by Alex Williams
Daily Lobo
The Very Hush Hush, a duo of classically trained pianists, brought its experimental live show to the Launchpad on Wednesday.
The duo is touring to promote its new album, Mourir C'est Facile.
The Very Hush Hush consists of Peter Bo Rappmund and Grant Hazard Outerbridge, who incorporate drums, bass, piano and a synthesizer.
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"The most defining characteristic is melody. All of the other aspects come out of the melody," Outerbridge said. "The core of it is just drums, bass, keyboard and vocals. When we record, we both sing and both play keyboard."
In concert, Rappmund plays drums and Outerbridge plays bass.
They describe themselves as highly experimental, somewhere between the genres of slowcore and shoegazer.
Outerbridge said people who enjoy wandering around in a soundscape will enjoy their album.
Live, they sound significantly different than their recordings. For their live show they will tour with two members of the band Tin Tin - one will play keyboard and the other, electric guitar.
"We've always been loud, but now it sounds more electronic. It's much different than our recording," Outerbridge said.
The addition of a guitar also adds more rhythm, Outerbridge said.
"People who like to dance, they should definitely come. It will also appeal to unhappy, jaded hipster youth who like to soak it all in," he said, jokingly.
Although he likes to perform live, Outerbridge sees drawbacks.
"People come out in droves to be unhappy," he says of his hometown of Denver. "The problem with live shows is the conventions that people respect and respond to. People generally want rhythm. If you put a loud chord progression with a beat, that is what people want," he said.
The band formed in Denver in the summer of 2004, after the two high school friends returned home from college.
"We met our second year in high school," Outerbridge said. "We found out through talking that we had actually competed (at piano) as kids."
The band rose quickly through the ranks in Denver and was soon signed by Sao Bento records. Afterward, they moved to Oakland, Calif.
"The move is pretty good," Outerbridge said. "Ultimately it's a lot more exciting. People's attitudes are 180 degrees different from Denver, which is why we find it refreshing."
Although they are happy to have an album and a tour with promotional backing, they don't see this as the most they can achieve.
"This is definitely just the beginning," Outerbridge said. "We're using this as a stepping stone - our live show is constantly evolving."
Of his overall experience in music, Outerbridge said, "I'm doing this because I enjoy it, not because I feel I have something to prove."
