THE HANDS "Prepare for a full-on eargasm, my friends." - The Stranger The blues and gospel have been long ingrained in the fabric of this country. Classic forms are at the very least a place to start, and for The Hands they were a jumping off point. Layering their personal influences on a timeless foundation, The Hands mix elements of punk, southern rock, psych, and soul to create a living folk music (just with loud ass equipment.) The Hands (John Healy ? guitar and vocals, Eli Chuckovich ? guitar and vocals, Jordan Lock - piano, vocals, percussion, Michael Tyler ? bass, and Cary Davis - Drums) met while attending Evergreen College in Olympia, Wa. Jordan and Eli were in a band called Cougar Fucking Mountain, while John was playing with a group called The Measurements.  They played the typical Oly circuit, with their two bands playing dive bars and house parties together. After graduation, Jordan and Eli headed to the bright lights of Emerald City and promptly broke up. ? Around that time Eli ran into John at a bar. John was planning on getting his Oly band (also since broken up) back together in some form, and they began talking about getting a shared practice space. The great reunion never came to pass, but this great group of friends and musicians all gelled.  They began spending a lot of time together, playing music and having a lot of fun. The Hands began. They cut a demo and began playing out, once again rocking dive bars and house parties. It was at a "rock'n'roll is dead" themed show that the second half of the story starts. John dressed as a priest, and the rest of the band as the choir.  They announced in verse that rock?n? roll was dead as John offered the band and crowd "sacrament" (absinthe ordered from France.) In a stroke of luck the wife of Brian Foss (host of KEXP punk show Sonic Reducer and owner/booker of legendary Seattle venue The Funhouse) was in attendance. Foss got turned on to the band, and The Hands found a home and a scene. After some time roughing up the smooth edges playing shows the band self produced an ep titled ?So Sweet?. Through Foss the ep made it to KEXP program director Don Yates. The ep began to receive tons of airplay and flattering reviews in the local alt-weeklies. People began singing along at shows (!) and word began to spread. Eventually, it found its way to Scott Balikian at Selector Sound, and in October 2007 The Hands went into the studio and cut their self-titled full length debut. The Hands are four guys who have been primary songwriters for bands in the past, and who are playing with most talented drummer that they know.  In an age of popstars by committee and blogger buzz bands rising to the surface and popping out existence like bubbles in too-sweet soda, The Hands are doing it the old way. Four guys who have been primary songwriters for bands in the past, playing with most talented drummer that they know, having a great time even if no one is watching, getting lost in it. ?Luckily, people are watching. Latching on to a sound that resonates through every too-loud basement, too-hot garage, and too-dark club in the country, and getting lost in it. Rolling on a sonic road trip through So-Cal throttle rock, the back alley yowl of the urban rust belt, west coast psych-noise, and back-porch bayou stomp, this is the sound of America.