Let’s flash back to the summer. Westin Glass is sitting in his downstairs neighbors’ apartment. He pops in The Thermals’ forthcoming release, Personal Life, and awaits their feedback. Perhaps they listen to the whole record, or perhaps Glass skips around, touching on crunchy AltPop tracks like “I’m Gonna Change Your Life” and “I Don’t Believe You.” Perhaps he mentions that Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie produced the record.
At one point, though, his neighbors say something. “Well, you’re a better drummer than that, right?”
It’s mid-September, and Glass is laughing about the moment.
“I think a lot of people associate skill with show-off-y-ness,” he says by phone from Portland, Ore. “They thought that (bandmates) Hutch and Kathy had told me not to play more complicated parts, but that’s exactly what I wanted to play.”
He’s OK with simplicity.
The Thermals play a free show at Mayday Thursday. Go here to read Rich Shivener's full story on The Thermals and to get show and club details.
