The Hanks

The Hanks (led by power pop

Power pop

Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...

and alt.country musician Jeff Hart, see: Jeff Hart and the Ruins

Jeff Hart and the Ruins

Jeff Hart and the Ruins is a four-piece Americana and alt.country-styled power pop band composed of Jeff Hart , Brian Yamamoto, Symen Blumenfeld and Jim McPhail.-Career:...

) were formed in 1987 and helped usher in the alt.country or No Depression

No Depression

No Depression may refer to:* No Depression , a bi-monthly roots and Americana music magazine and now a music website.* "No Depression in Heaven", a 1936 song popularized by the Carter Family...

scene in North Carolina several years before Whiskeytown

Whiskeytown

Whiskeytown was an alternative country band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1994. Fronted by Ryan Adams, other members included Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000, with Adams leaving to pursue his solo career...

and Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams

David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...

put the sound on the national map. They disbanded in 1989. They reunited for two shows in 2000 and permanently in 2004 to coincide with the release of the archives of their 1988 recordings. The 2007 lineup (same as 1988) are Jeff Hart on guitar and vocals, Herbie Saint on drums and vocals, Ron Bartholomew on lead guitar and vocals and Steve Webster on bass.

A later band with the same name, formed in 1998 and has been touring nationally since 2004. The rest of the article is devoted to that band.

The Hanks (of Los Angeles, Calif. 1998 to present)

The Hanks are a Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

based band consisting of Josh Grondin (lead vocals, guitar, keys), Bryan Harris (bass guitar, backing vocals), Philip Katz (keys, horns, backing vocals), and Shane Mayo (drums). They have an alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

sound with many effects on the guitar and keyboard.

Josh and Bryan met at an Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

boarding school. Josh and Bryan met Phil and Shane in upon moving down to LA in 2000. Shortly after this, Josh's childhood friend Ben Welch (rhythm guitar, backup vocals) joined the band. Josh also played in Ben's band named Darci Cash, Ben's main project. As The Hanks and Darci Cash became busier and began to tour more, Josh and Ben had to leave each other's bands and stick to their main projects.

Their first full-length record, Your New Attraction

Your New Attraction

Your New Attraction is The Hanks' 2005 debut album. Originally released on Caffeine Teen Records, Your New Attraction was re-released by Cobra Music on September 26, 2006.-Track listing:#"The Only Thing Real" – 3:43#"Sometimes" – 4:09#"Bruised" – 4:04...

was first released March 2005, on Caffeine Teen Records, a label co-founded by The Hanks, along with LA-based bands Darci Cash and The Absentee

The Absentee

The Absentee is a novel by Maria Edgeworth, published in 1812 in Tales of Fashionable Life, that expresses the systemic evils of the absentee landlord class of Anglo-Irish and the desperate condition of the Irish peasantry....

. It was re-released September 26th, 2006 on Cobra Music. All songs on this album were written by Josh Grondin and arranged by the band. The band has also released two now out-of-print EPs that were recorded with older line-ups before Josh and Bryan's move to LA.

In May 2007 they went back in the studio with Lior Goldenberg, who mixed Your New Attraction

Your New Attraction

, to record more material. Originally planned as an EP, the band recorded 6 songs before deciding to extend the release into a full-length album. They spent the summer writing and demoing more songs and went back into the studio in the fall. The album, titled Distance

Distance

Distance is a numerical description of how far apart objects are. In physics or everyday discussion, distance may refer to a physical length, or an estimation based on other criteria . In mathematics, a distance function or metric is a generalization of the concept of physical distance...

, was released on March 6th 2008. It came with a limited edition acoustic version of the album track Cinnamon Scars when pre-ordered online. The band is currently playing shows around their hometown of Los Angeles and doing frequent regional and national touring.

External links - The Hanks (since 1987)

External links - Los Angeles CA (since 1998) Hanks

Music Videos:

- Their 1st music video, done for the song "Once Again"
- Their 2nd music video, done for the song "Sometimes"

Press:

The Hanks Exclusive Interview with The Grixer
- Article in Smash Magazine.
- Interview with Reax Music.
- Interview with Smashed Chair.
- Interview with College News.
- http://stimtv.com/stim/tv/link/2986 - The 1st of 2 video interviews The Hanks have done on stimtv. Shot outside of the LA club The Troubadour.
- http://stimtv.com/stim/tv/link/6654 - The 2nd of 2 video interviews The Hanks have done on stimtv. Shot during SxSW '07 in Austin, TX.

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