Tag: Hum
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The Sonic Alchemist of Champaign: Mark Rubel, Pogo Studio, and a Lifetime in Sound
Sitting in a Parkland College recording class inside downtown Champaign’s Pogo Studio in the late 1990s, I watched Mark Rubel push up the faders on rough, in-progress mixes of Hum’s Downward is Heavenward. From the theatrical rock of Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets to tracking over 1,000 records on analog tape and directing education…
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Beyond the ‘Stars’: How Hum Defined the Heavy, Melodic Cosmos of ’90s Midwest Rock
Far beyond their 1995 alt-rock hit “Stars,” Champaign-Urbana’s Hum proved that heaviness and vulnerability could amplify one another. From the Blind Pig and “You’d Prefer an Astronaut” to the masterpiece “Downward is Heavenward” and their triumphant return with “Inlet,” explore the enduring impact of a truly singular Midwest band.
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Prairie Soundscapes: How Champaign-Urbana Built an Indie Rock Universe in the 1990s
Two hours south of Chicago, surrounded by flat miles of cornfields, Champaign-Urbana built a sonic empire in the 1990s. From the drop-D space-rock of Hum and sweaty nights at The Blind Pig to the rise of Polyvinyl Records and American Football, here is how a prairie enclave reshaped independent rock.