What Hands Are For Shake, Rattle, and LOUD! Interview

Loud hardcore rooted rockstars What Hands Are For took some time to talk to me about how the band came together, to what their name symbolizes, how their influences are inspired, and what else they have in-store between now and the rest of their musical career!

1. How did you come together?

We pieced ourselves together over a couple of years. Most of us were involved with the local metalcore craze of the mid 2000's. we came together as an opposition to the kind of music we were playing as teenagers.

2. What type of band are you guys?

We are a loud band. We named our first EP Loud Ass. People routinely tell us to turn down and it will help us sound better, but we have yet to listen because... We're sadists. We are rooted in hardcore but our branches are all over. We write songs to be catchy, but they come out darker. I'd like to say we sound like a lana del rey lip augmentation.

3. So tell me why the name What Hands Are For does it symbolize or represent anything for the band?

It's a line in a Smiths song. We had many terrible band name ideas. We had just about settled on Go West, but ... They are a band already. Perhaps you remember the classic King of Wishful Thinking?

Anyway. We figured Pretty Girls Make Graves and Panic! At the Disco were onto something so we listened to The Smiths- Handsome Devil and tah-dah...that line  resonated with us. Most people think it's about jerking off or copping a feel or playing music. But it's more controlling than that.

4. You released an EP "...Please Believe Me" can you tell me where the title came from and is it a concept release?

The title please believe me was pulled from the song Me Myself and My Terms, which is this self comparison to Charles Foster Kane, but there is a certain desperation in trying to have that kind of control. Things unwind. Balance is lost. Challenges become impassible. There is a lot of talk about being two different people, the self being portrayed or the so-called real self and it's a fight figuring out if either one of them are good or bad...  But they both want to be validated.

5. Why did you pick Jungle Riots as your single?

It's awesome, and we wanted to work with Kyle Black!

6. Tell me about the song Jungle Riot?

Well, following what PBM was about comes this song about the idea of living life to the fullest and changing who you are to follow your dreams and looking back on the wreckage it's caused.

7. Who are some of your musical influences?

Everything good and shitty. They inspire equally;

The Dark Lord Moz

Dead Biggie

Dead Tupac

Dead (now) Thrice

Dead Fugazi

Mewithoutyou

Everything Kanye has ever done and ever will do

Strung Out

Big Wig

Dead Pretty Girls Make Graves

Every Time I Die

Dead Clipse (reborn)

Dead Poison the Well

Dead The Kinison

Dead than alive now dead again Refused

Jurassic Park Theme song

And about 1452 more. Don't ask that question.

8. Do you guys have any new music or side projects in the works?

We have a series of EPs we are releasing thought out 2013 starting in January. The project has so far taken on the name These Trying Times because its been three years in the making. shout outs to college and capitalism for making that time between releases possible. Also our drummer is in another band called Spirit Fangs who are a wonderful indie rock band turned hardcore with a great ear for songs.

9. Where do you see What Hands Are For in 5 years?

Dead as fuck or sold out theaters.

10. Any last words?

Yeah.