Hannah Rooth - Lead Singer - Wild Hum
Who are you and what do you do?
I'm Hannah Rooth, a singer/songwriter/ukulelist and the lead of a band called Wild Hum. We're from Cambridge, MA and are releasing our debut album very soon. We play very eclectic Americana-Soul music, with an emphasis on emotional expression and powerful vocals.
How did you come up with the band name Wild Hum?
It was an idea from one of April's friends! She's the cellist in our band, and her friend Chelsea threw out the idea - it comes from a quote from Jack Kerouac's first novel:
“When the railroad trains moaned, and river-winds blew, bringing echoes through the vale, it was as if a wild hum of voices, the dear voices of everybody he had known, were crying: "Peter, Peter! Where are you going, Peter?" It resonated with me a lot because of the themes of railroads... I was looking for something in that vein... along with the imagery of a tumultuous climate and the river. We all thought it fit our sound and it just stuck
What was the inspiration behind Divorce in the Water?
I got divorced the winter before we started our band... a traumatic time in my life that launched me into a more serious pursuit of my dreams & my gift for musical composition and expression. The song itself is about the confusion and shock around the end of a relationship, tied with a sense of loyalty to one's love for that person and desire to honor them in whatever form that takes.
Do you have any road stories?
We had a great little Spring tour up to New York, where Adrian (the guitarist) and I went out to Times Square after an intimate, gregarious house show. The highlight was definitely sharing a blizzard and fries from MacDonalds lol. But most of our road stories will be coming up in September... the full band is traveling from New Orleans to Bellingham (Seattle area) by way of Los Angeles! We're completely stoked to be stuck in a car for three weeks and bring our music to like 14 different cities.
What was the journey in finding your band mates?
Well they came together right about the same time... April (cellist) was a friend of a friend. At the time I was carrying my ukulele everywhere with me to force myself to practice, and I played a new composition at a picnic we were at together. She fell in love with my sound and offered up her INCREDIBLE cello skills - she's been playing since she was 4 - to starting the project. Adrian was a coworker of mine... we had a group email list and I sent out a bunch of very rough demos to get feedback from people. Adrian got back to me right away and then expressed interest in coming on as my guitarist. We all just melded from the get-go and we already feel like family... it hasn't even been a year yet. Now I'm in Los Angeles so we're on opposite sides of the country, but I'm hoping we get to play together for years to come.
How did you develop your sound?
Right now all of our songs are my original work, and I've been making decisions to help April and Adrian reflect my vision with them. April writes really awesome compositions, and Adrian is very skilled with the guitar, so we just went a couple of songs at a time, learning, fusing, and making any tweaks we needed to for the final album project.
What do you love about performing?
My most powerful experiences with music have been performing for others; these experiences are the root of my motivation to pursue the craft full-time. There is an alchemy between myself and those who heartedly listen to me that is beyond anything else I’ve ever experienced. Something deep is given and received by both parties, and yet it is not an exchange, but a fundamental joining of spirit. It is, perhaps, my antidote in a world that constantly pressures us to earn, pay, take, or manipulate. In the soul of music, and the pure musical experience, there is no beneficiary and no sense of elitism - all who engage are transported to an invisible realm. The measure of what one receives is based solely in how much one lets go and enters the present experience.
Fun questions
If you were stuck on an island what five items would you have with you?
My boyfriend -poor guy haha, hopefully he gets to bring five things too-, a small plane with unlimited fuel, a notebook, a tape recorder, computer with Wifi so i could send my shit to producers. I think I cheated but that would be pretty sick.
If you could go anywhere in history where would you go?
Somewhere where they sing around campfires every night.
If you could perform on any stage what would it be?
A small one, in front of a view people who are listening very closely.
