Hum (band)

Hum is an American alternative rock band from Champaign, Illinois, United States. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars". After initially disbanding in 2000, Hum were largely inactive (save for sporadic performances) until reuniting in 2015 for a series of short tours. On June 23, 2020, the band announced and released Inlet, their first album of new material in over twenty-two years.

For other uses, see Hum.
Hum
OriginChampaign, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Years active1989 (1989)–2000, 2003, 2005, 2008–2013, 2015–present
LabelsMud Records, 12 Inch Records, Cargo, RCA, Sony BMG, Martians Go Home, Polyvinyl
Websitewww.humbandofficial.com
Members
  • Matt Talbott
  • Tim Lash
  • Jeff Dimpsey
  • Bryan St. Pere

History

Founding and early recordings

The initial line-up of the band formed in 1989, with guitarist Andy Switzky, guitarist Matt Talbott, bass guitarist Akis Boyatzis and drummer Jeff Kropp. Talbott and Switzky met at a cafe named Treno's, in Urbana, 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 of Honcho Overload; Switzky had performed in the semi-serious live band Obvious Man and had studio experience with Designer Mustard Gas.[4]

The group performed at Akis' basement for their initial months. Due to a suggestion from Rick Valentin of Poster Children, the band chose the name Hum (over contenders like Grendel'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 a Rush record out of his apartment window and recruiting him.[5]

This line-up was not to last long, though, as Boyatzis left home for Greece 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. Due to 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 engineer Steve Albini's basement in Chicago.

The band recorded eight songs in first or second takes, with only vocal overdubs and had an official demo to shop around, named Kissing 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 between punk rock and heavy 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 the Parasol 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 named Tim Lash, almost a decade their junior, to play guitar. His previous experience had been in a speed metal group The Grand Vizars (with Joe Ludwinski from Scurvine and Matt Friedburger from The 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.

Mainstream success

The classic lineup of the band was in place, and the quartet headed to Idful Studios with Brad Wood producing Electra 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 from RCA 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 debut You'd Prefer an Astronaut in 1995. The album would produce their biggest hit, the single "Stars", which ended up peaking at #11 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and #28 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. They also supported the album with promotional appearances on Space Ghost Coast to Coast, The Howard Stern Show, 120 Minutes, and a hit video that was also featured on Beavis and Butthead.[6][7][8]

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.[9]

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 the Billboard 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 favorite the Police's "Invisible Sun" for the X-Files: Fight the Future film soundtrack. At the last minute, Sting and Aswad decided to record a reggae cover, keeping the band from a large potential fan base.[10] Due to disappointing sales, and large record label mergers, the band was dropped from their contract in 2000. While touring in Canada, the band's van got into a minor accident, signaling the last straw.[11] They played their final shows in 2000 on December 29 in St. Louis, Missouri and December 31 in Chicago.

Post-Hum projects

Talbott went on to form Centaur with local musicians Derek Niedringhaus and Jim Kelly. The former had been in Castor and Sarge, 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 of "Downward Is Heavenward" and the re-release of Electra 2000 on CD. A second is being produced.[12] Talbott produces in his studio Great Western Recorders, now Earth Analog Records and has started a family.[13] He also teaches at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Talbott is also currently contributing to Open Hand, on Trustkill Records, and contributed vocals to First Days of Spring from the Neverending White Lights album Act 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 ep Exit Now, and a second full-length, This = Everything. The band was also featured on the Parasol compilation Sweet Sixteen, Volume 2. He moved to Texas 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 duo Glifted 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 released Under 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. The 2009 Pygmalion Music Festival featured sets from both Gazelle and Alpha Mile. This was Gazelle's debut live show.

Bryan has largely quit music with a brief stint on Vykanthrope's The Devil's Waiting EP 2013 thundering through Viking War Doom and is rumored to have taken up residence in Indiana in the pharmaceutical industry. He also has a family of his own.

Reunions

In 2003, the band reunited for a one-off appearance at Furnace Fest near downtown Birmingham, Alabama at the historic Sloss Furnaces.[14] Furnace Fest, held August 15–17, 2003, was a festival of hard rock, alternative, indie, and emo 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 Furnacefest called their bluff. 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.[15][16][17]

Though declining to reform on a permanent basis, Hum has continued to perform occasional club shows and regional festival appearances.[18] "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 with The A.V. Club, for whom Hum headlined a show in 2011, Matt Talbott affirmed that Hum was likely to continue on an informal, sporadic basis.[19]

In May 2010, Miami-based record label Pop Up Records, announced a Hum tribute album in the works entitled "Songs of Farewell and Departure: A Tribute to Hum" featuring Funeral 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 in Austin, Texas.[20][21]

In June 2015, it was announced that Hum would partake in two brief tours. In August 2015, Hum opened for Failure for five shows on the east coast of the United States.[22] 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 with the band Mineral on the west coast.[23][24] After the tour was announced, drummer Bryan St. Pere parted ways with the band, with Jason Gerken of Shiner taking his place.[25] After the conclusion of the tour, St. Pere rejoined the band. The reformed band has confirmed that they are recording new music.[26] On June 23, 2020, the band surprise-released their fifth studio album, entitled Inlet. The album managed to peak at #15 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and at #30 on the Billboard Current Album Sales chart.[27][28][29]

Influence

Hum has been cited as an influence by multiple groups and artists, including Chino Moreno of Deftones,[30] Deafheaven,[23] and others.

Members
  • Matt Talbott – vocals, rhythm guitar (1989—2000, 2003, 2011—present)
  • Bryan St. Pere – drums (1990—2000, 2003, 2011—2015, 2015—present)
  • Jeff Dimpsey – bass guitar (1993—2000, 2003, 2011—present)
  • Tim Lash – lead guitar (1993—2000, 2003, 2011—present)
Previous members
  • Andy Switzky – guitar, vocals (1989—1993)
  • Akis Boyatzis – bass guitar (1989—1990)
  • Jeff Kropp – drums (1989—1990)
  • Joe Futrelle – bass guitar (1990)
  • Rod Van Huis – bass guitar (1990—1991)
  • Baltie de Lay – bass guitar (1991—1993)
  • Jason Gerken – drums (2015)

Discography

Studio albums
Title Album details Peak chart positions
US
[31]		 US Heat.
[32]
Fillet Show
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: 12 Inch Records
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 ——
Electra 2000
  • Released: October 19, 1993
  • Label: 12 Inch Records, Martians Go Home
  • Formats: CD, cassette, vinyl
 ——
You'd Prefer an Astronaut
  • Released: April 11, 1995
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: CD, cassette, vinyl
 1051
Downward Is Heavenward
  • Released: January 27, 1998
  • Label: RCA
  • Formats: CD, cassette, vinyl
 1506
Inlet
  • Released: June 23, 2020
  • Label: Earth Analog Records
  • Formats: CD, digital, vinyl
 1111[33]

Demos
  • Kissing Me Is Like Kissing an Angel
  • It's Gonna Be a Midget X-mas

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
U.S. Mod
[34]		 U.S. Main
[35]
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.

Music videos
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"

References
  1. Butler, Blake. "Hum | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  2. Bale, Pooja (July 7, 2020). "Hum stuns after 22 years of silence with surprise comeback 'Inlet'". The Daily Californian. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  3. "Hum is working on first new material in 18 years". Treble. March 8, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  4. Dapier, Jarrett (December 31, 2008). "Q&A: Hum Discusses Chicago Reunion, Lyrical Intentions, and Artistic Integrity". Alarm. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  5. Asplund, Kaleb (January 6, 2017). "A Home for Freaks: A Conversation with Poster Children". ovrld. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  6. Singer, Patrick (January 31, 2014). "Please watch this video of HUM on Beavis and Butthead". Smile Politely. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  7. Steinbacher, John (September 25, 2012). "We need it more than they do-An interview with Hum". Smile Politely. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  8. Blum, Sam (April 19, 2016). "Hum's You'd Prefer An Astronaut is an overlooked masterpiece". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  9. Devenish, Colin (June 23, 1998). "Hum Shoot For Stars With New Record". MTV. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  10. "The good news is, there are some unreleased HUM songs out there". humunreleased. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  11. Jayasuriya, Mehan (January 13, 2009). "Better Late Than Never: On Seeing Hum After a 10 Year Wait". PopMatters. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  12. "Discussing Life and A New Record with Matt Talbott". inmusicwetrust.com. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  13. Spicer, Justin (October 18, 2011). "Matt Talbott Discusses His New Label, Hum, and Winter Garments". SSG Music. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  14. "Furnace Fest 2003". songkick. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  15. White, Adam. "She thinks she missed the train to Furnace Fest". punknews.org. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  16. Wong, Miranda ZY. (December 6, 2019). "Furnace Fest Returns After Over a Decade-Long Hiatus and Announces 2020 Lineup Featuring Boysetsfire, Evergreen Terrace and Beloved". mxdwn Music. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  17. "Upcoming Hum shows?". Reddit. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  18. Reger, Rick (December 15, 1995). "HUM BUG". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  19. Galil, Leor (September 9, 2011). "Hum's Matt Talbott". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  20. "Hum pics & audio from FFF Fest". BrooklynVegan. December 5, 2011.
  21. "A.V. Fest Day 1 in pics & review (Hum, The Thermals, Disappears, Eef Barzelay, Maritime & more)". BrooklynVegan. September 14, 2011.
  22. "Hum announce separate tours with Failure and Mineral". BrooklynVegan. June 8, 2015.
  23. Barton, Chris (September 19, 2015). "Hum and the Unlikely Second Act of an Alt-Rock Band at the Regent". L. A. Times.
  24. Adams, Gregory (June 8, 2015). "Mineral and Hum Announce Co-Headlining West Coast Tour". Exclaim!.
  25. "Bryan St. Pere Leaving, Replaced by Jason Gerken". Reddit.com. June 11, 2015.
  26. "HUM - Timeline | Facebook". Facebook.com. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  27. Strauss, Matthew (June 23, 2020). "Hum Return With Inlet, First New Album in 22 Years". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  28. "Hear Hum's First New Album in Over 20 Years: 'Inlet'". Revolver. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  29. Sacher, Andrew (June 24, 2020). "Hum's reunion album 'Inlet' cements their legacy further than ever before – review". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  30. Turner, Luke (November 23, 2010). "Bakers Dozen: Deftones' Chino Moreno Chooses His Top 13 Albums". The Quietus. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  31. "Hum Chart History". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  32. "Hum Chart History". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  33. "Heatseekers Albums Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  34. "Hum Chart History". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
  35. "Hum Chart History". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved September 13, 2018.
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