Editing Hum (band) (section)

==History==
===Founding and early recordings===
The initial lineup 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|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]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Dapier|first=Jarrett|date=31 December 2008|title=Q&A: Hum Discusses Chicago Reunion, Lyrical Intentions, and Artistic Integrity|url=https://alarm-magazine.com/2008/qa-hum-discusses-chicago-reunion-lyrical-intentions-and-artistic-integrity/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=Alarm}}</ref>

The group performed at Akis' basement for their initial months. At the suggestion of 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 (band)|Rush]] record out of his apartment window and recruiting him.<ref>{{cite web|last=Asplund|first=Kaleb|date=6 January 2017|title=A Home for Freaks: A Conversation with Poster Children|url=https://ovrld.com/interviews/poster-children-interview/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=ovrld}}</ref>

This lineup 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. 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 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 music|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 Music Corporation|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 (Hum song)|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 video that was included in an episode of [[Beavis and Butthead]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Singer|first=Patrick|date=31 January 2014|title=Please watch this video of HUM on Beavis and Butthead|url=http://smilepolitely.com/splog/please_watch_this_video_of_hum_on_beavis_and_butthead/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=Smile Politely}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Steinbacher|first=John|date=25 September 2012|title=We need it more than they do-An interview with Hum|url=http://www.smilepolitely.com/music/we_need_it_more_than_they_do/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=Smile Politely}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Blum|first=Sam|date=19 April 2016|title=Hum's You'd Prefer An Astronaut is an overlooked masterpiece|url=https://www.avclub.com/hum-s-you-d-prefer-an-astronaut-is-an-overlooked-master-1798246456|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>

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]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Devenish|first=Colin|date=23 June 1998|title=Hum Shoot For Stars With New Record|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/400049/hum-shoot-for-stars-with-new-record/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627070107/http://www.mtv.com/news/400049/hum-shoot-for-stars-with-new-record/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 27, 2020|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[MTV]]}}</ref>

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 (film)|The X-Files]]'' film soundtrack. At the last minute, [[Sting (musician)|Sting]] and [[Aswad (band)|Aswad]] decided to record a [[reggae]] cover, keeping the band from a large potential fan base.<ref>{{cite web |title=The good news is, there are some unreleased HUM songs out there. |url=http://members.tripod.com/h_u_m/unreleased.html |website=humunreleased |access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jayasuriya|first=Mehan|date=13 January 2009|title=Better Late Than Never: On Seeing Hum After a 10 Year Wait|url=https://www.popmatters.com/69034-better-late-than-never-on-seeing-hum-after-a-10-year-wait-2496075191.html|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[PopMatters]]}}</ref> 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 (band)|Castor]] and [[Sarge (band)|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 [[compact disc|CD]]. A second is being produced.<ref>{{cite web |title=Discussing Life and A New Record with Matt Talbott |url=https://www.inmusicwetrust.com/articles/56h01.html |website=inmusicwetrust.com |access-date=24 June 2020}}</ref> Talbott produces in his studio Great Western Recorders, now [http://www.earthanalogrecords.com/ Earth Analog Records] and has started a family.<ref>{{cite web|last=Spicer|first=Justin|date=18 October 2011|title=Matt Talbott Discusses His New Label, Hum, and Winter Garments|url=http://www.ssgmusic.com/matt-talbott-discusses-his-new-label-hum-and-winter-garments/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=SSG Music}}</ref> 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 [[Pygmalion Music Festival|2009 Pygmalion Music Festival]] featured sets from both Gazelle and Alpha Mile. This was Gazelle's debut live show.

===Reunions===
In 2003, the band reunited for a one-off appearance at [[Furnace Fest]] near downtown [[Birmingham, Alabama|Birmingham]], [[Alabama]] at the historic [[Sloss Furnaces]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.songkick.com/festivals/57886-furnace-fest/id/4315086-furnace-fest-2003|title=Furnace Fest 2003|publisher=songkick|access-date=8 June 2015}}</ref> Furnace Fest, held August 15–17, 2003, was a festival of [[hard rock]], [[Alternative rock|alternative]], [[indie rock|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 Furnace Fest called their bluff.{{citation needed|date=June 2015}} 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.<ref>{{cite web|last=White|first=Adam|title=She thinks she missed the train to Furnace Fest|url=https://www.punknews.org/article/6604/she-thinks-she-missed-the-train-to-furnace-fest|access-date=24 June 2020|website=punknews.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Wong|first=Miranda ZY.|date=6 December 2019|title=Furnace Fest Returns After Over a Decade-Long Hiatus and Announces 2020 Lineup Featuring Boysetsfire, Evergreen Terrace and Beloved|url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2019/12/06/news/furnace-fest-returns-after-over-a-decade-long-hiatus-and-announces-2020-lineup-featuring-boysetsfire-evergreen-terrace-and-beloved/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=mxdwn Music}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Upcoming Hum shows?|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/hum/comments/end9so/upcoming_hum_shows/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[Reddit]]|date=January 11, 2020 }}</ref>

Though declining to re-form on a permanent basis, Hum has continued to perform occasional club shows and regional festival appearances.<ref>{{cite web|last=Reger|first=Rick|date=15 December 1995|title=HUM BUG|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-12-15-9512150254-story.html|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref>
"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]], Matt Talbott affirmed that Hum was likely to continue on an informal, sporadic basis.<ref>{{cite web|last=Galil|first=Leor|date=9 September 2011|title=Hum's Matt Talbott|url=https://www.avclub.com/hum-s-matt-talbott-1798227453|access-date=25 December 2014|website=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref>

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 (band)|Constants]], [[Junius (band)|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]].<ref>{{cite web|date=5 December 2011|title=Hum pics & audio from FFF Fest|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/12/hum_live_audio.html|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=14 September 2011|title=A.V. Fest Day 1 in pics & review (Hum, The Thermals, Disappears, Eef Barzelay, Maritime & more)|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/chicago/2011/09/av_fest_day_1.html|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]}}</ref>

In June 2015, it was announced that Hum would partake in two brief tours. In August 2015, Hum opened for [[Failure (band)|Failure]] for five shows on the east coast of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2015/06/hum_announce_se.html|title=Hum announce separate tours with Failure and Mineral|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]|date=8 June 2015}}</ref> 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 [[Mineral (band)|Mineral]] on the West Coast.<ref name="unlikely">{{cite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-hum-the-second-act-of-an-alt-rock-band-at-the-regent-20150918-story.html |title=Hum and the Unlikely Second Act of an Alt-Rock Band at the Regent |website=[[L. A. Times]] |date=19 September 2015 |last=Barton |first=Chris}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Adams|first=Gregory|date=8 June 2015|title=Mineral and Hum Announce Co-Headlining West Coast Tour|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/mineral_hum_announce_co-headlining_west_coast_tour|website=[[Exclaim!]]}}</ref>  After the tour was announced, drummer Bryan St. Pere sat out the tour, with [[Jason Gerken]] of [[Shiner (band)|Shiner]] subbing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reddit.com/r/hum/comments/39jqfb/bryan_st_pere_leaving_replaced_by_jason_gerken/|title=Bryan St. Pere Leaving, Replaced by Jason Gerken|website=Reddit.com|date=11 June 2015}}</ref> On June 23, 2020, the band surprise-released their fifth studio album, entitled ''[[Inlet (album)|Inlet]]''. The album peaked at #15 on the ''Billboard Heatseekers Albums'' chart and at #30 on the ''Billboard Current Album Sales'' chart.<ref>{{cite web|last=Strauss|first=Matthew|date=23 June 2020|title=Hum Return With Inlet, First New Album in 22 Years|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/hum-return-with-inlet-first-new-album-in-22-years-listen/|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=23 June 2020|title=Hear Hum's First New Album in Over 20 Years: 'Inlet'|url=https://www.revolvermag.com/music/hear-hums-first-new-album-over-20-years-inlet|access-date=24 June 2020|website=[[Revolver (magazine)|Revolver]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sacher|first=Andrew|date=June 24, 2020|title=Hum's reunion album 'Inlet' cements their legacy further than ever before – review|url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/hums-reunion-album-inlet-cements-their-legacy-further-than-ever-before-review/|access-date=June 24, 2020|website=[[BrooklynVegan]]}}</ref>

Drummer Bryan St. Pere died on June 29, 2021, at age 53.<ref>{{cite web |title=RIP Hum drummer Bryan St. Pere |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/rip-hum-drummer-bryan-st-pere/ |website=BrooklynVegan |access-date=1 July 2021}}</ref><ref name="obi">{{cite web |url=https://www.boonefuneralhome.net/obituary/Bryan-StPere|title=Bryan St. Pere April 2, 1968 ~ June 29, 2021 (age 53)|date=|access-date=July 31, 2021|website=boonefuneralhome.net}}</ref>