Hands

The conception of Hands originated in conversations between Michael Clay and Michael Barreyre, who drew motivation from the artistic accomplishments and market achievements of multiple progressive rock ensembles. While still attending high school the pair, stimulated by fresh and unconventional sounds, envisioned forming a progressive rock outfit that would fuse elements of Yes and the Soft Machine. At the same time Ernie Myers, John Rousseau, and Steve Parker were improvising together above the snack area of a drive-in theater, and the trio also performed regularly before live crowds. Meanwhile Clay and Barreyre linked up with David Carlisle and Sonny Solell; the quartet began rehearsing in Clay’s bedroom, refining renditions of Pink Floyd and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin material. A shared high-school acquaintance eventually brought the two circles of musicians together. Rousseau, Clay, and Myers worked collectively for a period before disbanding upon Myers’s relocation to California. At that juncture Rousseau, Barreyre, Carlisle, Solell, and Clay established Ibis and commenced rehearsals in Solell’s den; the group’s name derived from “Flight of the Ibis,” a track on the McDonald & Giles solo album. Ibis performed numerous engagements throughout the Dallas region, presenting an eclectic repertoire that encompassed King Crimson, Frank Zappa, and PFM alongside Johnny Winter and the Allman Brothers. The musicians grew comfortable delivering technically demanding pieces in venues poorly equipped for such material. Nevertheless Ibis secured a booking at Deb’s Danceland that marked Carlisle’s final appearance with the ensemble. Parker then assumed the bass position, rapidly adjusting to both bass and lead-vocal responsibilities despite lacking prior bass experience.

The band subsequently adopted the name Prism and persisted in recording and performing while steadily integrating original compositions into its sets. Clay believed the emerging original pieces would gain from the addition of a string player, and an advertisement discovered by Rousseau brought Paul Bunker into the fold. From that moment the group assumed an entirely altered sonic character and a heightened sense of purpose. Citing artistic differences and mounting reluctance to collaborate, Barreyre was asked to depart. While that tension developed, Myers returned from Los Angeles, where he had encountered flutist and composer Skip Durbin; Durbin was invited to join Prism. Solell withdrew from the lineup, Durbin integrated swiftly, and the ensemble’s sound shifted once more toward a melodic, flowing aesthetic. Myers’s father attended a rehearsal accompanied by an associate; impressed by the band’s sincerity and originality, he provided funds for a recording. Concurrently Rousseau contacted promoters of an upcoming Gentle Giant concert in the Dallas area and, through persistent effort, obtained the opening slot. Encouraged by the strong reception at that engagement, the band entered January Sound in the fall of 1977 and captured what would become, some twenty-five years later, the Hands CD.

Nineteen seventy-eight brought relentless rehearsal and songwriting. The musicians endured yet another change of practice space, relocating to a storefront warehouse in East Dallas, and, upon learning of the Canadian band of the same name signed to Arista Records, adopted a new identity. After extended deliberations they settled on Hands, a designation that encapsulated the coordinated physical effort required to produce their music and one that predated numerous minimalist band names of the early 1980s. During this interval the group approached Ken Scott, the producer renowned for polished pop and rock recordings. Scott had recently completed work on Happy the Man, investing personal resources in the project. Although he appreciated Hands’ music, he was unable to produce the band or introduce it to any label. Despite the artistic acclaim Happy the Man later enjoyed, insufficient sales prevented further assistance. Amid a musical climate favoring simpler textures and the persistent pulse of disco, Hands found it increasingly difficult to sustain its ambitions. In 1979 Michael Clay exited. Undeterred, Hands enlisted keyboard virtuoso Shanon Day, whose background in the heavy-rock band Point Blank introduced a robust Hammond B3 texture and a stronger rock orientation. Vocalist Gary Stone was also added; his expansive range and smooth vibrato supplied additional vocal appeal. This configuration—Myers, Parker, Durbin, Day, Bunker, Rousseau, and Stone—entered Crystal Clear Sound for an intensive recording session, capturing a substantial body of material in short order, including Myers’ “Mindgrind” and “Antarctica” as well as Durbin’s elegiac “New Skies.” These tracks later constituted the core of the CD Palm Mystery.

Hands delivered an inspired performance at the Wintergarten Ballroom in 1980 that proved to be the final public appearance of that particular lineup. The concert drew a solid audience and showcased expert execution, yet the passage of time, shifting listener preferences, and the individual career trajectories of the musicians ultimately dissolved the group.

In 1995 a longtime friend and relative of Steve Parker named Rich, who held a strong interest in progressive rock and progressive metal, received early Hands tapes from the 1970s. Rich was establishing Shroom Records, an imprint intended to issue quality progressive, hard-rock, and psychedelic releases primarily from Texas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Hands thereby became Shroom’s inaugural release. The CD sold respectably and positioned Hands as quasi-legends within the resurgent progressive-rock milieu of the 1990s, with particular popularity emerging in Scandinavia and Europe. Two additional archival collections, Prism Live and Palm Mystery, followed to widespread praise. After years of obscurity, Hands received recognition as genuine progressive-rock pioneers. Shroom and subsequently Myers proposed producing a reunion album. Because most original members remained alive and in reasonable health, the decision was affirmative. In 1996 Myers and Clay began composing new material that remained progressive yet avoided recreating their earlier style. After several personnel adjustments and alterations in recording approach, the CD Twenty Five Winters was completed in the fall of 2001.