Interview: Oh, Hush!
by Sabrina Smith
There’s something secret coming out of Chicago (maybe). Oh, Hush! popped up on MySpace and proceeded to churn out some danceable party tracks that were filled with smart turns of phrases and music that got stuck in your brain pan…in a good way. Who are these kids? Their myspace certainly isn’t telling; they change their location more often than we change socks and there are no artistically shot band pictures in their gallery.
Admittedly, I’m a fan! Their music is fresh, and they seem like genuinely nice people. I admit, I’m curious as to who they are, and their blog entry “Contest 2 – True, False, Hell No We Won’t Tell You!!” gives tantalising hints but no pay-out. However, little things might give them away: check out their top four bands; the t-shirt I own came in an envelope with a Chicago return address; their singer sounds familiar, but I can’t pin it down. With a little more Sherlock type hunting, you might figure out who they are. Or not.
I sat down and typed up some questions for the band. Here’s what they had to say about their mystique.
Quick, name your top ten favourite bands of 2007, and 3 bands you’re looking forward to hearing more from in 2008.
That’s a TOUGH question… and quick?? Yikes!! Butch Walker, Cobra Starship, Justin Timberlake, Madina Lake, Angels n Airwaves, The Academy Is…, Maroon 5, Shiny Toy Guns, David Crowder Band, Hello Goodbye…… And in 2008 I’m looking forward to hearing more from Butch Walker, Panic! At The Disco anddddddd Oh, Hush!
How did you all meet and decide to make this awesome band?
I think this past summer 2007 a few of us got together and decided we wanted to do something a little bit different from what we were already doing in our other bands. We didn’t really have much of a plan but just wanted to make some great music and have fun doing it! And a new project would allow us to move into musical directions not really explored in our other projects.
Do you prefer more intimate shows or crazy, pyro-filled shows with 6 million back-up dancers? Why did you choose whichever one you chose?
Do you mean to WATCH or to PERFORM?? I think there’s something really cool about both types of shows. Smaller shows really allow you to connect with the crowd and there’s always more energy in the room. But bigger shows are just.. well BIGGER and there’s something very special about the huge productions with pyro and if you can get 10,000 people all singing the same song, that’s pretty neato!
How do you think your fans will react when you reveal your secret identities?
Who says we’re gonna reveal our identities? 
Assuming we do, I think it will be really well received and a lot of fun for everyone. And then all of the fans of our other bands who didn’t know about Oh, Hush! will be all pissed off at us for not telling them about this project.
what is your favourite thing about making music?
My favorite thing is creating a song that other people can connect with. Of course when I write a song my harshest critic is myself and it’s gotta be something that I like first. But when other people connect with the song or the lyric or the melody or whatever, that’s really a magical thing! Writing songs is kinda like having a baby. And as a proud parent, you always want people to come up to you and go “ohhhhhhhhh your baby is so beautiful!!” It’s kinda the same thing with music 
I know you’re not giving hints to your secret identities, but: true/false: you are all male.
False. Listen to “Shh… I’ve Got A Secret” and tell me what dude could sing that high.
Why are you being secretive about this, anyway? It can’t just be about the music, even though the music rocks my bloody socks off.
Ya know, it’s not so much about being secretitive as it is just focusing on the MUSIC!! When we started this project we didn’t have much of a plan other than to make it about two things: 1) the MUSIC and 2) the FANS!! That’s all that was really important to us. We wanted people to give the music a shot without any kind of expectations or pre-conceived notions about the band. We didn’t want people’s opinions of the music to be swayed at all by who was or was not in the band, what we looked like, or anything else. Love us or hate us, but do it entirely based on the music!!
Tell me a little about your sound: it’s like Justin Timberlake and New Found Glory got together and had some awesome babies.
I’ve actually never heard that comparison before!! Haha! We do LOVE Justin Timberlake for sure. And while I don’t think I actually own any New Found Glory records, they are definitely a cool band. I’d like to think we’re a little bit of retro, a little bit of disco, a little bit of new wave, a little bit of rock, a little bit of grunge and we try to keep the songs intelligent but FUN!! That’s most important. When I’m recording the vocals for the song, if I’m not having a blast singing the song and dancing around while tracking, then the song will be thrown away. So far, no throwaways… Every song has been a blast to sing!
What’s the last good show you went to see? Who was playing?
Last “show” I went to that I wasn’t playing was Trans Siberian Orchestra. It was really amazing!! I think it’s super cool what they’ve done bringing an 80s style rock show to Christmas music and the Christmas season. The guitar playing is phenomenal. The singers are superb! And it’s just a really festive, fun and spiritual way to celebrate the Christmas season with music!! I highly recommend TSO to everyone!!
If you could have any band open for you, who would it be?
Wouldn’t we be the opening band?? We’re just a baby band so I don’t think anyone would want to open for us! But we’d love to tour with Butch Walker (us opening of course).
Why should people listen to Oh, Hush? What are you trying to say with your music?
We’re trying to say that it’s time to have FUN with music again!! We wanna give people music to jam to, to dance to, to sing along with, to enjoy. It’s hop in the car with 12 of your closest friends, roll down the windows, and jam the songs at full volume!!
