Amy Ruppel combines talent and versatility like no other artist in Portland. Her whimsical style and quirky point of view has given her the ability to combine the analog with the digital, the old with the new, the modern with the historic. I sat down with Amy to talk about her upbringing on a midwest farm, her jet-setting wanderlust, and all the years in between.
The Job is a talk show about design, music, business, culture, technology, the web, and Portland, and featuring interviews with interesting people. Hosted by Ray Brigleb and brought to you by Needmore Designs.
Peat Bakke is CTO of Portland startup Little Bird. He’s also known for travelling, speaking, and photography. On this week’s episode, we talk about all these things and more.
Show Notes
TEDx in Portland this Saturday – say hi to us and wish Ray a happy birthday!
Hutch Harris is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and leader of The Thermals. We talk with him about his history, his philosophy, and what went into the recording of their new album Desperate Ground.
In case who are wondering, we’re just doing a podcast.
Hutch:
Yeah, check this out.
Okay, cool.
I know iTunes is out. It’s cool.
Okay. All right.
Yeah, it’s awesome.
Excellent. Yeah, cool.
Am I good? Do you want me here? You want me close?
Point it at your mouth but I think you can be good half foot away.
Yeah. Okay.
It’s probably better too quiet than clipping. I’d set up another interview one day and then left and then all hell break loose. This is clipped pile of shit and you can swear just getting that out there right now.
Fuck you guys.
Yeah.
Cool.
I’m going to go way back.
Okay.
We got a little time here, where were you born?
Me? I was born in New York City.
Okay.
I lived there for eight years.
Okay.
Then …
The first date?
What’s that? Yes, sir. Yeah, and then moved to San Jose when I was eight because my dad got in to, he work for start ups in Silicon Valley.
Really?
Yeah. He actually worked, I don’t know if you remember since, is it called …
I probably …
It’s called Syntelligence.
Oh no, I don’t.
They made …
I like the name though.
They made the keyboards, yeah. Some of the companies that went and they were gone so quickly. God I wish I knew, I’ve never done electronic music but there are some famous keyboards that are still used that Syntelligence made. I see them now, they are like these cool retro because now they are like almost 30 years old.
Now they are like, probably like collector’s pieces in some museum.
Yeah.
Is Hutch your real name?
It is.
Okay.
Hutch was my mom’s maiden name.
Oh, okay.
Yeah, all my relatives on her side their last name, it’s like the Hutches, those are my cousins like Tom Hutch and Jane Hutch.
Okay.
It’s from Ucci, it was changed by Italian immigrants from Ucci to Hutch to sound more American.
Interesting.
Yeah.
How do you spell Ucci?
Just Ucci like Gucci.
Okay, all right. I’m sure you listened to a lot of music in high school but how did you get into playing?
My dad is a pianist, he was always trying to get me to play instruments. I played saxophone, I played piano as a kid, hated it. I played saxophone kind of liked it. I got a guitar when I was 14, loved it and then yeah. My dad was always encouraging me, it was easy. I just asked my dad if he’d buy me a cheap guitar so he bought me a guitar when I was 14 and then loved it. Just kept playing.
Do you still play cheap guitars or do you play fancy?
I do still play cheap guitars. I got my first fancy guitar this year but usually I mean whatever. The first guitar I had probably cost like 60 bucks. I guess I play slightly better cheap guitars now.
Yeah.
I don’t need anything fancy.
That’s scored at three digits in the price there. Did you originally start recording around that time? Are you comfortable with recording? Is that something that your dad would listen to?
No, not so much. In New York he had done like off Broadways and stuff and then he had done like industrial shows and then he was making money doing auditions with people like he would go with singers to auditions. People were always rehearsing for their auditions in our apartment and then my dad would go with them and play the piano with them. He was doing that and before he got a real job and then he know he was doing off Broadway stuff.
That’s crazy you went from that to Silicon Valley.
Yeah, at the same time he was getting his Masters at Columbia for Engineering.
Okay.
No. I didn’t start recording till probably I would say probably when I was 17 or 18. Probably when I was 18, got a four track and then started recording.
Portastudio or something?
Yeah, of course.
Oh yeah.
Love it.
Yeah. You still have?
I still have, right now I have four, four track because that’s in two 8-track. I only want more cassette machines, I don’t ever want to get rid of any of those. I love those.
This have such a nice sound.
Yeah, I still use them all the time.
Do you ever listen to a band called Medicine?
No.
I think the guitarist in that band it was like 80’s Indie. They were like America’s My Bloody Valentine but the guitar is … Check out Medicine. I’ll put it in the podcast notes for you.
Okay, go.
He would run his guitar through a portastudio as part of the chain.
Love that.
I got the most hissy, awful sound.
Yeah. Actually when we just recorded last year for the newest record I love that vocal sound I get from the four track so I just brought the four track and the cheat mic that I like and just did … it’s the same thing, I just sang through the four track and that went to tape.
Nice. Let’s get back to your dad. Just kidding. How long have you known Kathy?
Kathy and I met just after high school. 19 years, 19 or 20. This is my 20th high school reunion is this year. I can’t believe it’s been that long. I got an email about it and I was like “The 20th? Are we planning for 5 years from now?” I was shocked.
Is it in Portland? Did you go to school in Portland?
No, it’s in San Jose.
Okay.
Yeah, Kathy and I moved to Portland 15 years ago. We moved here 98 but yeah we both graduated high school in San Jose.
Are you going to go with that? It’s not what Facebook is for, you’re still going to go?
I’m not going. I actually did go to the 10 year. I have another old friend, my friend Jeremy who lives here and he’s the only other person I went to high school with who lives in Portland. For so long our friends were going to the 10th and we’re like “No, we’re not going. We’re not going. Fine.” We did go down. It was all right, the people that we want to keep in touch with, we keep in touch with. It’s actually more than you might think, I still keep in touch with plenty people from high school but yeah I don’t need to go. I don’t need to go down for the 20th anniversary or reunion.
How do The Thermals come about?
Back to the four track. The Thermals started on the four track just at my house. Yeah, just recording songs in my kitchen.
Just restlessly recording.
Kathy and I were doing the band called Hutch & Kathy quite different, still a rock band but a lot mellower, acoustic guitars and drums. This was a little project that I started doing, just writing songs and doing just songs one at a time. Writing a song during the day, I was working [home town 00:07:31]. I would get off at noon usually, go home, write a song, record that song. Write the whole song and record it in one day which became the whole, that was the method for that whole first record. Just me at my house. It wasn’t incredibly labored, it was something that just was very easy and fun.
When did the name come? Was that part of the project or just you needed something to call it when you put a dozen together.
I remember brain storming names, when Kathy and I were doing the band I wanted to turn it into something that sounded more like a band. I don’t want to keep it calling Hutch & Kathy. I feel during that, somewhere between Hutch & Kathy and The Thermals I just started brainstorming names. To me The Thermals felt very Northwest to me. It made me think of [Grunge 00:08:27] in the 90’s where people are wearing thermal underwear under their, cut off jeans and have thermal leggings on. That in my mind and then …
They still do that in Minnesota, it was just in cities and they are still doing that.
Cool.
There you go.
I think the 90’s, now that it’s 20 years. 90’s can really come back now so all that great stuff, flavor savers and threads I guess.
I have at least one vinyl pressing of yours that, of you yourself that predates that. What were you doing before The Thermals yourself? You, not recording as Hutch Harris?
There was a band called Urban Legend that Kathy and I did.
That might be what I’m thinking about.
Yeah. It was something that went through a bunch of different I don’t know, there wasn’t like one single sound, there were some loud stuff and there were some mellow stuff. That was the name we used not very long, maybe a couple years. Kathy and I had to be [Halo 00:09:30], when we were really young we could never have a band … Have a band for two years, that was so long. It was just always about moving on and making something. Really I guess it make sense that once we had The Thermals we really have all the success that all the other projects never really knew. It made sense to move forward with that and not just toss it out so quickly.
Right. That make sense, you always hear about bands yeah going through that. Sorting themselves out, shedding a few skins, finding more comfort.
Yeah, definitely I feel even like the Beatles and Velvet Underground, Grateful Dead all these huge bands they all started as something else when they had a different name and eventually find what works the best.
Has your recording process changed a lot since you were just recording at first thing with the four track?
No, we go to the studios. Back then it was just always at home with the four track and maybe I love the studio but it’s so expensive. You’re always just trying to get in and out as quickly as possible.
For example, you don’t have the luxury of writing a song in the morning and spending the evening recording it?
Exactly. Yeah.
It’s more you got to come in with a set.
We’re just doing both now. We still demo all the songs on a four track and I’ll use that to write lyrics and that’s a good way. I love recording on the four track at home because it’s just good practice. I’ll just practice singing those songs as I record them. Then yeah now it’s really when we go to studio it’s all about knowing exactly how everything is going to go. Yeah, because you’re just paying for it when you’re in there.
Right. How long does it usually take to record an album for you in the studio?
Usually a week and a half of tracking and then another week and a half or two of mixing.
Okay, yeah. Usually, is it up to you where you’re recording? How you find or decide where to …
The most recent record that we made, the producer [John Yellow 00:11:46]. I got in touch with him. He’s in Jersey, he records mostly in New York or New Jersey. Then he suggested this studio Water Music in Hoboken. We went there but the previous records was a jackpot in Portland and then the two previous records for that were both in Oregon City at Supernatural. Really, I think I just jackpot I just knew because it was famous, it’s a famous Portland studio. Supernatural, I actually don’t remember how I heard about it but it’s nice too.
When you started out, when you put together a band I guess for playing those songs originally with a four piece, it seems like you guys have settled on the three pieces?
Yeah, comfort zone. Yeah.
Do you ever missed the four piece? Was there a …
Yeah I do. It’s just less work for me. Singing, just singing and not playing guitar and sometimes I think maybe we’ll do that again. There’s something really nice and respectable about being a trio but I do miss just singing … it’s just the thing is when you’re just singing you really have to, when you’re not singing you got to make sure you’re doing something, you have to keep it interesting. When you’re playing guitar and singing you’re either doing, either playing or you’re playing and singing. You’re never like “Oh, am I entertaining enough?”
You mean to have a little dance or something?
Yeah or do I need to climb the scaffolding or jumping along.
Exactly.
Jump for the audience. That’s great but really it’s a lot of work just singing because you really have to be on the whole time and we used to joke when I was younger. I grew up, this thing I was in it was that cool to have just a singer who just sang. We would always call it the useless lead singer. We like bands like Pearl Jam but we would look at any better be like “Come one, pick up a guitar or something” that I totally changed the way I feel about that. Nirvana was obviously a band that we all looked up to and that seem like perfect. There was just three of them and they were really cool and Greenday too. There’s a lot of bands that just take the last, people doing a lot with less people.
I remember Nirvana, someone saying that they were about to join that band. They were going to have a fourth member or coming in singing intended on it but never got around to it?
Other guitarist come and go, there’s the guy who’s on Bleach and then Pat Smear joining and it was cool but it was something that’s really cool when it was just the three.
Yeah, absolutely. They certainly had a good sound. Have you ever listened to, I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a long time, have you ever listened to The Clean?
Yes.
New Zealand band.
Yeah. Awesome.
There’s like this, I don’t remember the album, that’s another one word thing, Big Cat? Do you know that song?
I don’t know, I have that Anthology that’s like gig, hits are 40 songs or something.
Okay, it might be on that.
Yeah.
I totally, I was like “You sound like this New Zealand bands.”
That’s cool. I feel there’s so many bands that sound like them. A lot of it sound like them that aren’t really as cool but yeah I really like that. It was actually Kathy. Kathy had that and she turned me onto that.
Oh cool. You’ve been doing a lot of touring, I guess you’re in town for your little press tour now?
Yeah.
When you’re touring, what do you do with your time? I always wondered what do you do all day. Are you just waiting for the venue, you sound check and then you just have hours to kill?
Driving mostly, in this country we’re driving all day because everything is so …
Fucking far away.
Far, yeah. What’s great is we rent these Sprinters now, we don’t take our van out anymore. For the past four or five years we’ll just rent a large Sprinter and they have wifi boxes on the top of the van.
What is this, is Sprinter a kind of a van?
Yeah, Mercedes makes them and then I feel like one other, maybe Dodge makes them. You’ve seen it, it’s like the delivery van.
Okay.
Something Euro style delivery vans and they are normal. There are smaller ones and then there are larger. The ones we take probably seats like one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, it’s like nine or maybe eleven passengers. We have captain’s chairs. They are really cozy. It’s much better. It’s like in between your basic shitty van and the tour bus. You’re not on a bus but it’s not nearly as expensive. There’s a company Band To Go that just rents Sprinters and maybe regular vans but mostly Sprinters to bands. Ever since we got internet while you’re on the road, that saves everyone’s life.
Sure.
Seriously.
There’s wifi built in or something?
Yeah. You get it most places. When you’re in West Texas or Wyoming or some areas you’re going to lose it but overall so then you can do your email and you can do a lot of stuff.
That’s pretty cool.
There’s video games and TV and stuff. Just as long as no one has to read a book. It’s funny because this is what we used to do. Everyone just read books all day. This is what the future looks like.
As you mentioned, you used to serve coffee. Have things changed a lot over the past decade? Do you feel like the same person? Do you still drink good coffee? Do you still …
I still drink Stumptown coffee everyday. Seriously everyday.
You bring it on tour?
I do, yeah. It’s funny we would just went down the California and we did bring it. Yeah, I still love coffee more than anything else. I haven’t been drinking alcohol because it’s really hard to my voice. We just did South by Southwest and I had remembered the previous, a time there because you know you’re doing two or three shows a day. Then it’s really easy to just drink and party all night. I remember the previous year where I had really lost my voice and I really didn’t want that to happen again because it’s terrible. You still do the show but it just sucks. If I went and saw a band and just the singer couldn’t sing I’d be like …
Asshole.
Yeah.
I do party.
I stopped, we we’re just been playing so many shows and I have not been drinking really just to save my voice but now instead of looking like “Oh man I can’t wait to have a beer” I’m like “Oh I can’t wait to have a cup of coffee.” There always has to be something, some kind of delicious addiction.
Sure.
Coffee is something I don’t have to give up.
Do you get a change to cook when you’re on the road or you’re just eating anywhere?
No, not at all. At home, yeah but not yeah not at all. The more, I feel like Trader Joe’s saved us and Whole Foods have saved us even though it’s like so expensive.
It seems like going down each of the coast would be reasonable but then there’s this gaping fucking middle section of America where it’s like you could be driving for like days.
Yeah. It is getting slowly it’s getting better. I remember when Kathy, Kathy and I were touring well before The Thermals and sometimes yeah your only options were fast food or something at the gas station. You didn’t have a GPS or a smart phone or anything that would find you. You can find a coop actually and then a lot of places where you would think there’s nothing even in South Dakota or just seriously middle of nowhere there will be something healthy. Now you have like the tools, on your smart phone to find it. That makes a huge, huge difference.
Where’s the nearest coop?
Yeah, I forget what … that sound for us I can’t remember the name of that app but it was like a fine vegan food app and I don’t need to find vegan food but wherever the vegan food would be it’s healthy.
It’s a good lead.
Yeah, it will take you to some like a coop or somewhere.
How many people tour with you?
For a while it was six. It changes a lot, the most is six. Three in the band, someone selling the merch, sound and then tour manager / driver. We’ve gotten a way with four and that is fine too. It depends on how crazy or how busy the tour is going to be and how long it’s going to be too.
You guys just drive each other fucking crazy?
Again the internet in the van. Seriously, it’s the pacifier. Seriously, it’s something that everyone can just zone out. That’s what television is for a family. Something that everyone can just zone out on and get your brains sucked out and you don’t have to pay attention to each other.
Don’t you worry about social media corrupting us?
Yeah, I do at some points but what the other thing is you’re going to kill your, whoever you’re closest.
Right, yeah. Preferable.
There’s no perfect.
A lot of your themes in the songs that you’re writing are religion, politics, big things, violence, violence, love, war and death and killing.
Violence, yes, I’ve seen the new video.
Where do you, besides the tour van where do you get inspiration for these?
Film a lot and the new video yeah it’s very violent and this record specifically we wanted it to be really cinematic. We wanted the songs to sound not like the soundtrack for a movie but the movie itself. We really wanted to make a record that was really like an action movie just in the form of a rock record.
Okay, how did that idea come about?
We’d like there to be a theme for each records that the songs, I like to tie all the songs together. We don’t want the record to be just a random collection. Just all these songs that happen to be written at the same time. We want there to be a theme and a loose story but really just something that ties them all together. I really wanted to write something about war but not any specific war. About more just the urge that people have to kill each other because people are constantly killing each other and especially here in this country we’re just very obsessed with violence. I just thought that would be interesting and entertaining. Violence, this horrible violence in the world all the time but at the same time we’re so obsessed with being entertained by violence too. It’s not a statement on that, it’s more like we just wanted to be part of that as well.
Sure, just be a part of the discussion. Maybe, do you feel like that’s a net positive for the band to talk about that stuff? Do you think that’s what your fans are looking for?
I do think they are. Yeah, I think the songs and the records that people most like from us have been that. If you look at the The Body, The Blood, The Machine. I would say so far the favorite record, I think most people would agree on that, fans of ours that they like that record the best. To me that is the most crazy, violent record that we’ve made.
Yeah, do you ever worry that, I remember after one of the … There’s been a lot but there was a school shooting and then I saw, is that a movie about time traveling gangsters? You see that movie?
We don’t know. It’s not gangsters quad, is that?
No. The one where someone would appear and then …
Yeah. I did see that.
Bruce Willis.
Yes and Joseph Gordon Levitt but what is the name?
Okay, we’ll remember it.
Okay.
At some point here. Maybe Corina knows but we’re watching the movie and it was like right after the shooting and there’s Bruce Willis goes and he’s shooting children and I remember thinking to myself the same thing I felt when I saw that video. Is this going to make people not want to watch the movie or is it going to make them feel more engaged with the movie. I think it probably made them more engaged but it’s always hard to tell. With touchy subjects like that, if you write a book about religion I don’t know maybe the fact that there’s the new Pope becomes gets people talking about your album or something I don’t know.
You have to risk it, you can’t … Especially since our record was, we weren’t going to change. Our record was finished before Newtown and I have relatives that live in Sandy Hook right by Newtown who were like themselves affected and for me personally I wasn’t like ‘Well no one is offended.” I was like “I hope my aunt and uncle specifically aren’t offended by this record.” The thing is the band is not selling millions and millions of records, a lot of people mainstream people who don’t pay attention to underground music, they are not going to see the video, they are not going to hear the record. I think if we were like Coldplay or [Rihanna 00:26:05] someone who’s like a worldwide celebrity I think you probably have to pay a lot more attention to stuff like that because the whole world is watching what you do.
For us, we have the luxury of flying under the radar. You don’t have to, I don’t know if I would feel differently but for me and for us we’re not going to change what we’re doing and you don’t want to hurt people’s feelings but also a lot of people will, if they see it fuck I don’t know. Everyone has the option to just not pay attention to what you’re doing.
Right. Yeah, as a musician how do you feel about the album like the record, the LP that we grew up with versus Pandora? How do you feel about the direction that all of this was taking?
I like both, like I was saying we still think of album as one, a thing. As long as, label still want you to do a record. I did this other band and I just did singles and it was like you definitely couldn’t get the press to write about it the way they would if you did a full length because we’re still just stuck even though we’re so obsessed with singles. In the culture, really the album is still what you do. It’s still the rule. If the label came to be and said “Hey don’t do it wrong” you just like “Just do some singles this year. I would be fine with that.” Every label we worked with they want a record and from that record to come single. Everyone’s still doing both. I love stuff like Pandora, I love singles, I love the radio.
I think the important thing is to make a good record where all the songs are connected but also within that there have to be good singles. Also, I only speak for us now. I wouldn’t say everyone has to make a record with a theme but you don’t want to go too far with that. You don’t want there to be songs that have to depend on one another on the record. You need to write good enough songs, any song could get pulled off the record and still work just on it’s own.
There can always be a surprise hit as supposed on LP. You don’t think it’s going to … Do you still think of it as side one side two?
Definitely, yeah. We’ve always, I feel like we’ve talked to other bands or other people about this and they feel the same way that side two is usually the darker or more introspective side. Record should take a turn and even if the majority of people are going to be listening on a CD or just on a device we still like to think of where’s the end of the first side, where’s the beginning of the second side. It’s just nice, nice to have two chapters to the story.
It reminds me a lot of the stuff that Bowie did like the Berlin […] like that. It was always like the front side was rock and roll hits and then the back side was like what the fuck is this?
Totally, yeah. It’s really cool. That’s the extreme I guess.
I feel that’s a really good example. Side two is the place, yeah maybe side two is just one crazy long song or just a place. I feel Pink Floyd did some of this.
Right.
They literally would have a side that was one song.
Yeah, really. I think, is Echoes just on metal? I think that’s just one song on that second side.
Yeah.
That’s great. Side two is very loud to just go off to deepen.
It’s like the chef’s table, I guess. As someone who shares the love of comedy, yeah David Cross. Just random question about it I’ve been meaning to ask you this, are you excited about the new season of the rest of the development?
I really am. Yeah, because you know it’s good that … I don’t know if the movie is coming still. I forget what but I know about Netflix making the episodes. I think it’s great because so many times a movie, a sitcom or a sketch that was never as good as episodes.
Oh yeah.
The format you keep it that same short length. To me, I’ve loved so many things David Cross has done but rest of the development specifically it’s so rewatchable, they are so intense. You can go back even if, Kathy and I have watched all those seasons just multiple times because they are just, it’s brilliant.
Yeah they are really just dense with weird inside jokes that you do, it rewards repeated viewing which is good. We want that in all of your media.
Yeah, totally. Kathy and I were discussing this the other day because we were saying it’s funny how we’ll just watch the same things over and over and we like to think a good television show or movie is like a record too. You should be able to just consume it repeatedly if it’s good.
That’s a thing, I was really into I don’t know the last album that Phoenix did.
Yeah.
It seems like the album or in that media or movie or whatever, it’s such a fulcrum of marketing. Your marketing efforts is like so center on that that it seems like Phoenix has had their new album done for six months.
Yeah.
I swear to God, I’ve seen leaks of it forever.
Really, yeah.
I feel they are holding it, they were holding it deliberately until that SNL episode.
Oh yeah.
The other night. It comes out this next week, I feel all this marketing is focused on having just the right gigs to promote it.
Yeah.
Do you worry about the fact that the single is basically gone? The single on the B side and stuff or do you still feel that’s a valid art form.
I still feel … The way things have changed so much even just since we’ve been a band, how everything is gone digital. When we started this band, we were still printing glossy photos, the whole the 8 x 10 glossy. We have that, then after two records that was done. Then any kind of paper promo was done. There was nothing set now, there’s just all … There are still CD promos but I don’t know why because everything is just a watermarked mp3 file that’s being sent out. My computer doesn’t even have a CD drive.
Yeah.
I can’t even play one. I can’t imagine what another ten years will be. It’s fine, it doesn’t bother me. I feel overall music is … I don’t think it’s changed. I feel like everything around music has changed and marketing has changed and format has changed but I don’t think it’s affected the way people write and what people are doing. I don’t think it’s affected it as much as you might think considering everything else around it.
Yeah. People’s attraction to music and the reason for music isn’t going to change.
Yeah.
It’s still part of a discussion in popular culture. It can be top 40 or it could be Indie underground whatever it’s still … i don’t know where I’m going with that. What is a piece of music equipment that you couldn’t beside your four track, that you could not live without when you’re on tour?
It would just have to be my guitar. I play those … I’ve always used the telecast here, I love it. Lately I’ve been playing the Left in line, 72 reissues because … We adjusted the trip or we just flew, we didn’t have, we didn’t bring any amps with us. We just would borrow amps from other bands or the show. The promoter would just have a back line brought in. In South by Southwest we played eight shows, we played two shows a day for four days. Every show had a different amp and they send you the list of what they have and usually it’s fine. It’s like a DeVille or a Twin. Usually they have a couple options, I always go for I don’t want a Marshall.
I don’t want like a stack or anything but it just means like so in four days I played eight different amps. I don’t really, I usually don’t care. It sounds fine. If you have, to me if you have pedals that you like it will sound similar enough. Just saying that I can take almost whatever amp. I have a ton of amps, I can bring whatever one. I think they are all fenders, there’s probably six or seven. To me as long as I have my guitar and my pedals I’ll play through whatever. We were in France, the back line blew. It was a half stack, it broke right before the show. I went direct, that was the only, it was one show like hundreds and hundreds. I wouldn’t ever want to do that again but it was an option. It’s plugged there, I mean it did not sound great but I can live with it.
This is a stereotypical question, what’s like your desert island album?
It’s probably The Breeders. It’s either Last Splash or Pod. It’s probably Last Splash. I feel that record I could listen to over and over. It’s hard, so hard to pick one. Maybe Agent Orange, Living in Darkness. These days I haven’t listened to much besides our record when we’re mastering and Agent Orange and like that record. Seriously over and over again. Yeah, the rest of the development I feel Last Splash it lend itself, there’s so much weird hidden stoney just weirdness going on on that record. I feel every time I listen to it I hear something new and crazy. That’s a good reason to bring that.
You have a new album coming out?
Yes sir.
When?
April 16th.
Okay.
Will we be out on this before that?
No.
Okay.
No.
Then it has already come out?
It’s all ready to drop, yes. Where can people go to buy it? Online? Is it iTunes? Just look for The Thermals?
It’s on iTunes of course, I would say the best place to buy it is at SaddleCreek.com.
Okay.
You can buy it on our website, you can just buy it at thethermals.com but the best place I think go to Saddle Creek’s website.
Saddle Creek.
If you just want to buy the mp3s, it will be at the same price as iTunes but it’s going to go right to us and the label as opposed to giving Apple their whatever.
A cut. Right.
Too much label.
Yeah, right fair enough. Cool, thanks Hutch.
Awesome, yeah. Thanks for having me.
Yeah. Cool, easy. Can I see what are you’re using? You like this?
The Job is a talk show about design, music, business, culture, technology, the web, and Portland, and featuring interviews with interesting people. Hosted by Ray Brigleb and brought to you by Needmore Designs.
We have been interviewing folks for just over a year and realized it would be great to turn these podcasts into a new format. We picked a few of our favorites and created an iBook for your enjoyment.
