Biography Wikipedia
Wikipedia:
The Thermals are an American indie punk band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lo-fi punk, as well as more standard rock, the band's songs are also known for their political and religious imagery.
History
The Thermals came together in 2002 with Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster, who had been band mates before, most notably in the folk duo Hutch & Kathy. Their first album, More Parts per Million, was released in 2003 by Sub Pop Records. The record was recorded and performed entirely by Hutch Harris, who played every instrument and recorded the record on a 4-track cassette machine in the kitchen of his house. The first live line-up was Harris with Kathy Foster on bass, Jordan Hudson (also of M. Ward) on drums and Ben Barnett on guitar Their follow up album Fuckin A was mixed by Death Cab For Cutie member Chris Walla, although the sound remained much the same. Ben Barnett had left the band by this point, so Hutch Harris took over on guitar for this album.
Their third album, The Body, The Blood, The Machine, won the group much recognition, appearing on multiple top album lists for 2006 (including those of NPR, The AV Club and Pitchfork). Jordan Hudson dropped out of the band during the recording of their third album. Kathy Foster took over percussion duties in the recording studio, which Lorin Coleman performed on tour. Produced by Brendan Canty of Fugazi, it was a politically charged concept album designed to showcase a path of religious tyranny that America might take.
The Thermals' fourth album, Now We Can See, was released on a new label, Kill Rock Stars, and produced by label associate John Congleton. Again, Foster worked as the percussionist on the album. Westin Glass joined the group as a drummer after the album was finished and supported them on tour. He is the band's current percussionist.
Teaming up again with Walla, The Thermals fifth album, Personal Life was released September 7, 2010.
