Talbott had previously played in the local group We Ate Plato and was presently a member of Honcho Overload; Switzky had performed in the semi-serious live band Obvious Man and had studio experience with Designer Mustard Gas.
At the suggestion of Rick Valentin of Poster Children, the band chose the name Hum (over contenders like Grendel's Arm, Pod, and Feedbag), an intentional vague description of their sound and went through a second drummer before overhearing Bryan St. Pere playing along to a Rush record out of his apartment window and recruiting him.
Local musician Joe Futrelle, who played with Switzky in Designer Mustard Gas joined briefly, before leaving for more serious musical pursuits and was replaced by Rod van Huis, later of Steakdaddy Six.
At this point, Switzky was the group's primary singer, guitarist and songwriter, which remained the case when their first album, Fillet Show, was released by local label 12 Inch Records in 1991.
Pressure grew on de Lay to focus his efforts on Mother and other pursuits, so he too left on good terms with the other members of Hum.
Around this time, the Champaign scene started to coalesce with members of one band joining up with members of another to form an indefinite amount of one-off side projects, and the Parasol Records distribution company helped promote local acts nationally and brought in alternative music to record stores in Champaign, Illinois.
His previous experience had been in a speed metal group The Grand Vizars (with Joe Ludwinski from Scurvine and Matt Friedburger from The Fiery Furnaces), and once casually remarked to the band after a show that if they ever needed a guitarist, they could give him a call.
The album produced no singles, but due in no small part to distribution by Parasol, caught the attention of representatives from RCA Records.
Further singles "The Pod" and the promotional "I'd Like Your Hair Long" failed to generate much interest, and the band spent much of the rest of the year and 1996 on the road.
Around this time, the band missed out on an opportunity to record live favorite the Police's "Invisible Sun" for The X-Files film soundtrack.
At the last minute, Sting and Aswad decided to record a reggae cover, keeping the band from a large potential fan base.
Lash has played in other groups after Hum, the electronic duo Glifted with T. J. Harrison of Love Cup, and Balisong, a heavy rock trio with local musicians Eric Steckler and Joe Ludwinski.
As the story went, the band said that they would be willing to play any show for a high price (assuming that no one would actually be willing to pay that amount), and the organizers at Furnace Fest called their bluff.
[17][18][19] Though declining to re-form on a permanent basis, Hum has continued to perform occasional club shows and regional festival appearances.
"I feel bad that younger kids often can't go to those shows, but it's important for us to have some fun and play for people who care about our music."
[21] In May 2010, Miami-based record label Pop Up Records, announced a Hum tribute album in the works entitled Songs of Farewell and Departure: A Tribute to Hum, featuring Funeral for a Friend, The Esoteric, The Felix Culpa, Anakin, (Damn) This Desert Air, Constants, Junius, City of Ships, Stomacher and more.
Following that, they performed at Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois in September 2015, before embarking on a six-show co-headlining tour with Mineral on the West Coast.