Performance
Date
Thursday, May 24
Though
he's been making powerful original music for nearly
four decades, James Hand has unjustly remained one
of American music's secret treasures -- a local
legend, modestly plying his craft in countless smoky
dives and dancehalls to a slowly widening circle of
admirers. What he does, he does straight from his
heart, taking the hard-won lessons that life and
love have taught him and pouring them into his
songwriting and performing. "I don't sing like
anybody," he admits with a shy, sly smile, "and I
don't look like Kenny Chesney." He's right: he sings
like nobody but himself, his phrasing drawing out
the pain and humor of his lyrics with an
unpredictable yet soulful series of tiny
inflections. His songs are equally mysterious and
unclassifiable. While they are noticeably rich with
the influences of his heroes -- classic country
architects like Hank, Lefty, and Ernest -- Hand's
songs are uniquely his, imbued with equal parts
gallows humor and the ability to stare unflinchingly
into life's darkest corners.
For more information on James Hand, go to
www.jamesslimhand.com
