Ten Hands (band)
Encyclopedia
Ten Hands was a rock band based in Dallas, Texas
and was active between 1986-1995. The band consisted of:
Described as a cross between the jazz-rock-art style of Frank Zappa
and the psychedelic punk of the Meat Puppets
, Ten Hands had a unique style that was better appreciated live, more so than in the studio. The late 80's local scene adored them and the Dallas Observer
awarded Ten Hands numerous accolades in 1988-1989.
The band officially called it quits in 1995; however, reunion shows every few years regularly draw a large following in Deep Ellum
.
, in the mid-'80s, 30 miles North of Dallas, Ten Hands briefly enjoyed heaps of acclaim and an impressive following in their home state. Their music tended to be high in energy, syncopated and funky. Matched with Paul Slavens' charismatic vocal stylings and political assertions that denigrated the ruling elite, the complacent middle class, and environmental evils, Ten Hands was one of the more politically oriented Texas bands of the era. They rarely forgot to be fun, however, and their musical playfulness and frequent lyrical absurdism belied any pretensions they may have had.
Sometime in late 1986, Mike Dillon
, Gary Muller, and Matt Chamberlain
were playing in Dallas-based band Zane Grey, who actually appeared on Star Search. They did not win, but Muller did get to touch Ed McMahon (specifically, his hand). Meanwhile, Steve Brand and Slavens were playing in a Denton band called the Gonemen. Dillon, Muller, and Chamberlain lived in the same Denton house as other members of the Gonemen, and when dissatisfaction with both groups began to appear, the idea for a new band was spawned.
The first Ten Hands rehearsal (documented on videotape) took place late 1986 in Denton. Shortly thereafter, Zane Grey's manager, Tony Johnson, accepted an offer to manage the fledgling band. For the first year, Ten Hands played mostly small venues in Denton and performed a weekly gig at the Prophet Bar, a seminal Deep Ellum club in Dallas. During this time, a studio recording was made and handmade cassettes were sold and distributed in and around the Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Denton area.
Chamberlain and Dillon were already well-known in Denton as top players in the University of North Texas Jazz program, and interest in the band soon grew. It was also during this time that the New Bohemians
were becoming a major draw in Dallas. It happened that several members of that band were friends with a few Ten Hands members, and ultimately, New Bohemians finagled some opening slots for Ten Hands at Deep Ellum's celebrated Club Dada. The Club Dada shows helped expose the band to a much wider audience, and the venue would later host many of Ten Hands' most memorable performances.
In late 1988, Earl Harvin
joined the band as drummer after the Matt left to play with the New Bohemians. The band went into the studio to record Kung Fu...That's What I Like. As New Bohemians vacated Dallas for bigger and better things, Ten Hands stepped in to fill the void and began what would be a three or four year run as one of the region's most popular draws. The band won numerous Dallas Observer Awards in 1988-1989, and shortly after the release of their first live CD, The Big One Is Coming, and sold over 20,000 copies. Joe Cripps joined the band to replace Dillon on percussion. Also, Steve Ryburn lent a hand with a solemn offering of his left red Chuck Taylor to Paul Slavens at a beautiful show performed at the ,now defunct, Rhythm Room.
Earl left the band to play with Mike Dillon's Billy Goat
and "Big" Al Emert became drummer. Ten Hands started to tour heavily and built a large following with college audiences.
At a SXSW performance, the band was offered a record deal by an independent producer in L.A. Desperate to release an album after two years of inactivity, the band agreed and began work on Be My Guru in late 1991. While the album contained some of the band's best songs, the recording itself was a disappointment and the relationship with the label grew stormy. By the time the band left the label, much of their earlier momentum was lost.
As the band's popularity began to wane, a friend of the band, Byron Wilson, offered to produce a CD. Jazz for Jerks was recorded in early 1993 with the assistance of the band's friend and longtime collaborative producer, David Castell
.
Steve Brand left the band in 1993. New guitarists, Chris Claridy and Chad Rueffer joined and the band wrote some new songs and continued to gig around the area. In the next incarnation, guitarist, Ed McMahon, and drummer Greg Beck were hired. A demo record was recorded with the brand new lineup, but the album was never mixed or released.
Ten Hands continues to play, with various lineups, several times a year in the Dallas area.
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
and was active between 1986-1995. The band consisted of:
- Paul Slavens (keyboards, lead vocals),
- Steve Brand (guitar, backing vocals),
- Gary Muller (Chapman stickChapman StickThe Chapman Stick is an electric musical instrument devised by Emmett Chapman in the early 1970s. A member of the guitar family, the Chapman Stick usually has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and has been used on music recordings to play bass lines, melody lines, chords or textures...
, backing vocals), - Earl HarvinEarl HarvinEarl Harvin is a drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist from the New York area who has lived in Dallas, Texas and Los Angeles and is now residing in Berlin, Germany....
(drums, backing vocals 1986-1991), - Mike DillonMike Dillon (musician)Mike Dillon is a percussionist, vibraphonist, bandleader, vocalist and songwriter born in San Antonio, Texas. He is a member of Critters Buggin, Les Claypool's Fancy Band and Garage A Trois...
(percussion, backing vocals 1986-1991), and - Alan Emmert (drums, backing vocals 1991-1995).
Described as a cross between the jazz-rock-art style of Frank Zappa
Frank Zappa
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, singer-songwriter, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, orchestral and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed...
and the psychedelic punk of the Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets
The Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980, in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood , his brother Cris Kirkwood , and Derrick Bostrom . The Kirkwood brothers met Bostrom while attending Brophy Prep High School in Phoenix...
, Ten Hands had a unique style that was better appreciated live, more so than in the studio. The late 80's local scene adored them and the Dallas Observer
Dallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
awarded Ten Hands numerous accolades in 1988-1989.
The band officially called it quits in 1995; however, reunion shows every few years regularly draw a large following in Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum
Deep Ellum is an arts and entertainment district near downtown in east Dallas, Texas . It lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets...
.
About Ten Hands
Born from Denton, TexasDenton, Texas
The city of Denton is the county seat of Denton County, Texas in the United States. Its population was 119,454 according to the 2010 U.S. Census, making it the eleventh largest city in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex...
, in the mid-'80s, 30 miles North of Dallas, Ten Hands briefly enjoyed heaps of acclaim and an impressive following in their home state. Their music tended to be high in energy, syncopated and funky. Matched with Paul Slavens' charismatic vocal stylings and political assertions that denigrated the ruling elite, the complacent middle class, and environmental evils, Ten Hands was one of the more politically oriented Texas bands of the era. They rarely forgot to be fun, however, and their musical playfulness and frequent lyrical absurdism belied any pretensions they may have had.
Sometime in late 1986, Mike Dillon
Mike Dillon (musician)
Mike Dillon is a percussionist, vibraphonist, bandleader, vocalist and songwriter born in San Antonio, Texas. He is a member of Critters Buggin, Les Claypool's Fancy Band and Garage A Trois...
, Gary Muller, and Matt Chamberlain
Matt Chamberlain
Matthew Chamberlain is an American drummer, producer and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
were playing in Dallas-based band Zane Grey, who actually appeared on Star Search. They did not win, but Muller did get to touch Ed McMahon (specifically, his hand). Meanwhile, Steve Brand and Slavens were playing in a Denton band called the Gonemen. Dillon, Muller, and Chamberlain lived in the same Denton house as other members of the Gonemen, and when dissatisfaction with both groups began to appear, the idea for a new band was spawned.
The first Ten Hands rehearsal (documented on videotape) took place late 1986 in Denton. Shortly thereafter, Zane Grey's manager, Tony Johnson, accepted an offer to manage the fledgling band. For the first year, Ten Hands played mostly small venues in Denton and performed a weekly gig at the Prophet Bar, a seminal Deep Ellum club in Dallas. During this time, a studio recording was made and handmade cassettes were sold and distributed in and around the Dallas, Ft. Worth, and Denton area.
Chamberlain and Dillon were already well-known in Denton as top players in the University of North Texas Jazz program, and interest in the band soon grew. It was also during this time that the New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians is an alternative rock jam band that originated in Texas in the mid-1980s. The band is best known for their 1988 hit "What I Am" from the album Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars. Their music contains elements of rock, folk, blues, and jazz...
were becoming a major draw in Dallas. It happened that several members of that band were friends with a few Ten Hands members, and ultimately, New Bohemians finagled some opening slots for Ten Hands at Deep Ellum's celebrated Club Dada. The Club Dada shows helped expose the band to a much wider audience, and the venue would later host many of Ten Hands' most memorable performances.
In late 1988, Earl Harvin
Earl Harvin
Earl Harvin is a drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist from the New York area who has lived in Dallas, Texas and Los Angeles and is now residing in Berlin, Germany....
joined the band as drummer after the Matt left to play with the New Bohemians. The band went into the studio to record Kung Fu...That's What I Like. As New Bohemians vacated Dallas for bigger and better things, Ten Hands stepped in to fill the void and began what would be a three or four year run as one of the region's most popular draws. The band won numerous Dallas Observer Awards in 1988-1989, and shortly after the release of their first live CD, The Big One Is Coming, and sold over 20,000 copies. Joe Cripps joined the band to replace Dillon on percussion. Also, Steve Ryburn lent a hand with a solemn offering of his left red Chuck Taylor to Paul Slavens at a beautiful show performed at the ,now defunct, Rhythm Room.
Earl left the band to play with Mike Dillon's Billy Goat
Billy Goat (band)
Billy Goat was a band playing rock, funk and Latin styles from 1989 to 1997. Originating in Denton, Texas, Billy Goat was popular in the Dallas and Austin scenes including Deep Ellum and became known for its wild stage antics including playing naked...
and "Big" Al Emert became drummer. Ten Hands started to tour heavily and built a large following with college audiences.
At a SXSW performance, the band was offered a record deal by an independent producer in L.A. Desperate to release an album after two years of inactivity, the band agreed and began work on Be My Guru in late 1991. While the album contained some of the band's best songs, the recording itself was a disappointment and the relationship with the label grew stormy. By the time the band left the label, much of their earlier momentum was lost.
As the band's popularity began to wane, a friend of the band, Byron Wilson, offered to produce a CD. Jazz for Jerks was recorded in early 1993 with the assistance of the band's friend and longtime collaborative producer, David Castell
David Castell
David Castell is an American record producer, musician, and recording engineer based in Dallas, Texas.Castell’s recording career spans nearly three decades; his work with many major record labels and independent labels alike includes both platinum-selling national recording artists and unsigned...
.
Steve Brand left the band in 1993. New guitarists, Chris Claridy and Chad Rueffer joined and the band wrote some new songs and continued to gig around the area. In the next incarnation, guitarist, Ed McMahon, and drummer Greg Beck were hired. A demo record was recorded with the brand new lineup, but the album was never mixed or released.
Ten Hands continues to play, with various lineups, several times a year in the Dallas area.
Ten Hands discography
| Year | Title | Label | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Kung Fu ... That's What I Like | ESG | |
| 1989 | The Big One Is Coming (live) | ESG | |
| 1992 | Be My Guru | Slipped Disc | |
| 1993 | Jazz For Jerks | Clubland | |
| 1996 | The Big One That Got Away (live) | Clubland |
External links
- Ten Hands mySpace Page
- [ Ten Hands] entry at AllMusic.com