OVERHANG

It's about time somone said it! Billy Corgan in the June/July '05 issue of Paste Magazine explains what is wrong with the "indie" mindset. Hopefully, Corgan's comments in combination with Bono's recent interview with Greg Kot and Kanye West's ambition-on-his-sleeve will help encourage more young bands not to settle for small audiences or be satisfied thinking small.

Talking about why he didn't like being in Zwan with musicians taken from indie bands, Corgan says:

They proved me right, which is that the whole indie thing is just a pose. I can't say that about everybody, but our general feeling in the Pumpkins always was that people took the indie route because deep down they knew they didn't have the talent to make it on the mainstream level. And those people proved to me, that deep down they know they don't have the talent, or the focus, or the true love of people to want to really get out there and try and connect with people. It's really about them. And fundamentally Jimmy and I disagreed with them.

If you're going to play music at a high level to a large audience, it can't really be about you. You have to make it seem like it's about you, but it has to really be about others, it's really about sharing. And their indie-cred mentality really is about, 'What's it got to do with me?' and 'Can I find people who agree with me, who think like me, who dress like me, smoke pot like me?' They're just assholes. It's simple. I could go on with a thousand stories, but you can put that in capital letters: THEY'RE JUST ASSHOLES. They really didn't care. They didn't really care about the music, they didn't really care about the fans...They really just want to live like pieces of shit and live their little weird creepy lives. End of story.

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Maybe these aren't really that funny. But when you imagine telling someone that your band is called OVERHANG, and then them saying something like, "oh, you mean like the problem you get when your bra doesn't fit you right?" or, "oh yeah, I saw a picture of that on foreskin.org", it seems a bit humorous...or at least out of context. You be the judge.

SELECT GOOGLE MATCHES FOR OVERHANG:

• OVERHANG. ... Overhang, Sticky ends generated by restriction digestion of double-stranded DNA. Related, Sticky ends.
  
  [THE REAL MEANING BEHIND OUR BAND NAME]


• Property Jargon Buster...Redemption penalty overhang. This is where the redemption penalty continues beyond a fixed or capped rate period effectively tying you in to the much higher...
  
  ["REDEMPTION PENALTY?" THAT'S JUST BAD THEOLOGY]


• Overhang. A roof, upper floor or balcony that projects out over the storey immediately below. Large roof overhangs are useful for protecting people from sun ...


• "Overhang" Photographs of an intact adult male foreskin that comprises about 80 percent of the total skin system of the penis -- sometimes referred to in medical...
  
  [IF YOU'RE CURIOUS, YOU CAN SEE A VERY GRAPHIC PICTURE AT THE WEBSITE. IT'S VERY EDUCATIONAL]


• Feature - The Overhang Effect
  
  The length by which the tool extends from the toolholder is a variable that can be used to 'tune' the machining process. Contrary to what you may expect, ...
  
  [NO IDEA WHAT THIS COULD BE. SOUNDS PHALLIC]


• Overhang
  
  Paul Arden's fly casting tips: how to use overhang to cast further.
  
  [AGAIN WITH THE PHALLIC. WE'LL BALANCE IT OFF WITH THE NEXT TWO...]


• Bra overhang: how to battle it.
  
  Learn how to firm up your chest and lose overall body fat.
  
  [THIS SHOULD BE OUR BAND'S CAUSE...SOMEONE'S GOTTA SPEAK OUT ON THIS ISSUE!]


• Breasts: Exercises That Will Help You Look Better In a Bra
  
  Please give me the best exercises to prevent "bra overhang.

Bra overhang may be one of the few fitness problems that can be solved by shopping at ... [WWW.OVERHANGONLINE.COM]

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 6:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Fortunately, Joel has been able to start some of the equipment left over from the fire. It doesn't all work as well as it did, but we can use some of it, at least. Joel retrieved a couple of the amps. The Mesa Boogie amp was tossed out the window by the fire department, probably to save it, but ultimately ruining it. The amp just smokes when you turn it on. Joel also retrieved his electric guitar, which was fine. However, last week, while it was being stored at Joel's temporary place of residence, someone took off the door to the garage and stole it. So now Joel's guitar set-up is gone.

If it seems to you that someone or someTHING is trying to break us, trying to whittle down our options until we just throw in the towel, then you are interpreting all this in much the same way we are. Since July 4, 2004 (only one year ago), OVERHANG has experienced loss after loss. Here's a list:

--1 bassist to girlfriend in Philadelphia

--1 drummer to wanting a stable 9-5 life

--Grant's health (stomach/dizziness/low energy symptoms, making driving, flying, watching movies, being in crowded spaces, tv and reading impossible for two months)

--first visa application for Joel rejected, second one accepted, but costing OVERHANG several thousand dollars that could have gone toward something else (like promoting the new album)

--band practice space and equipment, Joel's living space, to fire

--Joel's "souped-up" electric guitar to some neighborhood thief

It is frightening that all these losses and more can happen in one year. BUT, HOWEVER, INDEED NEVERTHELESS...

if we deigned to tally up all the gains from this year, it would no doubt surpass the losses: gains in experience, in confidence, in conviction, in appreciation for God's grace, in friendships, in musical ability, in learning how to suffer long, in experiencing the resurrection power of The Overcomer, in joy, in peace, in learning to let go of unimportances...and the list goes on and on. We do not rehearse this list of good things just to comfort ourselves or put a happy face on the year's difficulties. On the contrary, we have been amazed at the joy that has welled up in us through this all, even to the point that we are bored with the suffering motif and practically unaware of the ugly things happening around us.

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joel was looking into the possibility that our damaged equipment was covered by the landlord's insurance and he got a lawyer just to be on the safe side. Apparently a guy affiliated somehow with Joel's landlord felt threatened by that, so he called Joel today and told Joel he'd kill him or charge him with arson or extortion, maybe all three. This guy says he's a Puerto Rican Jew and, according to him, they are not people to mess with. These seem like empty threats with no basis in reason. Hopefully, nothing will come of it. The fire department's investigation showed "no determination" on the fire. That's kind of frustrating.

In other news, Joel has met with a few drummers in the last week. They were interesting guys, but they don't seem to fit as well as Matt aesthetically or personally.

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparently someone or some group of people who want to help Joel get a new computer to continue the Overhang work have set up a pay pal account for him. If you are interested in contributing, go to paypal.com and enter "helpjoelgetanewmac@yahoo.com."

In other news, despite earlier advertising, this is the month that our single, Arrived, goes out to radio stations nationwide. We will now track its progress. Damos Agency decided to wait because there were so many singles released in June and July and we would have had stiff competition. Joel and Grant are not overly optimistic about any "Another Hole For You To Crawl Into" songs making them famous on the radio. The songs seem to make more sense live (when you have a drummer and bassist, that is), but it's worth a shot. It could be that the new material OVERHANG is working on (currently loosely dubbed "All Together Now") seems to have so much more radio potential than "Another Hole For You to Crawl Into".

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)