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Encore
September 2003

Breaking world records and rocking out

By: DeWitt Brinson

In the Guinness World Records there is currently a position for the �Largest Rock Festival Attendance� (Steve Wozniak�s Festival at Devore with 670,000), and even the �Loudest Drummer� (drummer J�r�me Deh�din of The Jerome Experience at 109.1 decibels), but not for �The Most Consecutive Rock Shows in a Row.� Hum Machine of Madison, Wisconsin, has set out to try and make one.

Scheduled for 65 shows in 65 cities in 65 days, these guys are pushing themselves to the limit. Even if it is a little crazy to overcome such a feat, you�ve got to give it to these guys, they�ve got guts. It�s befitting that the new album Theorems and Compositions of the Last Action Rocker (released August 12th) is supported with a no-holds-barred tour; because the album is about the numerous hours the band has spent on the road, begging the question, �When isn�t this band on the road?�

The answer is: hardly ever. Having worn out two Ford Econolines and a Chevy Bus in the six years on they�ve been touring, Eric Geving (guitar, vox), Eric Hartz (drummer), Dave Hunt (bassist) and Mark Sinnott (vox, guitar) are the energizer bunnies of rock-n-roll. They keep going and going and rocking...

The Last Action Rocker (LAR) takes everything this band has learned and puts it all together. �I�m very comfortable with this album, it�s full and complete. We recorded over 24 songs and chose the best 12. There�s no filler, just straight up rock-n-roll,� says Dave Hunt. The commitment really shows through on this seamless work.

The first song �Bring it on Pepeyon� starts the CD out strong, and the last song �Reno� ends it calm, reflective. The second song on the album �Remember When,� my personal favorite, rocks out with lyrics like, �You�re not looking well/but I know it�s not the drugs/ that you�ve been using the same ones I�m abusing/�cause I know they�re not that strong.� The music mixed by Mike Zirkel (Garbage, Everclear, Promise Ring) spans from machine-like sounds to Southern-Blues style rock, and covers topics from drug abuse to fake Reality TV shows.
I�ve never actually been to Wisconsin, so I can�t tell you what the music scene is like up there ... I mean I am only familiar with the state from its production of cheese or corn or something like that. (Of course, up there they probably think tobacco and pigs is all that comes from North Carolina.) But, if this band is any example of a road trip, they�ve really opened up my mind.

Hum Machine has released four full-length albums and two seven-inch singles. Their first record got the band a write-up in Billboard. Their next release The Trance Voltage Solution charted in the top 30 of over 100 college radio stations. Not just sticking to the college market, Clubs and DJs have begun reaching for their album with its innovative radio editing and strong guitar hooks.

All in all, I got the sense that they just really love playing. Obviously, being sadistically crammed into tiny vans and buses, and touring nonstop through this great country of ours is their muse. And maybe, that�s where Hum Machine�s success is � they just don�t stop.

See them at Charley Brownz on Saturday, September 20th. If you like rock or just want to be a part of a world record, you�ll enjoy it. But if you see the band on the road let them pass� they�ve got another gig, another town, another tomorrow.