Hum at the Record Bar

After two stellar shows in Illinois, Hum quickly sold out their show at the Record Bar in Kansas City as a warm up to their Fun Fun Fun Festival set. While I wasn't feeling well for a number of days, I booked a last minute flight to Kansas City when I saw Hum added an early show. Two sets of Hum would provide me enough adrenaline and positive energy to get me through this tumultuous year.

The Life and Times




Bringing back good memories of their reunion shows of 2008/2009, The Life and Times once again opened both sets. Sonically, The Life and Times are a good fit to open for Hum as they fall somewhere in the post rock world with shades of Burning Airlines.

After absorbing two of their sets, my appreciation for the band definitely grew. Bassist Eric Abert was pulling double duty switching between his Realistic keyboard and a Schecter baritone guitar while drummer Chris Metcalf pummeled his drum kit while occasionally adding some keyboard work.

Lead singer and guitarist Allen Epley had his hands full between slashing away on his guitar and belting out the lyrics. Epley mentioned they have a new album due in January which I will definitely check out.

Hum






Early Show

The familiar haunting metallic swoosh of noise that kicks off "Suicide Machine" immediately confirmed that it was the right decision to fly out for the show. I was positioned directly in front of bassist Jeff Dimpsey and able to see him attack his G&L bass for the song. Guitars would roar and cymbals were smashed for "The Pod" and the crushing riff of "Iron Clad Lou". Tim Lash triggered the opening notes of "Green To Me" on his Fender Big Apple Stratocaster.

"Stars" made an early appearance in their set and still rocks no matter how many thousands of times I've heard the song. It was very impressive to see Lash And Talbott lock in on the furious metal breakdown. "Ms. Lazarus" was pure aural bliss as Bryan St. Pere crushed his drum kit making me wonder if it could withstand two sets in one day.

Continuing to visit Downward Is Heavenward, "Comin' Home" was another bombastic blast of guitars, bass and drums. Having seen a number of Hum reunion shows, it was evident that their playing was sharper and even better rehearsed. The detuned crunch of "Cloud City" rattled my bones as I was in awe of St. Pere's drumming at the end of the song along with the extreme coordinated precise riffing by Dimpsey, Lash and Talbott.

The deceptive quiet notes of "I Hate It Too" soon devolved into the epic rumble of guitars that served as the final blast of those attending the early show. Unfortunately due to time constraints, "I'd Like Your Hair Long" and another song were omitted. It was almost unreal to think I would see a similar set in just a few hours after.

Late Show

A vortex of swirl in the form of "Little Dipper" kicked off the late show and it seemed that Hum had even more energy. Talbott was using both his Ampeg and Orange heads simultaneously for the intoxicating wall of noise with a distinct MXR Phase 90 coloring. The transition to "I'd Like Your Hair Long" had me elated as they are both my favorite songs from "You'd Prefer An Astronaut".

My elation soon went off the charts when they played "Winder" which is one of my favorite tracks from Electra 2000. Extra points goes to St. Pere for recreating the vicious drumming at the tail end of the song.
It was almost a dream setlist as they ripped through "The Pod", "I Hate It Too" and "Green To Me". The other unreleased song in Hum's cannon is "Inklings" which seems to undergo minor revisions each time I hear the song live but rocks regardlessly every time .

The super detuned portion of the show was fantastic as they blasted out "Cloud City" and another personal favorite that hits close to home "The Scientists". It all seemed to end in a flash as they wrapped up their set with "Comin' Home" and "Iron Clad Lou". Hum was fully prepared for their set at Fun Fun Fun fest. One can only hope for more Hum shows in 2012 and the possibility they will release an EP with "Inklings" and "Cloud City". Also, make sure to check out Matt Talbott's label Earth Analog which released Dibiase and New Ruins.

Hum Setlist Early show (11/4/11)
"Suicide Machine"
"The Pod"
"Iron Clad Lou"
"Green To Me"
"Stars"
"Ms. Lazarus"
"Inklings"
"Afternoon with the Axolotls"
"Comin' Home"
"Cloud City"
"I Hate It Too"

Hum Setlist Late show (11/4/11)
"Little Dipper"
"I'd Like Your Hair Long"
"Winder"
"Afternoon with the Axolotls"
"The Pod"
"I Hate It Too"
"Green To Me"
"Inklings"
"Stars"
"Cloud City"
"The Scientists"
"Comin' Home"
"Iron Clad Lou"

Hum at the Double Door (1/1/09)

My review of Hum on New Years Eve is here.

Seeing Hum after twelve years was a dream come true. I didn't schedule my flight back to Los Angeles right away just in case they added an extra night. I continued to peruse the Double Door website and immediately got a ticket for the second show on New Years day. I didn't expect to hear any different songs but was excited just to see them again.

The atmosphere was more subdued for this show since everyone was probably hung over and it wasn't an open bar show. Hum did switch up the setlist by starting off with the shimmering "Isle of The Cheetah". The overall sound mix was improved as the blending of Matt Talbott (Vocals/Guitars)and Tim Lash's guitars was flawless. Tim gave me a scare early when he was tuning up an ESP Guitar. I thought he beat up Fender had finally gave out. Tim's magical Fender would finally surface when Hum took the stage.

"The Pod" was fierce but didn't include the phasing like the recorded version on You'd Prefer An Astronaut. The guitars would really roar during the ending of "Iron Clad Lou" with both Matt and Tim crushing the repetitive Drop-D tuned riff.

A trifecta of Downward Is Heavenward tunes in the form of "Green To Me", "Ms. Lazarus" and "Afternoon With Axoltols" simply destroyed as I still was in disbelieve that I got to see Hum twice. Even though I have a test pressing You'd Prefer An Astronaut on vinyl, I was unfamiliar with the song "Inklings" which is a B-side from Downward Is Heavenward era. Does anybody remember the song "Overthruster"? They played it in England when I saw them in a small club when I happened to be on vacation.

Even though I have heard "Stars" way too many times with the Cadillac commercials, seeing it live is something to behold. The crowd went crazy again just like the night before. "Comin' Home" tore up my eardrums as Matt switched between his screams and spoken vocals. I still remember seeing the video on 120 minutes on MTV. Check out Youtube for some footage of Hum on 120 minutes when they played "Stars" and "I Like Your Hair Long"

The setlist had "Double Dip" or "Winder" written down as the encore. Hum went for the riff heavy "Winder" from Electra 2000 which pleased a number of old school Hum fans. I wanted to hear "Dreamboat" but still was glad that they played "I Like Your Hair Long" to close their set. I also purchased two Hum t-shirts and two different posters from each night. The icing on the cake was when I caught one of Bryan's drum sticks to cap my memorable trip to Chicago. I would like to personally thank Hum and the Double Door for making 2009 a year to remember.

Hum Setlist at the Double Door (1/1/09)
"Isle of The Cheetah"
"The Pod"
"Iron Clad Lou"
"Pewter"
"Suicide Machine"
"Green To Me"
"Ms. Lazarus"
"Afternoon With Axoltols"
"Inklings"
"Stars"
"Shovel"
"Comin' Home"
"I Hate It Too"
"Winder"
"I Like Your Hair Long"

Hum at the Double Door (12/31/08)

My review of Hum on New Years Day is here.

At the stroke of midnight, the impossible happened. I witnessed a devastating set by one of my all time favorite bands, Hum. The last time I saw Hum was almost twelve years ago in England of all places. Out of all the concerts I have reviewed on my site, I never would have dreamed of seeing Hum. The Cadillac commercial gave me a glimmer of hope and I had wishfully thought they might reunite back in September of 2007.

The bombshell would come in October 2008 when a commenter stated Hum would play the Double Door for a reunion show. I immediately booked my flight and was determined to go. The icing on the cake was when they added a second show on 1/1. Even though it was 23 degrees and I could possibly get snowed in, I was willing to take the chance.

It seems that Hum still had all of its original equipment as Tim Lash (Guitars) was still playing his battered Fender guitar through a Hiwatt amplifier and Matt Talbott (Vocals/Guitars) was using his Gibson Les Paul Studio into two Orange Amplifier heads. Jeff Dimpsey (Bass) was rocking a G&L bass through a Trace Elliott amplifier.

"Afternoon With The Axoltols" transported me back instantly as I was simply amazed how good Hum sounded. The guitar tone of Matt and Tim was exactly like I remembered it. Bryan St. Pere (Drums) was pulverizing his drum kit and tossing in some stick twirls like the good old days. The driving intro of "The Pod" was pure aural bliss, as I still couldn't believe I was witnessing Hum. Matt would frequently smile and look at Tim, seeing that the crowd in front of the stage was going insane. I overheard people in the front coming from such places as North Carolina, Dallas, California and Florida.

"Iron Clad Lou" from Electra 2000 was a blast from the past as Matt dug deep to scream the lyrics. The double shot of "Green To Me and "Comin' Home" convinced me that this trip was worth every penny as the guitars roared in unison behind the clamped down rhythm section of Jeff and Bryan. Tim also would flick the strings on his headstock for some metallic overtones. I highly recommend you pickup Tim's other project Glifted that is primarily a guitar frenzied masterpiece.

"Ms. Lazarus" was as razor sharp as possible with the smoke machine on overdrive billowing smoke on the stage. It seems like Hum rehearsed quite a bit as they effortlessly recreated the same magic on stage. I always thought Hum was ahead of their time and still think their music sounds even better today compared to a good majority of bands from the nineties.

The requisite "Cadillac Song" (ie "Stars") was played and the crowd lost their minds. My spine tingled during Matt's ultra heavy palm muted "solo" breakdown. Matt nailed every note perfectly. Hum closed out the evening with my top song "I Like Your Hair Long" in its Drop-D guitars full throttled glory. I was hoping for "Dreamboat" but was still fortunate to witness such a riveting set. The bar for 2009 is starting extremely high and I don't know who is going to top these two shows. I can only hope Goldenvoice ponies up some cash for Hum to play Coachella in April.

Hum Setlist at the Double Door (12/31/08)
"Afternoon With The Axoltols"
"The Pod"
"Iron Clad Lou"
"Little Dipper"
"Green To Me"
"Comin' Home"
"Suicide Machine"
"The Inuit Promise"
"Ms. Lazarus"
"Shovel"
"Inklings"
"Stars"
"I Hate It Too"
"Isle of the Cheetah"
"I Like Your Hair Long"

Matt Talbott Guitar Pedals