The Thermals at Exit/In 10-20-10

by Dave Sharp on Oct 21^st, 2010

Evan P. Donohue
Cymbals Eat Guitar
The Thermals

Exit/In
October 20, 2010

I showed up late for this show, and was kicking myself the entire trip down to Elliston Place because I had been real excited to see local favorite Evan P. Donohue.  Fortunately, I walked in during one of my favorite EPD tracks “## Epidemic” and with plenty of his set remaining.  The crowd was a bit dull for what I was expecting leading to some disappointment for the entire show in the energy department.  Donohue, a former guitarist for the punk outfit Diarrhea Planet, cut his album Rythym and Aplitude in the spring and is slowly garnering a following outside of his standard group.  This show was an obvious opportunity to catch some new ears and I’m sure he made a good first impression.  The music was much more primal than projects from his polished recordings, but its fun, lyrically impressive and quality, rootsy rock that will grab you in multiple spots on the emotional spectrum.  I’m looking forward to catching him headlining at The End with a room full of fans.

Maybe I’m slow to see it, but I’m picking up this huge 90’s indie/emo revival out there and totally digging it.  Cymbals Eat Guitar are the latest example of this, with their Jawbreaker meets Sunny Day Real Estate live sound and white-T-and-jeans pseudo-grunge look.  Their tunes featured slow melodic Explosions in the Sky-esque breakdowns that burst into punk-rockin’ vocal explosions.  It’s not as refined at Sunny Day Real Estate, but it’s a cool dynamic live, sometimes literally blowing your face back.  My only complaint was that it was too melodic and with a monotone stage presence, I found the songs blurring together in my conscious.

The Thermals hit the stage at almost at 11 (this was a tightly-managed show; the sets were on time, the bands kept their time well and nothing was skimped) and the mostly middle-aged and balding crowd looked ready for the action, setting up some sloppy dance pits in the front with totally indiscernible moves.  The size of the crowd was totally disppointing; I was expecting much more out of Music City, but then again, there wasn’t much hype around town before the show (besides at Sinizine.net, of course).  I wouldn’t miss another show they put on, especially since an appearance in Nashville is rare for them.  They last came through with Cursive, which must have been a killer few hours, and that was years ago (2006 at City Hall).  If for nothing else, you have to catch a Thermals show just to hear Hutch Harris sing.  He sports one of my favorite voices right up there and comparable to the soulful punk crooner Josh Caterer or the versatile Geoff Rickely.  The quality tunes that come pressed to vinyl and burned to disc were artfully replicated in their live sound, an admirably rare feat.  For not partaking in any eccentricities on stage, the vibe coming from up front was energetic and their drummer Westin Glass led the charge standing up and provoking the crowd in between and during nearly every song.

Keep your ear to the ground for the next Thermals show and grab Evan P. Donohue’s debut here and don’t miss him next time (showing up late is forgivable).

-Dave Sharp