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Melissa Mobley’s Doodles
During the show, my friend Melissa Mobley doodled each member and the result is pretty rad:
Setlist
4/24: New York, NY @ Bowery
4/25: Boston, MA @ The Sinclair 4/26: Providence, RI @ Columbus Theater 4/28: Brooklyn, NY @ Market Hotel 4/29: Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer 4/30: Washington, DC @ Black Cat 5/1: Pittsburgh, PA @ Club Cafe 5/3: Indianapolis, IN @ Hi-Fi 5/4: Paducah, KY @ Maiden Alley Cinema 5/5: St. Louis, MO @ The Firebird 5/6: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown 5/7: Denver, CO @ Lost Lake 5/8: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge Read More
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The moment winter wheezes its final breath and spring gives way to summer, I’ve got precisely THREE things on my mind: sitting on a sun-drenched porch drinking adult beverages, road trips and one of Portland’s finest, The Thermals (I also think about Tom Petty, too, but that’s a story for another time). The Thermals’ effervescent anthems and delightfully subversive lyrics serve as an excellent soundtrack for transitions, personal and seasonal. If you are simply shooting the sh*t or going through the sh*t, they’re the band for you. The Thermals recently compiled their playlist Sounds of Spring, via Spotify, and We Disappear, their seventh studio album and their second on Saddle Creek, and dropped by the Turf Club Tuesday night to play some tunes and accept several marriage proposals (it happens more often than you’d think!)
Supporting the Thermals that night was one of my favorite local acts Catbath, originally a trio who have expanded into a foursome: guitarist Travis Franklin, bassist Kristin Kosieracki, drummer Crystal Stockert and dark-haired mystery guy on guitar. I last saw Catbath when they opened for the Coathangers in September, one of their final shows before they went on a mini-hiatus. But February saw their epic return with several gigs throughout the Twin Cities including an Entry show with Skating Polly and fellow scorchers Cherry Cola and Bruise Violet in March. The band tore through a great set of grunge-flecked surf-pop (check out their debut featuring the greatest album cover known to humankind, It’s Bathtime), a sound my friend rightly compared to the severely underappreciated Imperial Teen.
The blistering noise-pop of Portland brethren and Thermals pals, Summer Cannibals, came next to punch holes in our faces and light fires under our asses. Guitarist/vocalist Jessica Boudreaux, drummer Devon Shirley, bassist Jenny Logan and newly minted guitarist Jen sweated and shredded through an hour set spilling over with gems from their first two records as well as the soon-to-be-released Full of It (out May 27th on Kill Rock Stars). Armed with songs like the face-melter “Full of It” and hooky, fuzzed-out “Say My Name,” Summer Cannibals had absolutely no trouble stirring up the crowd. Boudreaux mentioned that it was the band’s fourth appearance in the Twin Cities and I anticipate many, many more visits from these fab four.
To my delight, Boudreaux joined The Thermals on stage for their performance allowing lead singer/guitarist Hutch Harris to roam the stage, hop off it from time to time and really interact with fans. Harris was hugely entertaining to watch, gesturing wildly, eyes bulging out of his head as he spit out words that were spit right back at him from the excited, churning mass. Before playing a note, though, the band shared a shot and cheered the openers, the audience and the venue, with bassist Kathy Foster exclaiming, “This place rules!” The Thermal’s brutal masterpiece The Body, The Blood, The Machine is celebrating ten years of existence this year and every song on that album made an appearance on the setlist. Sprinkled in were tracks from We Disappear like “Hey You” and the catchy heartbreaker “Thinking of You,” “Now We Can See” from the 2009 album of the same name and one of my favorites “Born to Kill,” from 2013’s excellent Desperate Ground. It’s not hard to love this band; fans expressed their affection openly and frequently over the course of the hour and a half show and were greeted with equally smitten responses from Harris, Foster and drummer Westin Glass. When one fan yelled out, “Will you marry me?” Harris enthusiastically responded, “YES!” and then asked if there was anyone present who could perform the nuptials. After receiving several confirmations, Harris joked, “I guess we’re getting married by 7 people!”
The Thermals and Summer Cannibals are on tour through the end of May. Go buy We Disappear as it was made to play in your car stereo while you're driving around town. Also, I recommend following the Thermals on Facebook and Twitter. Not only will you stay updated on the band’s whereabouts, but Hutch is a hoot, making hilarious references to 90s pop culture and his love marijuana (it’s legal in Oregon, ya know!)
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Catbath |
Summer Cannibals
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To my delight, Boudreaux joined The Thermals on stage for their performance allowing lead singer/guitarist Hutch Harris to roam the stage, hop off it from time to time and really interact with fans. Harris was hugely entertaining to watch, gesturing wildly, eyes bulging out of his head as he spit out words that were spit right back at him from the excited, churning mass. Before playing a note, though, the band shared a shot and cheered the openers, the audience and the venue, with bassist Kathy Foster exclaiming, “This place rules!” The Thermal’s brutal masterpiece The Body, The Blood, The Machine is celebrating ten years of existence this year and every song on that album made an appearance on the setlist. Sprinkled in were tracks from We Disappear like “Hey You” and the catchy heartbreaker “Thinking of You,” “Now We Can See” from the 2009 album of the same name and one of my favorites “Born to Kill,” from 2013’s excellent Desperate Ground. It’s not hard to love this band; fans expressed their affection openly and frequently over the course of the hour and a half show and were greeted with equally smitten responses from Harris, Foster and drummer Westin Glass. When one fan yelled out, “Will you marry me?” Harris enthusiastically responded, “YES!” and then asked if there was anyone present who could perform the nuptials. After receiving several confirmations, Harris joked, “I guess we’re getting married by 7 people!”
The Thermals and Summer Cannibals are on tour through the end of May. Go buy We Disappear as it was made to play in your car stereo while you're driving around town. Also, I recommend following the Thermals on Facebook and Twitter. Not only will you stay updated on the band’s whereabouts, but Hutch is a hoot, making hilarious references to 90s pop culture and his love marijuana (it’s legal in Oregon, ya know!)
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The Thermals at Turf Club, St Paul (19 April 2016) photo: Melissa Mobley
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