Raised in Arlington, Britton Powell studied music extensively in high school and truly grew up as a product of the DC music community — although the music he has created with Hume throughout its various lineups sounds far removed from anything usually seen on a regular night at one of our favorite venues.

The first Hume release, Presents the Phat Daughter String Quartet, includes string arrangements and then dub remixes of all of them. This might sound horribly unlistenable and pretentious but in truth the songs in both versions are incredibly satisfying, regardless of the breadth of your aural palette. His latest project, Mirroring, is a composition he wrote for 3 saxophones, two drum kits, and two electric basses, which he’s been performing for the past three weeks.

And as for more straightforward rock music, Powell can do that too. The lineup and setup is rarely the same from one particular Hume show to the next, but Powell’s haunting Ben Gibbard-esque vocals soaked with shoegaze guitar is rather impressive, even when he performs devoid of intense arrangements.

We got to talk to Powell about his recent trip to India, how he put together the Mirroring project and why he thinks house shows are a great asset to the music community.

Visit Hume online at: http://www.myspace.com/humesongs

See them next: The Mirroring show planned for tomorrow night at Mini Gallery has been moved to a house show; keep an eye on the Powell’s Web site for future shows at other venues.

Buy their music: through Ruffian Records or Sockets Records.

Questions for Hume:

Did you name the band after the philosopher?

Britton: It’s kind of a juxtaposition between the philosopher and the Fox News correspondent with whom I share a name and with the town in Virginia also named Hume. It’s kind of a difference between high and low culture and how I feel I stand in the middle.