Woven Hand
Denver, Colorado8 reviews across 3 releases
Woven Hand began in Denver in 2001 as David Eugene Edwards' project during 16 Horsepower's hiatus. The 2002 Glitterhouse debut kept the earlier band's Southern Gothic and apocalyptic strain, but gave Edwards more room to build songs from atmosphere rather than a full-band assault. His low, distinctive voice carried stark Christian imagery, while banjo, accordion and amplified acoustic textures made the music feel archaic without settling into traditional country. The banjo could function as propulsion: "Glass Eye" became a runaway train. Blush Music changed the scale again, reworking debut material for Ultima Vez's dance production into creaking drones and distant voices, including a fourteen-minute treatment of "Ain't No Sunshine." By Consider the Birds, self-produced detail and European folk instrumentation brought back rhythmic force, while the songs joined apocalyptic fear to personal commitment and hope.
16 Horsepower officially broke up in 2005, leaving Woven Hand as Edwards' main vehicle. Pascal Humbert, another former 16 Horsepower member, joined in 2007; by 2008 the project had become a collaborative band rather than a mainly solo recording setup. Edwards remained at its center as the lineup shifted again. Humbert left before The Laughing Stalk in 2012, when Gregory Garcia Jr. took over bass and Chuck French joined on guitar. French later became Edwards' songwriting partner, and their work led to Silver Sash in 2022, released after a six-year gap between albums. Drummer Ordy Garrison, who had played with Woven Hand from its early expanded lineups, died on July 4, 2023.
3 releases reviewed
Blush Music
Consider the Birds