'Goodbye Blues': The Hush Sound sticks together
For some musicians, it takes a breakup to restart their career. For The Hush Sound, it took a trip to Pennsylvania. For two years since being scooped up by Fall Out Boy-acquainted Fueled By Ramen records, DuPage County's The Hush Sound spent their lives on the road, in a bus, playing in support of other bands while trying to tout their first label release, "Like Vines." Two falls ago, it all became too much.
"Everyone was just at that (inevitable) point of exhaustion," singer and pianist Greta Salpeter says from their tour bus en route to Virginia. "Everything was just falling apart."
Eventually, breaking up became one of the solutions on tap: to stay friends but part ways. That's when they headed to the Theater of the Living Arts in Pennsylvania (now called The Fillmore at TLA) as part of The Hush Sound's 2007 headlining tour. They ended up selling out the place, and 1,000 fans filtered through the doors to see them, the tour's top act. Unsurprisingly, Salpeter says, the fans rejuvenated them, and the quartet of friends suddenly reached a mass revelation.
"Everybody was having the best time," Salpeter explains. "When we got off stage, we were like, '1,000 people just had an amazing experience. Why would we ever throw that away?' "
Not only did The Hush Sound stay together, they banded with Cold War Kids producer Kevin Augunas last year to create their second release, an aptly named and consciously mature offering called, "Goodbye Blues." Compared to the group's signature slap-shticky pop 'n' keys show, they err on the side of Americana and jazz here, proving to themselves and their audience that their (breakup) blues aren't all they've bid farewell to.
After all, let's not forget that Salpeter was just a senior in high school when The Hush Sound (i.e. band co-founder and vocalist Bob Morris, bassist Chris Faller and drummer Darren Wilson) found themselves "discovered" by Panic! At the Disco and recording "Like Vines" with producer/Fall Out Boy vocalist Patrick Stump. In fact, little more than three years ago Salpeter was still juggling band practice with homework and piano lessons.
It's been a fairy-tale journey, to say the least. And though Salpeter says she doesn't envision the band reaching a stopping point anytime soon, the highs of their career certainly have begun to percolate. Their past touring partners include: Straylight Run, Hellogoodbye, Murder By Death, All-American Rejects and of course the Plain White T's, who joined them onstage at the 2006 DuPage County Fair.
Looking back on "Goodbye Blues," an album they'll release in the comfort of Chicago's Beat Kitchen Tuesday before riding off on a whole new set of tour dates with the Honda Civic Tour and Panic! themselves, Salpeter agrees their latest work is a testament to the band's transition from garage band to touring up-and-comers. Not to mention her personal path from high school kid to indie frontwoman.
"I think it had a lot to do with me growing up," Salpeter says, pointing to the hundreds of fans and musicians she met on the road who, she says, strengthened the band's artistic style. Indeed, growing up happened faster for her on the road than it would've in some college dorm, and Salpeter readily admits that her personal progress benefited from it. She likens constant touring to playing the Super Bowl everyday: In an ever-changing music world, the industry demands constant perfection. For every new listener and every seasoned fan, she says, each show must be one of your best and your musicianship must constantly be swinging upward.
It's a lot of pressure, especially for a new group of road warriors. But Salpeter says she's refined her tour preparation methods to deal with months on the road. A little reading, cooking and yoga can go a long way even after being trapped on a bus for months at a time, especially if it's with your best friends.
Upcoming show:
March 18: Record release party at 7 p.m. at Beat Kitchen, 2100 W. Belmont, Chicago. Tickets: $14. beatkitchen.com