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Q&A // BRENDAN HANGAUER: VOCALIST/GUITARIST OF FOURTH OF JULY > Because we have questions. Celebrities have answers.
Beloved Lawrence locals Fourth of July started as a solo project with Brendan Hangauer and an acoustic guitar. Now, it's all in the family. Joined by brothers Kelly and Patrick on keys and bass, plus other brothers Brian and Brendan Costello, the band's latest collection of jangly guitar-driven folk rock, Before Our Heart's Explodel, dropped last week. At the band's house/rehearsal space across from Memorial Stadium, Hangauer mused about youth, therapeutic songwriting and whether there's even a Starbucks in Lawrence.
Jayplay:
So what are the pros and cons of living across the street from the stadium?
Brendan Hangauer:
It's great. We're in a spot where we can party or have DJs out until five in the morning, and during football games we can charge for parking and make 50 dollars a spot. We have some older neighbors next door who are sweethearts. They open their windows when we practice and bring us Girl Scout cookies. We love it.
JP. One review of the new album said the band's lyrics and your vocal delivery had an "everyman" quality about them. Do you try to make relatable music?
BH: I really write songs to express things that I want to express. I think it's one of those things where it's so deeply personal, but other people can relate to it if you've ever been halfway in love or felt anything toward anybody. Every song I write makes me feel better about the situation. I could play a song I wrote 10 years ago and be taken back to exactly how I was feeling.
JP. It's been three years since your first album came out in 2007. Do the songs on Before Our Hearts Explode! still feel new, or comfortably worn?
BH: They definitely feel pretty worn, in a good way. As soon as you have an album out that people can take home and listen to, that's when they start really appreciating the songs. We had a lot of time to practice them live.
BH: Definitely. There was one song on the album called 'Wedding Day' that got cut because it was way too drawn out. You make things as precise as possible because it's way too easy for the crowd to lose interest.
JP. So when you choose which songs to put on the album, do you keep the live show in mind?
Contributed Photo
Contributed Photo
Sparks fly; from left to right: Kelly Hangauer, Brian Costello, Brendan Hangauer, Brendan Costello and Pat Hangauer make up the local band, Fourth of July. The band lives across from the stadium in Lawrence, and throws in frequent references to the college town in songs.
Having lived in Lawrence for a while and seen the town's trajectory, where do you think the arts and music scene is going? What local bands and artists are you excited about?
BH: I would like to see a lot more bands working together. But if you're in a band in Lawrence and you get somewhat popular, everyone turns on you. It happened to The Get Up Kids. It's a weird town that likes to turn on itself.
JP. So you think most students are disconnected with the music scene in Lawrence?
BH. My little brother played a KJHK thing [on campus] and nobody paid any attention until there was a raffle for an Xbox. Then there were like 1,000 freshmen. You have to hear that there's even a scene first. Some will live in Lawrence for four years and have no clue there's an arts and music scene.
JP It's kind of like how the Kansan does 'Top of the Hill' every year, where students vote on their favorite businesses and Starbucks wins 'Top Coffeehouse.'
BH: Really? Is there a Starbucks here? There's like 10 other local coffee shops. See, that pinpoints it.
JP: A friend asked me what your band sounded like. I told him I thought it sounded like Lawrence. You even reference Free State Brewery on one song. How much of an influence does the city play lyrically and musically?
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BH: I've been here for nine years and it plays a huge part. I have a lot of friends who used to live in Lawrence and moved away and say "I listened to your album and miss Lawrence so much!" It's the feel of Lawrence — easy living but in a complicated in a way.
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JOSH HAFNER
said. "I like to go there.
That's my thing. I think it's going to be fun. It's going to be interesting to see how this thing happens."
Marcus Morris said the difference may be most noticeable on defense.
defense:
"I think without Cole and having Keef at the five and having T-Rob coming in, we're going to be a lot quicker in coming off ball screens and being able to trap and sometimes switch with the five," he said. "Keef can guard and T-Rob can guard, so I think we'll be a lot quicker on the perimeter."
Sophomore forward Thomas
Senior guard Tyrel Reed is one of the quickest players on a fast Kansas roster. Reed said the athleticism on this year's team reminded him of the 2007-2008 national title-winning team.
Robinson said he doesn't think the game plan will change — Self always wanted to play up tempo last year, he said — but the team this year is more geared to play to those strengths.
"Coach Self wanted us to play
fast from the beginning, so for us to have a more athletic team from top to bottom just put us right where we want to be," Robinson said.
Reed said the ability to go from one through five without a significant drop-off reminded him of another team he played for at Kansas. One that won a national championship.
"I'd say, being here in '07-08,
yeah, it definitely does look a lot
more like it." Reed said. "Just from
the standpoint that we have a lot of guys that can go and get scores and do their own thing. We're all unselfish, and I think that's kind of the way they were."
Edited by Clark Goble
With two wins, Jayhawks start season strong
Mariah Montgomery, a sophomore infielder from Ralston, Neb. slides home safe Wednesday night at Arrocha Ballpark. The Jayhawks beat Johnson County Community College 16-1 in an exhibition match. The Jayhawks racked up 15 hits against the Cavaliers.
BY BLAKE SCHUSTER bschuster@kansan.com
Coming off a 10-0 win against Baker in the practice season opener, the Jayhawks looked to continue their winning streak, taking the field against Johnson County Community College Wednesday night. The Jayhawks won 16-1.
night. The Jayhawks hit Kansas struck first, going up 2-0 after a homerun by senior outfielder Liz Koon to right field in the bottom of the first inning, with a runner on second. In the next inning, the Jayhawks chased Johnson County's starting pitcher Lynna Kays after adding eight more runs onto their lead on six hits.
runs only once. The Jayhawks lost the shutout in the third inning after an error by KU led to a run scored by the Cavaliers. That would be the only run scored against Kansas for the rest of the game.
The Jayhawks pounced on the Cavaliers, totaling 16 runs on 15 hits with two errors. The Cavaliers totaled one run, three hits and six errors.
In only their second practice game of the season, the Jayhawks already looked to be in mid-season form, both on offense and defense.
One of the main elements con
tributing to KU's win was smart, effective base running, according to coach Megan Smith.
"We really try to make it a focus for us at practice, to really work on that base running so we can utilize that during our games this season," Smith said.
Simhi said.
The layhawks were very attentive on the pads, stealing bases at appropriate times and getting good leads which turned into runs scored.
Complimenting the base running was the hitting clinic put on by the Jayhawk batters.
Sophomore outfieldier Rosie Hull helped ignite the team's offense, accounting for three RBIs including a run scored.
"It was awesome," Hull said on her offensive night. "My normal role on the team is a slapper, and my job is to just get on base, so I don't get a lot of RBI's. To come up in the situation and perform just felt really great."
The role of closing out the game belonged to sophomore pitcher and outfielder Alex Jones. With the slaughter rule about to take effect, Jones stepped to the mound in the seventh inning looking to get the job done.
job done.
She finished the game, retiring the side in three consecutive batters. After the game Jones commented on the backup her team gave her while she took control of the mound.
- Edited by Michael Bednar
jones said. The Jayhawks take the field next on Saturday with double header action against Seminole State Community College and Washburn at Arrocha Ballpark.
"I know that my defense is gonna back me up if the ball is put in play, but I was feeling it tonight, and I just felt really good and the defense did step up when they needed to" Jones said.
Another thing that really stood out to me about these rules was how they fit in to "forming the man," which is one of Gill's goals. These rules, while they take away distractions, also seem to take away some of the traditional football stereotypes of big tough guys who curse and womanize whenever the opportunity arises. I am by no means saying that any player actually fits that stereotype, or that Gill's rules have made a change, but on paper they sound good.
Gill has defended these changes as ways of keeping distractions away before games, which is a completely valid point. Although the rules may sound odd at first, they start to make sense when you think about how distracted the average person is by his or her phone or the opposite sex.
square good.
The way I see it, Gill is not going to turn this program and its reputation around dramatically within a year, which is to be expected. But what he can do is start to change the reputation of the athletes.
Some reporters have said that this will hurt recruiting, but I think if Kansas' trademark is producing well respected young men, that is not a bad reputation to have.
Gill brought new rules just as any coach would do to keep his team focused and in line. Three of the biggest changes are the new rules on not cursing in the locker rooms or on the field, not using telephones the night before a game and not seeing women after 10 p.m. on any night.
The last one stood out to me as most interesting because the first thing I thought of was a line from the 1975 film "Rocky." Rocky is training for a heavyweight title bout when his trainer Mick tells him he cannot see his girlfriend anymore because, "women weaken knees." This was not Gill's reason exactly, but there are some common elements.
Especially if the success on the field follows.
Edited by Tim Dwyer