Hands was an American, a short-lived symphonic American band from Texas – Progressive Rock band who existed from 1977 disbanded in 1980 – Reformed in 1997, and became known through a couple of archival releases of their recordings several decades later. Hands were actually an off-shoot of the even more obscure Rock/Fusion project Prism.
Due to the overwhelming positive response that these archival releases received, the main members of the band reformed and have put out several albums since. Because the members actually are from the heyday of Progressive Rock, you can hear Classic-era influences in their over-all sound such as Happy The Man, Genesis, Gentle Giant, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Kansas, etc… but these are their roots and they definitely make original Progressive Rock Music. The band would often include blues-influenced music such as Johnny Winter and Allman Brothers covers in their live shows. Like many Progressive American bands of the latter seventies, Hands toured extensively and managed to release a minor-label studio album, but failed to garner much attention and quietly disbanded as the decade drew to a close. Shroom Records released a collection of the band’s early recordings on CD in 1996 which was critically acclaimed but made little commercial impact. The label also re-released the band’s lone studio album from 1977 though, which did manage to find a small audience in the Midwest. On the strength of this re-release the band reformed with small lineup changes and began touring, eventually releasing a studio album of new material in 2001 (“Twenty Five Winters”). The band continues to perform today, and as of the fall of 2006 were wrapping up production on a third studio album tentatively named “Strangelet”.
Discography
(1996) Hands [Shroom Production]
(1998) Palm Mystery [Shroom Production]
(2002) Twenty-five winters [Shroom Production]
(2008) Strangelet [Weelhouse]
(2015) Hands [ShroomAngel Records]
Lineup
Ernie Myers / Guitar, Vocals
Michael Clay / Keyboards, Guitar, Xylophone
Paul Bunker / Viola, Violin
Skip Durbin / Woodwinds
Steve Parker / Bass, Vocals
John Rousseau / Drums, Percussion
Plus various guests every album
