OVERHANG

Last week, Joel and Grant sent out inquiries to all the major CRC/RCA churches in the Chicago area looking for bassists. No response yet. It was a long shot. We've had ads in Chicago papers for over a year and have gone through more than 30 options over-all, I think. Jeff found an ad for a guy that seemed promising. He was looking for a Christian band to play with. Jeff called Joel to see if we should call him. Joel took one look at the ad and said, we already talked to this guy. That has happened a few times. People who look good on paper don't always pan out. Currently, we have no bassist to play for us at the *cino conference.

Janis is trying to find money to pay the workers who are putting the walls and floor in for his studio. Janis has set up an arrangement with the owner of the hotel to let him build his studio there so that the hotel guy would get more money from the people who would stay there while recording. Maybe the hotel owner would be willing to put up some money for Janis to finish the studio, then. We've invested just about all we can in Janis so he and God will have to do the rest.

This past weekend was fun and not so fun. The band had a frustrating rehearsal session in which many of the parts we had learned for gospel songs were forgotten and had to be painstakingly relearned (practicing once every week-and-a-half is not ideal). We played for a church service at Pullman and we think the lack of rehearsal time and not having a bassist really shows. We're doing what we can, though, with our limited options. But even though we do not have the ideal practice situation, when we do get together it's always great. This past weekend, Grant and his wife and Joel stayed overnight with Jeff and Amanda and their little daughter Kate. Kate has gotten used to Joel and Grant and Kristin now. When we come over, she says "Make noise?" and we say, "Music...M-u-s-i-c." But she's right. From her perspective, we just disappear into the basement and loud pounding noises come up through the floor. She's taken to saying "Gunight Gant" and "Gunight Doel" before she goes to bed. We're becoming one big happy family brought together by the question, "How are we going to make this work?"

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Joel and Grant both turned 29 recently. Some of the most celebrated rock stars were already dead by this age. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Curt Cobain. It's not anything to worry about, though. As rock stars, Joel and Grant haven't even been born yet. And we don't have enough money to go all out on the booze and/or heroin. yet.

The big question continues to be whether or not we are using this moment in the best way possible? Are we obeying this moment? It's a question that actors have to ask themselves as they make their decisions about each scene they're playing. Every movement must be intentional, right? Every act must have its reason so the play is meaningful and communicates to the audience. Much of our moments often seem wasted. Maybe even most of them.

Last week, Grant, Joel and Jeff came very close to going to Latvia to work with Janis in a town on the Baltic Sea but Janis will not be able to finish the studio in time for it to be worth our while. He is having difficulty getting the money for the building materials. He is frustrated that his Christian friends in Latvia are not willing to give money to such projects. Though we are tempted to get another loan to help him through this patch, it is far beyond our means, of course. We are slowly replacing equipment lost during the fire. And Joel is saving as much money as he can for future recording costs.This summer, Grant and his wife are living in Evanston which means the commute to band practice in Lansing is around 2 hours. So Grant and Joel drive to Lansing and sleep over to get two good practices in before heading home. It's a good time of bonding. Musically, we are now ready for a bass player. Since we have three Dutch reformed guys in the band, two south side Chicagoans and one Canadian, the type of bass player that will work seems narrower. But you never know. Joel's visiting other churches looking for bassists again.

Kanye West was on the Ellen Degeneres show this week, talking sincerely about being a tool for God and about speaking his life without fear. He seems like a kindred spirit, much more than the folks who claim to make "Christian" music in Nashville, though I trust they have a part in this whole thing too. By "whole thing", I mean this movement of believers who are reclaiming the music industry. Even though OVERHANG is not visibly contributing anything more to the movement right now than a few practice sessions in a basement in Lansing and unreleased recorded material, we pledge our support and offer these good words of Thomas Merton from NO MAN IS AN ISLAND:

"My successes are not my own. The way to them was prepared by others. The fruit of my labors is not my own; for I am preparing the way for the achievements of another. Nor are my failures my own. They may spring from the failure of another, but they are also compensated for by another's achievement. Therefore the meaning of my life is not to be looked for merely in the sum total of my own achievements. It is seen only in the complete integration of my achievements and failures with the achievements and failures of my own generation, and society, and time. It is seen, above all, in my integration in the mystery of Christ."

Posted by Grant Elgersma at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)