For the Hush Sound, success has come suddenly. Releasing their first record in 2005, the band has gone on to headline tours and support acts such as Panic at the Disco and Fall Out Boy. The Chicago-based group fuzes harmonic vocals with a distinctive jazzy rock sound. Recently, the Hush Sound's guitarist Bob Morris spoke with recess' Jordan Axt about the band's newest album, musical inspirations and awkward freshman.
How do you feel like your new album, Goodbye Blues, differs from your previous records?
On Goodbye Blues, we kind of got to explore a lot more tones and take our song writing further. On Like Vines, we already had our tones laid out beforehand, whereas on Goodbye Blues, we were able to work up each song individually, finding a separate tune for each. We had the ability to decide each song individually.
How do you think your music differs from the bands that you have toured with, such as Panic at the Disco, the All-American Rejects and Rooney?
Music is my life. A lot of people like music, but it's not their life. So we try a lot to have a really original and distinct sound. I don't think we sound like any other band. I don't think we want to sound like any of the bands we tour with. No one wants to go to a concert where all five of the bands sound the same.
What acts do you feel are the biggest inspirations in your own music?
There are a lot: the Beatles, some Motown, Leon Russell, the Kinks. As a band, we are very nostalgic. We all have really eclectic music tastes. Unfortunately, I find it overwhelming to find new music today that doesn't suck. There's a lot of bad music out there, and it's hard to sort through it all.
That said, are there any bands out there right now that you particularly admire?
Phantom Planet, the group we just finished touring with, is a really great band. There is not a band that comes close to them. They are just completely and unbelievably talented. Of course, there are also the obvious choices like Radiohead. Everybody loves Radiohead. Basically, when somebody is a genius, you have to admire their work.
You've toured as a supporting act with a lot of big name bands. Yet, you've also had three tours where you were the headline act. What do you take away from being both a supporting act and the headliner on a tour?
It's really important to do both. Naturally, we really enjoy doing a headlining tour because the audience is there for you. They know all the lyrics to your songs and sing along to your work. It's a great feeling. There's just generally a lot less pressure. Support tours, on the other hand, are a little bit harder. You have to make the audience become fans of yours. You have to make them want to come see you the next time you are in town. Being the supporting act on a major tour has taken us to a lot of places and venues we probably couldn't do on our own.
One of the most interesting aspects about The Hush Sound is that all band members share vocal duties. Yet, on Goodbye Blues, pianist Greta Salpeter sings nine of the 13 tracks. Was this a conscious decision?
It was not a conscious decision at all. I was going through a lot of personal things that prevented me from finishing songs, and Greta was simply finishing more songs. When you are in a band that shares songwriting and vocal duties, there is a lot of opportunities for jealousy to arise. But now that we have been doing this for so long, we're all comfortable with saying "Greta, I love you to death." We used to be a band where whoever wrote the song got to do the vocals, but now we're a lot about allowing other members to do the vocals to songs that someone else has written.
What has it been like to work with Pete Wentz who signed you to his label?
Pete has been pretty hands-off in his interactions with the band. Mostly, he has helped us just get more support and exposure. Patrick Stump, the lead vocalist for Fall Out Boy, has also been very helpful. He produced our previous record, Like Vines. He has had a lot of insight into our work. I was at his house just the other day and got the chance to just bounce some ideas off of him for our next album.
You will be playing at Duke during orientation, which means that your concert will undoubtedly be primarily attended by nervous, awkward freshman. How will your show help them overcome this feeling?
I think that we put out a pretty welcoming vibe in our shows. We put a lot into our music and we expect a lot back. We bring a lot of energy and it's the best feeling when the crowd is able to reciprocate that energy. These people will definitely be really nervous, but we think that our music will help loosen them up a bit. Or maybe they'll just be drunk, which might make things a lot easier.
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