror? Not really, unless you count all-day rioting (Copenhagen), narrowly-averted nuclear meltdowns (Stockholm), or explosive diharrea (Paris). Romantic, isn’t it?

HW: Thanks for chatting with us, and good luck with your upcoming European tour!

HH: Cheers! xoxo, Hutch Harris
Last Updated ( Friday, 04 May 2007 )