Hands -

Hands are an American symphonic/art-rock band from Dallas that recorded a clutch of demos between 1977 and 1980 that were later compiled on CD by archivists Shroom Productions.

Members: Michael Clay (piano, guitar), Ernie Myers (guitar, vocals), John Rousseau (drums, percussion, ?-1980), Steve Parker (guitar, vocals, bass, ?-1980), Paul Bunker (viola, violin, guitar, ?-1980), Skip Durbin (flute, ?-1980), Shannon Day (keyboards, 1979-80), Gary Stone (vocals, 1979-80)

Background

Hands formed in Dallas circa 1977–78 when the six-piece Prism adopted a new name with keyboardist-guitarist Michael Clay, guitarist-vocalist Ernie Myers, bassist-vocalist Steve Parker, drummer John Rousseau, violist Paul Bunker, and woodwind player Skip Durbin.

The group traced back to 1971, when high-school student Clay met guitarist Michael Barreyre through Dianne Barreyre, sister of Michael Barreyre. Clay and Barreyre listened closely to King Crimson, Yes, early Herbie Hancock, Weather Report, and classical music. The Gentle Giant album Three Friends redirected their interest from loose abstract jazz toward tightly composed rock.

Clay and Barreyre assembled Ibis in 1974 with bassist David Carlisle, drummer Rousseau, and saxophonist Sonny Solell. The name came from “Flight of the Ibis” on the McDonald and Giles album. Ibis rehearsed at the Solell home and played Dallas-area dates, including Deb’s Danceland. Their surviving 1974 rehearsal tapes include covers of John McLaughlin (“Hope”), Michal Urbaniak (“Mazurka”), the Allman Brothers (“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”), Johnny Winter (“I Hate Everybody”), and Frank Zappa (“Aybe Sea”). Guitarist-singer Steve Parker sat in at the Deb’s Danceland appearance, then moved to bass when Carlisle left. The musicians renamed the band Prism and began placing original material beside the cover repertoire.

Rousseau found Southern Methodist University violinist Paul Bunker through a newspaper advertisement. Bunker mostly played viola and brought formal reading skills to the group. Prism tapes from 1976 pair originals “Bach’s Lunch/Zombieroch” and “Dreamsearch” with covers of King Crimson (“Lament”) and PFM (“Celebration”). The group steadily replaced covers with original pieces. Barreyre left amid internal tension, and Myers returned from Los Angeles to take the guitar position. Myers also persuaded woodwind player Skip Durbin, whom he met at a Los Angeles party hosted by members of the Eagles, to move to Texas. Durbin replaced Solell and completed the six-member Prism lineup.

Rousseau secured Prism a March 19, 1977, opening slot for Gentle Giant at the Electric Ballroom in Dallas. The concert placed Prism onstage with the group whose music redirected Clay and Barreyre several years earlier. The father of Myers later attended a rehearsal and financed studio time for the band. Prism entered January Sound in Dallas in fall 1977 and recorded the principal material later associated with Hands. The musicians changed rehearsal spaces to a storefront warehouse in East Dallas and adopted the Hands name once the Canadian Prism secured an Arista contract. Producer Ken Scott heard the group and expressed interest, but his financial commitment to Happy the Man prevented a production or label arrangement. The January Sound recordings ultimately supplied the core of the archival debut Hands.

Discography:

“Abracadaver” / “Castle Keep” (1978)
Hands (1996, recorded 1977–80)

Sources

Michael Clay interview, Sea of Tranquility, October 2001. This is the essential primary source. Clay gives the 1971 Barreyre connection, Crimson Cult listening, the impact of Three Friends, Myers/Rousseau activity, Ibis, Deb’s Danceland, Parker’s move to bass, Bunker’s SMU background, the Myers–Durbin meeting, Prism’s move toward originals, the Canadian Prism problem, and the Ken Scott contact. (Sea of Tranquility)
Michael Clay, “Golfing with Gentle Giant,” Gentle Giant Home Page. Clay confirms that Prism, later Hands, opened for Gentle Giant at the Dallas Electric Ballroom and supplies firsthand context for Rousseau and the band at that show. (Gentle Giant Home Page)
Gentle Giant concert chronology / Concert Archives. The Dallas Electric Ballroom appearance falls on March 19, 1977. This lets us date Clay’s recollection without relying on the later Hands biographies. (Concert Archives)
Shroom archival material: The Early Years 1974–76 and Prism: Live 75–77. The surviving recordings establish the 1974 Ibis repertoire, the 1976 Prism originals and covers, and the continuing Prism name at the Gentle Giant show. MusicBrainz confirms the Live 75–77 sequence; Rockadrome identifies the set as live, FM-broadcast, and studio material. (Yahoo)
Cesar Lanzarini Hands biography / Shroom-era release history. This supplies the rehearsal visit by Myers’s father, his financing of studio time, the fall 1977 January Sound sessions, the East Dallas warehouse, and the later Hands-name chronology. Rockadrome independently identifies the 1977 January Sound recordings as the main source for Shroom’s first Hands CD. (The Rock Asteria)