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The Thermals didn’t leave their idealism behind when they moved from DIY basement shows to club gigs. In an era when few musicians lose sleep over their anthems soundtracking car commercials, the Portland, Ore., trio turned down Hummer’s offer of $50,000 to use the song “It’s Trivia”—no doubt a tempting proposition given that vocalist Hutch Harris spent the better part of four years slinging coffee to subsidize his rock ’n’ roll dreams. But anyone who’s ever given the Thermals’ 2006 Sub Pop offering The Body, the Blood, the Machine a listen knows that Harris is more than comfortable cloaking his political convictions and aversion to the Christian right in fuzzy power chords and catchy choruses—sort of like Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin, minus the SAT words. The Thermals perform with Reporter and History at 9 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $13. (202) 667-7960. —Maggie Serota