Hum | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Champaign,Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
|
| Labels | |
| Members |
|
| Past members |
|
Hum is an Americanalternative rock band fromChampaign,Illinois, United States. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars". After initially disbanding in 2000, Hum was largely inactive (save for sporadic performances) until reuniting in 2015 for a series of short tours. On June 23, 2020, the band announced and releasedInlet, their first album of new material in over twenty-two years.
The initial lineup of the band formed in 1989, with guitarist Andy Switzky, guitarist Matt Talbott, bass guitaristAkis Boyatzis and drummerJeff Kropp. Talbott and Switzky met at a cafe named Treno's, inUrbana, Illinois, where Switzky worked. Discussions about music led to the two forming the nucleus of Hum. Talbott had previously played in the local group We Ate Plato and was presently a member ofHoncho Overload; Switzky had performed in the semi-serious live bandObvious Man and had studio experience withDesigner Mustard Gas.[6]
The group performed at Akis' basement for their initial months. At the suggestion of Rick Valentin ofPoster Children, the band chose the name Hum (over contenders likeGrendel's Arm, Pod, and Feedbag), an intentional vague description of their sound and went through a second drummer before overhearing Bryan St. Pere playing along to aRush record out of his apartment window and recruiting him.[7]
This lineup was not to last long, though, as Boyatzis left home forGreece in 1990. Local musician Joe Futrelle, who played with Switzky in Designer Mustard Gas joined briefly, before leaving for more serious musical pursuits and was replaced by Rod van Huis, later of Steakdaddy Six. For personal reasons, he amicably left the band and went on to perform in the Great Crusades. With the addition of Balthazar "Baltie" de Lay, of the band Mother (later Menthol), the band recorded their first demo in famed engineerSteve Albini's basement inChicago.
The band recorded eight songs in first or second takes, with only vocal overdubs and had an official demo to shop around, namedKissing Me Is Like Kissing an Angel. At this point, Switzky was the group's primary singer, guitarist and songwriter, which remained the case when their first album,Fillet Show, was released by local label 12 Inch Records in 1991. The album features a faster, heavy sound somewhere betweenpunk rock andheavy metal, with more overt political and humorous material than the later oblique lyrics that Matt Talbott would write.
Pressure grew on de Lay to focus his efforts on Mother and other pursuits, so he too left on good terms with the other members of Hum. Left without a bassist again, Talbott suggested Jeff Dimpsey, his bandmate in Honcho Overload. In that group, and during his brief stint with the Poster Children, Dimpsey played guitar and Talbott actually played bass, but the transition was smooth, and the band recorded two singles, "Hello Kitty" and "Sundress", the former on 12 Inch, and the latter on the new Champaign-based label Mud Records. Around this time, the Champaign scene started to coalesce with members of one band joining up with members of another to form an indefinite amount of one-off side projects, and theParasol Records distribution company helped promote local acts nationally and brought in alternative music to record stores in Champaign, Illinois.
In the interim between these singles and the next album, creative differences grew between members of the band, and Switzky left. The remaining members recruited a local fan namedTim Lash, almost a decade their junior, to play guitar. His previous experience had been in aspeed metal groupThe Grand Vizars (with Joe Ludwinski from Scurvine and Matt Friedburger fromThe Fiery Furnaces), and once casually remarked to the band after a show that if they ever needed a guitarist, they could give him a call.
The classic lineup of the band was in place, and the quartet headed toIdful Studios withBrad Wood producingElectra 2000. The album was released in its first two pressings by 12 Inch Records and distributed through Cargo Records. The lyrics were far more non-linear and conceptual, and introduced some of the space and science imagery that would dominate later songs. The album produced no singles, but due in no small part to distribution by Parasol, caught the attention of representatives fromRCA Records. The band was signed, and hooked up with local club owner and sometimes-musician Ward Gollings as tour manager. They switched to producer Keith Cleversley for their major-label debutYou'd Prefer an Astronaut in 1995. The album would produce their biggest hit, the single "Stars", which ended up peaking at #11 on theBillboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #28 on theBillboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. They also supported the album with promotional appearances onSpace Ghost Coast to Coast,The Howard Stern Show,120 Minutes, and a video that was included in an episode ofBeavis and Butthead.[8][9][10]
The album swiftly sold 250,000 copies, and Hum played their largest dates promoting the record. Further singles "The Pod" and the promotional "I'd Like Your Hair Long" failed to generate much interest, and the band spent much of the rest of the year and 1996 on the road. In late 1997, they teamed with Mark Rubel at Pogo Studios to record their fourth album,Downward Is Heavenward.[11]
The biggest promotion for the album came with an appearance on Modern Rock Live on January 25, 1998, and the album was released in February. Singles "Green to Me" and "Comin' Home" were promotional-only; however, "Comin' Home" would land Hum another appearance on theBillboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, peaking at #37. By the end of the year, the band had only sold 30,000 copies of the album. Around this time, the band missed out on an opportunity to record live favoritethe Police's "Invisible Sun" forThe X-Files film soundtrack. At the last minute,Sting andAswad decided to record areggae cover, keeping the band from a large potential fan base.[12] Due to disappointing sales, and large record label mergers, the band was dropped from their contract in 2000. While touring inCanada, the band's van got into a minor accident, signaling the last straw.[13] They played their final shows in 2000 on December 29 inSt. Louis,Missouri and December 31 in Chicago.
Talbott went on to form Centaur with local musicians Derek Niedringhaus and Jim Kelly. The former had been inCastor andSarge, who had been produced by Talbott, and the latter was involved with Parasol and drummed in 16 Tons and Love Cup. To date, only one album has been released,In Streams, on the Martians Go Home label, set up by the band themselves to release the vinyl version ofDownward Is Heavenward and the re-release ofElectra 2000 onCD. A second is being produced.[14] Talbott produces in his studio Great Western Recorders, nowEarth Analog Records and has started a family.[15] He also teaches atMillikin University inDecatur, Illinois. Talbott is also currently contributing to Open Hand, onTrustkill Records, and contributed vocals to First Days of Spring from theNeverending White Lights albumAct 1: Goodbye Friends of the Heavenly Bodies released in 2005.
Dimpsey resurrected a side-project from 1997,National Skyline with Jeff Garber, also of Castor. This outfit put out a self-titled album, the epExit Now, and a second full-length,This = Everything. The band was also featured on the Parasol compilationSweet Sixteen, Volume 2. He moved toTexas to pursue his career. Dimpsey is currently playing with Adam Fein (Absinthe Blind) in a new band called Gazelle.
Lash has played in other groups after Hum, the electronic duoGlifted with T. J. Harrison of Love Cup, and Balisong, a heavy rock trio with local musicians Eric Steckler and Joe Ludwinski. To date, Glifted have releasedUnder and In on Martians Go Home. A follow-up album was reported to be in production by Lash, but in 2008 he confirmed that Glifted was no more. Balisong never recorded anything, but played a few live shows in Champaign. Lash is currently working with Joe Ludwinski (Scurvine, The Grand Vizars), and Jason Milam (Scurvine, Lovecup) on a new project called Alpha Mile. Alpha Mile played their first show in December 2008 at the Highdive in Champaign. Alpha Mile has been recording off and on, and hope to have an album out in 2010. The2009 Pygmalion Music Festival featured sets from both Gazelle and Alpha Mile. This was Gazelle's debut live show.
In 2003, the band reunited for a one-off appearance atFurnace Fest near downtownBirmingham,Alabama at the historicSloss Furnaces.[16] Furnace Fest, held August 15–17, 2003, was a festival ofhard rock,alternative,indie, andemo acts from across the country. As the story went, the band said that they would be willing to play any show for a high price (assuming that no one would actually be willing to pay that amount), and the organizers at Furnace Fest called their bluff.[citation needed] Hum headlined Saturday night, playing a set and an encore. The band was reportedly dissatisfied with the performance, and actually preferred the surprise warm-up show they played in Champaign directly prior.[17][18][19]
Though declining to re-form on a permanent basis, Hum has continued to perform occasional club shows and regional festival appearances.[20]"We want to play small clubs again and perform just for our fans," says Talbott. "I feel bad that younger kids often can't go to those shows, but it's important for us to have some fun and play for people who care about our music."
In an interview withThe A.V. Club, Matt Talbott affirmed that Hum was likely to continue on an informal, sporadic basis.[21]
In May 2010, Miami-based record label Pop Up Records, announced a Hum tribute album in the works entitledSongs of Farewell and Departure: A Tribute to Hum, featuringFuneral for a Friend, The Esoteric,The Felix Culpa, Anakin, (Damn) This Desert Air,Constants,Junius, City of Ships, Stomacher and more.
The band reunited for a couple of shows in 2011, playing at the inaugural A.V. Fest in Chicago, Illinois, followed by Fun Fun Fun Fest inAustin, Texas.[22][23]
In June 2015, it was announced that Hum would partake in two brief tours. In August 2015, Hum opened forFailure for five shows on the east coast of the United States.[24] The band played an after show for Wrecking Ball Fest in Atlanta, GA in August 2015. Following that, they performed at Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois in September 2015, before embarking on a six-show co-headlining tour withMineral on the West Coast.[25][26] After the tour was announced, drummer Bryan St. Pere sat out the tour, withJason Gerken ofShiner subbing.[27] On June 23, 2020, the band surprise-released their fifth studio album, entitledInlet. The album peaked at #15 on theBillboard Heatseekers Albums chart and at #30 on theBillboard Current Album Sales chart.[28][29][30]
Drummer Bryan St. Pere died on June 29, 2021, at age 53.[31][32]
Hum has been cited as an influence by multiple groups and artists, includingChino Moreno ofDeftones,[33]Deafheaven,[25] andStemage.[34]
Previous members
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [35] | US Heat. [36] | ||
| Fillet Show |
| — | — |
| Electra 2000 |
| — | — |
| You'd Prefer an Astronaut |
| 105 | 1 |
| Downward Is Heavenward |
| 150 | 6 |
| Inlet |
| 111 | 15[37] |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt [38] | US Main [39] | |||
| 1992 | "Hello Kitty" | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Sundress" | — | — | Electra 2000 | |
| 1995 | "Stars" | 11 | 28 | You'd Prefer an Astronaut |
| "The Pod" | — | — | ||
| "I'd Like Your Hair Long" | — | — | ||
| 1998 | "Puppets" / "Aphids" | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Comin' Home" | 37 | — | Downward Is Heavenward | |
| "Green to Me" | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes singles that did not chart. | ||||
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Iron Clad Lou" | 1992 | Electra 2000 |
| "Stars" | 1995 | You'd Prefer an Astronaut |
| "The Pod" | ||
| "Comin' Home" | 1997 | Downward Is Heavenward |
| "Green to Me" |
In June 2020, Hum surprise-released their first album in 22 years, Inlet. Not only does it close a very long gap between Hum albums, it also follows the prominent 2010s trend of bands blending shoegaze with punk and/or metal, a trend that was largely inspired by the music Hum released two decades ago.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |