Episode 736: Hutch Harris of The Thermals

On today's episode, I talk to musician Hutch Harris. Originally from New York City, Hutch's family moved to San Jose, California when he was still a kid. After high school, he met Kathy Foster, and they played in various bands until moving to Portland, where they formed The Thermals. In 2003, they released their first album More Parts Per Million on Sub Pop, who would release their next two albums as well. The next four albums were released on Kill Rock Stars and then Saddle Creek, and in 2016, the band went on an indefinite hiatus. Until recently, that is. A few weeks ago, The Thermals released their latest album Under Crushing Rain, and it is wonderful! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to musicians Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug AKA Sweeping Promises. Originally from Arkansas and Texas respectively, Lira and Caufield met in college and made music together in a number of different bands before forming Sweeping Promises in 2019. Their first album Hunger for a Way Out was released the next year on Feel It Records in the midst of the early stage of the pandemic and garnered them a great deal of acclaim. They then signed to the wonderful label Sub Pop who released their second album Good Living Is Coming for You in 2023, and just this August their third album You Say I Romanticize came out, and it is a blast! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to cartoonist and humorist David Rees. Originally from Chapel Hill, NC, David first gained acclaim during the Bush years with his comic strip Get Your War On, which perfectly captured the insanity of the times. In 2010, David started the satirical Artisanal Pencil Sharpening service and followed that up with the book How to Sharpen Pencils. As a TV creator, he hosted Going Deep with David Rees and co-created the FXX animated show Dicktown with John Hodgman, and as a podcaster, David co-hosts the wonderful show Election Profit Makers, which you can get wherever you get your podcasts! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to musician Elisabeth Esselink AKA Solex. Originally from Voorschoten, Netherlands, Elisabeth eventually moved to Amsterdam and in the early1990s performed in the indie pop band Sonetic Vet, who released one album, Peer, in 1994. She then began to make music on her own as Solex, and in 1998, Matador released her debut album Solex vs. the Hitmeister. Since then, Elisabeth has released numerous albums and EPs, and this year, Matador is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her third album Low Kick and Hard Bop with an expanded vinyl edition out next week! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to musician Elanor Moss. Originally from Lincolnshire, Elanor grew up in a very creative, devoutly Catholic family and began playing music at church events. She started writing her own music while studying English Lit at the University of York. In 2022, she released her first EP Citrus followed a year later by the Cosmic EP. This garnered her some attention, and her debut album The Knife, The Needle  was just released on Merge Records, and it's great! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to musician Dan Friel. Raised in Amherst, MA, Dan formed Parts & Labor with BJ Warshaw in 2002. In their decade together, the band released five albums, mostly on Jagjaguwar. While Dan had already been recording albums on his own - his first solo LP was released on the fantastic Massachusetts label Important Records - after the band broke up in 2012, he began releasing albums on Thrill Jockey. Most recently, Parts & Labor reunited, and their latest album Set of All Sets - a true banger - came out in July on Ernest Jenning Record Co.! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to screenwriter and podcaster Josh Olson. Originally from Philadelphia, Josh got his start in showbiz as a PA on Masters of the Universe and in 2002, wrote and directed his first film Infested. This gained Josh some attention, and in 2005, he wrote A History of Violence, which garnered him Oscar, BAFTA and WGA Award nominations. He's collaborated with Harlan Ellison, wrote the original draft of the Jack Reacher film and this is just a small sampling of his CV. As a podcaster, Josh co-hosted The West Wing Thing with Dave Anthony, which broke down the jarringly liberal show from a left perspective, and with Joe Dante, currently co-hosts the fantastic show The Movies That Made Me! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to musician and producer Tony Simon AKA Blockhead. Originally from Manhattan, Tony grew up in an artistic household and started making music when he was a teenager. He went to Boston University for a year, which may not have worked out academically, but did artistically because this is where he met Aesop Rock and began making beats for him starting with 1999's Appleseed EP. Back in New York, he formed the duo Party Fun Action Committee, and in 2003, Def Jux put out their album Let's Get Serious. The following year, Ninja Tune released Tony's first instrumental album Music by Cavelight, and in the years since, Tony has composed and produced dozens of albums, working with some of the best rappers of the 21st century including the aforementioned Aesop Rock, Billy Woods, Armand Hammer, Open Mike Eagle and so many others. Just a few weeks ago, Phantom Limb released his latest album Boatshoes, a collaboration with one of most fun and creative emcees performing today Brian Ennals, and it is incredible! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to musician Chad Matheny. Raised in Jacksonville, FL, Chad began recording music as Emperor X in 1998. Though he had a deep interest in science and pursued an advanced degree in physics, music was his true calling, and in 2012 he moved to Berlin to tour more easily. Chad has recorded almost two dozen albums and EPs as Emperor X, and his latest Unified Field was just released at the end of June on Bar/None, and it is fantastic! This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!  

On today's episode, I talk to historian and journalist Daniel Bessner. Danny is a true renaissance man, but not in the Danny DeVito sense. As an academic, he is the Anne H.H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. He is also the author of two books, Democracy in Exile and Imperialist Realism and the co-editor of a number of anthologies, including Cold War Liberalism: Power in a Time of Emergency, which just came out in January. As a podcaster, Danny is the co-host with Derek Davison of the fantastic U.S. foreign policy and global affairs podcast American Prestige, which packs more news and analysis into every second than most other political podcasts pack into their entire run. This is the website for Beginnings, subscribe on Apple Podcasts, follow me on Twitter. Check out my free philosophy Substack where I write essays every couple months here and my old casiopop band's lost album here! And the comedy podcast I do with my wife Naomi Couples Therapy can be found here! Theme song by the fantastic Savoir Adore! Second theme by the brilliant Mike Pace! Closing theme by the delightful Gregory Brothers! Podcast art by the inimitable Beano Gee!