Pitchfork

Photo by Tom Oliver

As you may have read, the Thermals recently went from a trio to a two-piece after the departure of drummer Lorin Coleman. The band isn't springing into action to hire a replacement for Coleman just yet, which means, for now, the Thermals are made up entirely of core members Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster.

Okay, flashback time. See, way before More Parts Per Million, Hutch and Kathy comprised the entirety of a ragged folk combo called, yes, Hutch and Kathy. Hutch and Kathy, it should be noted, are not the Thermals, even when the Thermals are a two-piece featuring people with those particular first names. The eponymous duo had its own non-Thermals tunes, and even released a self-titled LP, which Jealous Butcher recently reissued.

Anyhow, though you've hopefully seen Hutch and Kathy doing their thing with the Thermals in recent times, it's been six years since Hutch and Kathy performed in public as a duo in their previous incarnation. According to the Willamette Week's Local Cut blog, that will all change soon.

Come April 18, Hutch and Kathy will reconvene under their given first names for a performance at Portland State University venue the Modern Age, along with fellow PDXers Strength, Reporter, the Vonneguts, and Typhoon. The gig is a benefit for Portland State's KPSU radio, and will be preceded on April 14 by an in-studio performance from the duo on the KPSU airwaves.

Hutch himself claims that they'll be performing all new songs, some of which may end up on the next Thermals record. Ooh ooh, which, Hutch? "We're not sure exactly what they are." Ah. Guess we'll find out next month.