Open Hand
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Artists:
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Open Hand
- Genres: Rock
Biography
Grunge, post-grunge, stoner rock, emocore, and all the Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, and Nirvana worship that comes with those scenes are big influences on the sound of Open Hand, along with a surprising touch of prog, thanks in no small part to Justin Isham's longtime love of King Crimson, early Genesis, and Robert Fripp. After they both spent time in the Los Angeles-based hardcore band I Awake, vocalist/guitarist Isham and drummer Alex Rodriguez formed Open Hand in 2000 with guitarist Sean Woods and former Not Waving But Drowning bassist Jeff Meyer. Two self-released EPs and some flirtation with the major labels eventually led the group to the Trustkill label, a haven for heavy bands who weren't afraid of being emo or melodic. The band's 2003 release for the label, The Dream, brought Isham's Crimson and Peter Gabriel influence to the surface and comparisons to Live and Taking Back Sunday in the press. After a worldwide tour with labelmates Poison the Well, the band returned home and split up. Isham carried on alone, writing new music with Open Hand in mind. He persuaded drummer Paxton Pryor away from his band the Vacation and the two spent the summer of 2004 creating a record for both emo kids and guitar geeks. Covering plenty of musical ground, the ambitious and epic You and Me arrived in early 2005. After the album's release, bassist Michael Anastasi and guitarist Sean Woods were added to the band. ~ David Jeffries, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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Open Hand
| Open Hand | |
|---|---|
| Origin | California, USA |
| Genres | Indie rock Progressive rock |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | Trustkill/Anondyne |
| Website | Open Hand Rocks |
Open Hand is a Californian indie rock band. The band was formed in Hollywood in 1999 by guitarist/vocalist Justin Isham, bassist Michael Anastasi and drummer Alex Rodriguez. They released two EPs on its own American Propaganda label, Radio Days (1999) and Evolutions (2000). After touring to support the two EPs with the bands Thursday, MxPx, From Autumn To Ashes, Grade and The Juliana Theory, they signed with Trustkill Records in 2002. In 2003, Trustkill issued The Dream, a collection of the band’s out of print EPs. They released the album "You and Me" in 2005, the band went on to tour extensively all over the world between 2005- 2007. Open Hand released "Honey" (Anodyne Records) on 4/20/2010. After the release of "Honey", the band went through some line-up changes eventually scaling back to a power trio after expanding into a 7 piece. On November 1st 2011, the band began a two week tour in Canada to celebrate the release of their new mini-EP "The Mark Of The Demon" (Blacktop Records). Open Hand is currently writing new material and working on a 2012 release.
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Contents
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Current line-up
- Justin Isham - lead vocals, guitar
- Ethan Novak - drums, vocals
- Erik Valentine - bass, vocals
Previous members
- Ryan Castagna - guitar
- Breanne Martin - vocals, keyboards
- Alex Rodríguez - drums
- Sean Woods - guitar
- Beau Burchell - guitar
- Michael Anastasi - bass
- Paxton Pryor - drums
- Zach Kennedy - bass
- Jeff Myer - bass
- Jason Gerkin - drums
- Drew Marcogliese- drums
- Sam Hoskins - drums
- Steve Riley - drums
Discography
- Radio Days (self-released EP 1998)
- Evolutions (self-released EP 1999)
- The Dream (2000)
- Live At CBGB (2002)
- You and Me (2005)
- Honey (2010)
- The Mark Of The Demon (2011)
External links
- [1]
- [2]
- Anodyne Records page for Open Hand. The 2010 'Honey' release is available here.
- Open Hand on MySpace. Currently the closest thing to an official website.
- Open Hand Label Profile
- "Openhandrocks" website is owned by Trustkill, and features only past news for Open Hand
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