Hinge: The Beginning
Hinge was born out of a long-time frustration with being pingeon-holed into playing one type of song... one sound. We formed Hinge to open the door to a new kind of band; one that wasn't afraid to play a whiney country tune, and then crank up the volume and lash out with a fiery rock song. In other words, we consider ourselves genre-agnostic. The band has changed over the years, but we have maintained a desire and devotion to continually add songs to our repertoire that are different and unique.
Hinge began in 2008 when two of us (Brandon & Logan) got together to jam. We decided to play a traditional Beatles song, but we increased the tempo by about 60 beats per minute and threw in a heavy rhythm line. We overlayed it with a pretty slide guitar lick, and then hooked the chorus with a grungy power chord. We smiled at each other, and Hinge began...
Hinge began in 2008 when two of us (Brandon & Logan) got together to jam. We decided to play a traditional Beatles song, but we increased the tempo by about 60 beats per minute and threw in a heavy rhythm line. We overlayed it with a pretty slide guitar lick, and then hooked the chorus with a grungy power chord. We smiled at each other, and Hinge began...
Hinge: The Name
What a process! We struggled for months to decide on a name. We came up with some great options, only to discover that a band already existed somewhere with the names we thought of. For a few months we were tossing around Musical Moonshine, and we created a pretty cool logo with a big moon in the background, but everyone assumed it was a liquor-related title, so we scrapped it. In the end, we decided that we liked short names, with no real meaning (but a deep, secret meaning if you really stretched). One of our top contestants was Green Light... I forget why. Finally, one day we were frustrated and tired of the whole process. We were sitting around at practice and someone jokingly said, "Let's just pick one word that sounds interesting and go with it!" Someone else said, "Yeah, just start saying words and the first one that sounds good, we'll use it." We all looked around the room and starting saying things: "Door Jam", "Light Bulb", "Kitchen Faucet", "Refrigerator", "Light Switch", "Picture Frame", and then Logan said, "Hinge". Everyone stopped and thought about it. Someone said, "I kind of like Hinge." Someone else said, "Yeah, and the deeper meaning can be that we're not afraid to bend the rules and play more than just one genre... we can swing from Country to Blues to Heavy Rock... the more we swing, the more doors we open to different styles of music!" (We know, it's lame, but hey...)
So we became Hinge.
So we became Hinge.
Hinge: Finding Fulfillment
Since inception we have transitioned through a couple of bass players, a couple of drummers and a few lead guitarists... but the goals of the band, and the basic sound, have stayed the same. You hear people say that bandmates are hard to find. We disagree. Put out an ad for band members and you'll see that they are a-dime-a-dozen. The hard part is finding a group of musicians that "fit". That's what we strive to do. That's how we find fulfillment. We are a group of musicians who love to play, experiment and test ourselves with all sorts of music. We're not planning on becoming rock stars. We love music. We love to create music and "make music happen". Although we love to share our musical attempts with others, we don't care if we have an audience; we're satisfied with just ourselves as we jam in the living room. So that's what we do. When we get a chance, we play what we're creating for whoever wants to listen, but in the meantime, we just love playing!
Hinge: The Current Lineup
Logan started Hinge with his brother Brandon, and they struggled finding a bassist and drummer. A friend of Logan’s agreed to join as the bassist but would never show up to practices. He and Brandon were always teasing Sara about joining them, and one day when the bassist didn’t show again, Sara walked by and Logan said, “Well, I guess it’s official, Sara, you’re in as the new bassist.” She said, “Okay,” and Logan and Brandon stared unbelievingly with their jaws hanging open. But she was serious. She had never played the bass before but Logan pulled one out and showed her a simple bass line and she played it like a pro, (I guess after playing the harp for so many years, any instrument with less than 30 strings is a breeze). After a few weeks she had surpassed anything Logan could teach her and had to get a real bass instructor, and within a few months she was rocking right alongside the rest of the band.
After their first gig, Brandon found out he was going to be a father and wanted to spend more time at home, so he retired. Shortly after that we lost another drummer, so we thought Hinge was done. But then Paul entered the picture. He lived just down the street from Sara and Logan, and when he found out they had a band he stopped them at church and told them he played guitar. After one audition, they knew he was the one they’d been looking for, even though he didn’t even own an electric guitar. But he was so good on his acoustic with nylon strings, and such a good song writer, and in all honesty, the nicest guy they had ever met, that they didn’t even debate. They just asked (begged) him to join. He’s now been a part of the band for a decade, and Logan says it’s hard for him to remember a time when he wasn’t jamming with Paul. Sometimes we even forget that he wasn’t there when the band was formed.
And then, there was no drummer. Hinge played together for years without one. We never played live shows and we never recorded because we couldn’t find a consistent drummer. Mostly, Sara, Logan and Paul got together and jammed and wrote songs, but that’s all Hinge was for many years. And then, Logan was on his way to a gig with another band when he ran into Jeff, who inquired about his boots. Upon discovering that he was in a band, Jeff admitted to having a drum kit stored in his attic. Logan convinced him to pull them down and bring them over, which he did. They were still boxed and shrink wrapped from many years of storage, but even though he hadn’t played in years, they could tell Jeff was a natural drummer. Plus, after Paul, he was the second nicest guy they had ever met. Within a few weeks Jeff had all the songs learned and Hinge started to advance faster than ever before. Now, it’s hard to imagine when Hinge wasn’t this current lineup. The four of us have now been playing together longer than any other lineup we've ever had, and to us, this is Hinge: Jeff, Paul, Sara and Logan.
After their first gig, Brandon found out he was going to be a father and wanted to spend more time at home, so he retired. Shortly after that we lost another drummer, so we thought Hinge was done. But then Paul entered the picture. He lived just down the street from Sara and Logan, and when he found out they had a band he stopped them at church and told them he played guitar. After one audition, they knew he was the one they’d been looking for, even though he didn’t even own an electric guitar. But he was so good on his acoustic with nylon strings, and such a good song writer, and in all honesty, the nicest guy they had ever met, that they didn’t even debate. They just asked (begged) him to join. He’s now been a part of the band for a decade, and Logan says it’s hard for him to remember a time when he wasn’t jamming with Paul. Sometimes we even forget that he wasn’t there when the band was formed.
And then, there was no drummer. Hinge played together for years without one. We never played live shows and we never recorded because we couldn’t find a consistent drummer. Mostly, Sara, Logan and Paul got together and jammed and wrote songs, but that’s all Hinge was for many years. And then, Logan was on his way to a gig with another band when he ran into Jeff, who inquired about his boots. Upon discovering that he was in a band, Jeff admitted to having a drum kit stored in his attic. Logan convinced him to pull them down and bring them over, which he did. They were still boxed and shrink wrapped from many years of storage, but even though he hadn’t played in years, they could tell Jeff was a natural drummer. Plus, after Paul, he was the second nicest guy they had ever met. Within a few weeks Jeff had all the songs learned and Hinge started to advance faster than ever before. Now, it’s hard to imagine when Hinge wasn’t this current lineup. The four of us have now been playing together longer than any other lineup we've ever had, and to us, this is Hinge: Jeff, Paul, Sara and Logan.
