Lawrence.com

After years of being one of the most fun, party-rockin' bands in the area, It's Over is finally putting out an album. "That Girl" captures the KC foursome's country-laced '50s rock and even some of that bombast from in its live performances. With their release show at the Jazzhaus this weekend, bassist/vocalist Bill Sundahl and lead guitarist Ryan Donegan stopped by our podcast studio to preview the album.

No-fi highlights from the podcast

lawrence.com: What does the name mean?

Bill Sundahl: As good as any other two words, really.

The one everyone agreed on?

Ryan Donegan: Yeah - before I was in the band, anyway.

Sundahl: Right. We could never really agree on what to change it to.

Donegan: Yeah, for a while we were definitely changing it from It's Over to something less apparently negative-sounding. A lot of people confuse it for a negative thing but we definitely don't mean it.

Sundahl: So we just put an exclamation point at the end of it.

Donegan: It's Over! The AIDS epidemic!

So do people confuse you for playing a different kind of music?

Sundahl: I hope not but I'm sure it happens. I have heard people say, 'Wow, I thought you were a hardcore band," but then they'd see us and clearly we're not.

How does playing in Kansas City for a long time shape your sound?

Sundahl: I'd say that there are a lot of good bands around to compare yourself with. We don't necessarily emulate them, though.

Donegan: There have definitely been times when we've written a song and I've been like, "This is so an Afterparty song."

Sundahl: And there's definitely something in "She's a Killer" that's definitely Adam Stotz from the Lucky Graves.

Bill, I read somewhere where you said that Kansas City can be this arms-crossed kind of place. Lawrence definitely has its moments, too. Do you think it's a result of having so many options as far as local music goes?

Sundahl: I think so. We played the Jazzhaus last time and we're playing there again on the 9th. People got up and danced that was the first time there had been more than one or two people dancing at a show in Lawrence. I do think it is a direct result of having so many options. People are like, 'impress me if I don't like this there's something two blocks down that I know I'll like."

Could you describe for people in Lawrence what the Donkey Show is?

Sundahl: The Donkey show is sort of a vaudeville-style variety show. A four-hour nonstop menagerie of a couple of different kinds of bands, jugglers, fire breathers, burlesque dancers, short films that sort of thing. It's a show that I put together with my wife that I hope is really fun. I think we're on Donkey Show Seventeen.

Album Mp3s

That Girl

• "Hallelujah"
• "Angela"
• "Come Back Home"

More

What are some of the more memorable shows that you guys have had?

Sundahl: Generally the ones where It's Over! plays. I'd like to have every one of us play every time but then it's the same show. But definitely the stare down competition. I couldn't believe how much fun it was. Ben, the bass player for Grand Marquis and I were sitting around and I needed to think of a game for the next Donkey Show. It's just dumb enough to be fun. It was a round robin, put your hands on the table, get your friends around the table heckling, no spitting.

You've had some weird performance art, too.

Sundahl: Night Life Jones. That guy's a nut. He came to one and safety-pinned 100 $1 bills to his flesh. He got onstage and said "I'm the carcass of the American Dream! Pick me clean!" He jumped out into the crowd as we started playing, and in about 7 seconds people ripped a hundred bucks off of him.

Are these events something you continue planning to do?

Sundahl: Yeah, actually we just booked First Fridays at Crosstown Station all summer, but we're gonna set it up a little bit differently. Two two-hour shows.

Your show on the 9th is a CD Release show for That Girl. How long have you been working on the record?

Sundahl: We started recording in March. It was obscene. But it turned out good. We'd do a little bit at a time, keep playing to be able to afford more. We were a penny wise and a pound short, to use a cheap expression.

Donegan: I don't know if it occurs to a logical mind to do it the way we did it.

Sundahl: We actually recorded another recorded a couple of weeks ago, went like gangbusters. Won't be out for a while though, we still have some things to do with it.

Donegan: Basically a live version of us playing, excepting a couple of vocals. It's a lot of the stuff that we didn't put on the regular album. That is more of the catchy, rockin' tunes or whatever. This is a lot softer songs and the darker stuff.