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07-01 Hum drummer passes away
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https://humband.bandcamp.com/ Hum is an American alternative rock band from Champaign, Illinois. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars." 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. Matt and Andy met at a cafe named Treno's, in Urbana, Illinois, where Andy worked. Discussions about music led to the two forming the nucleus of Hum. Matt had previously played in the local group We Ate Plato and was presently a member of Honcho Overload;Andy had performed in the semi-serious ...read more
https://humband.bandcamp.com/ Hum is an American alternative rock band from Champaign, Illinois. They are best known for their 1995 radio hit "Stars." 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. Matt and Andy met at a cafe named Treno's, in Urbana, Illinois, where Andy worked. Discussions about music led to the two forming the nucleus of Hum. Matt had previously played in the local group We Ate Plato and was presently a member of Honcho Overload;Andy had performed in the semi-serious live band Obvious Man and had studio experience with Designer Mustard Gas.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.This line-up was not to last long, though, as Akis left home for Greece in 1990. Local musician Joe Futrelle, who played with Andy in Designer Mustard Gas joined briefly, before leaving for more serious musical pursuits, and was replaced by Rod Van Huis, also of Steak Daddy Six. Due to personal reasons, he amicably split the band, and went on to perform in the Great Crusades. With the addition of Balthazar "Baltie" deLay, of the band Mother (later Menthol), the band recorded their first demo in famous engineer Steve Albini's basement in Chicago, Illinois.The band recorded eight songs infirst or second takes, with only vocal overdubs, and had an official demoto shop around, named Is Like Kissing an Angel (She Said). At this point, the group's primary singer, guitarist, and songwriter was Andy, and that remained the case when their first album, Fillet Show, was released by local label 12 Inch Records in 1991. The album features a faster, heavier sound somewhere between punk music and heavy metal,with more overt political and humorous material than the later oblique lyrics that Matt Talbott would write.Pressure grew on Baltie 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, Matt suggested Jeff Dimpsey, his bandmate in Honcho Overload. 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 andbrought in alternative music to record stores in Champaign.In the interim between these singles and the next album, creative differences grew between members of the band, and Andy left.The remaining members recruited a local fan named Tim Lash, almost a decade their junior, to play guitar. 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 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", with promotional appearances on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, and The Howard Stern Show.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.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, and the band only sold 30,000 copies by the end of the year.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. 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. They played their final shows in 2000 on December 29 in St. Louis, Missouri and December 31 in Chicago, Illinois. « hide |
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