We ran this little interview with the charming Hutch Harris of the Thermals in our current issue, but due to space issues we didn't have room for all of Hutch's hilarious responses. But if this series of tubes and whatnot is good for anything, it makes for an excellent dumping ground of previously-edited text. And Jonas Brothers fan fiction.

But since my Jonas fic is a bit too racy to published here, I bring you--after the jump--the full transcript of my Thermals interview. We chat about Hutch's mangled hand, the band's new record label, and the importance of all-age music.

The Thermals perform at the Doug Fir tonight, plus they are doing an all-ages matinee show tomorrow.

Photo by Alicia Rose

Years back, I interviewed the Thermals. It was one of my first-ever articles for this paper, and the first-ever interview the band conducted, none of which really mattered as we spent an afternoon on a Southeast Portland porch excitingly talking about how this brand-new project was on the verge of signing a deal with the iconic Sub Pop label after only a handful of tiny shows. Granted, the lineup was a bit different back then—guitarist Ben Barnett departed first, and Jordan Hudson left a few years later, signaling the start of the band's revolving door of percussionists—but even to this day the Thermals still maintain a similar reckless level of enthusiasm they did back then.

Of course, the passing years have bestowed an impressive (and well-deserved) level of success upon Hutch Harris and Kathy Foster, but the band's goals have changed very little over time. The same strict DIY ethos that ignited the Thermals so many years ago still burns bright, and now, as the band wraps up full-length number four, Now We Can See (out April 2009), performing back-to-back nights at the Doug Fir, Harris takes a moment to discuss the importance of playing all-ages shows, and their new home on Kill Rock Stars.

MERCURY: With dual all-ages and 21+ shows coming up, is this something you want to do in the future; balance all 21+ performances with an all-age one?

HUTCH HARRIS: For years, almost every show we've done has been all ages. We want our shows in be inclusive, and many of our fans are under 21. The last time we played Portland was a year or so ago at Backspace, and I'd say more than half the crowd was under 21. The only reason we're doing a 21+ show is because it made more sense to do two nights at the Doug Fir. The sound at Doug Fir is, hands down, the best in town. We wanted that luxury, since these will be our first shows with our new drummer, Westin Glass (This is where Ezra will insert a comment about Glass being the 345th drummer for the Thermals.) [Stop stealing my jokes—Ed.]

Why did the band choose Kill Rock Stars? Did you want to be involved with something more local? Tired of all the Sub Pop grunge jokes?

I was getting really tired of all those grunge jokes 'til I realized that I was the only one making them. When we left the label, we were all stripped of our flannel shirts. Seriously though, it just made perfect sense at this point to sign with Kill Rock Stars. We got the contract we wanted—for one record—and we own the master. Kathy and I financed this record ourselves, then we shopped a finished record to labels. We took the best deal, from the label with the best vibe, that just happens to live in Portland. Kill. Rock. Stars!

Since you originally signed to Sub Pop so early in the band's career, did you enjoy your time being label-free? Were there many potential suitors vying for your hand? Free dinners?

A lot of that time we were just deciding whether or not to accept a second contract from Sub Pop. We took our sweet time, for sure. We loved working with them and they were so good to us, but ultimately it was time for us to do something new.
Suitors, yes, there were many. Dinners, no. Most labels specifically promised no dinners. A few said they would prefer we didn't eat. Food and beverage, that's a great thing about being on Sub Pop. they can pick up a tab like nobody's business. I might have to start raiding the fridge at Kill Rock Stars, eating everyone's lunches. You know, just to set a precedent.

I saw photos online of your nearly-fingerless hand, what the holy hell did you do?
Dude, box cutter. Box cutters! Is there any chaos they can't cause? I just sliced it up real nice and got nine stitches. Some people have a death wish, I have a minor injury wish.