Sunburned Hand of the Man

Sunburned Hand of the Man are an experimental rock band from Boston, Massachusetts. They are a loose collective known for their frequent line up changes and large discography released on a variety of labels including Eclipse Records, Thurston Moore's Ecstatic Peace!, Three Lobed Recordings, and their own Manhand label.[1]

Sunburned Hand of the Man
OriginBoston, Massachusetts, United States
GenresPsychedelic rock, experimental rock, free improvisation, noise rock, psychedelic folk, drone, New Weird America
Years active1997–present
MembersDavid Bohill
John Moloney
Keith Wood
Marc Orleans
Paul LaBrecque
Phil Franklin
Robert Thomas
Ron Schneiderman
Chad Cooper
David Bohill
Conrad Capistran
Cousin Rich
Critter
Rich Pontius
James Coleman
Valerie Webb
Micheal Josef K
Christine Shields
Chris Corsano
Taylor Richardson
Jeremy Pisani
Christine Steele
Keith Wood
Gozzy
Michael Flower
Bridget Hayden
John Godbert
Dredd Foole
Paul Flaherty
Byron Coley
Gary War
Jack Callahan
Orion Russell
Adam Langelotti
Sarah Gibbons
Vanessa Brewster
Greta Svalberg
Jenna Weingarten
Sam Gas Can
Murph
Sarah O' Shea
Tony Goddess
Adam Noedlman
Matt Krefting
Brian Donnelly
Donald Harney
Shannon Ketch

Biography

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Sunburned Hand of the Man formed in Boston in 1994, growing out of a trio named Shit Spangled Banner with John Moloney and Robert Thomas managing an ever-changing line-up.[2] Their initial influences included Sonic Youth and the Melvins, though as their line-up expanded they began to incorporate elements of folk, drone, free jazz, and funk.[3]

By the early 2000s the band were increasingly associated with the "free folk" movement as described by David Keenan in his article "New Weird America" for The Wire.[4] The following decade saw a consistent stream of limited edition releases and live documents, ranging from improvised noise to more coherently arranged material such as 2007's Four Tet-produced Fire Escape[5] and 2010's A.[6]

Their output slowed during the 2010s and releases became more infrequent, although the band never fully deactivated.[7]

Frequent Sunburned guitarist Marc Orleans died on June 25, 2020, at the age of 52.[8] The following year the band returned with Pick a Day to Die, an album edited together from unreleased material recorded between 2007 and 2017.[9]

Selected discography

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  • 1994 Shit Spangled Banner (self-released cassette, Ecstatic Yod Ass Run LP)
  • 1997 Mind Of A Brother (Manhand 001, CD)
  • 1998 Piff's Clicks (Manhand 002, CD)
  • 2001 Jaybird (Manhand 003, CD)
  • 2001 Wild Animal (Manhand 004, CD)
  • 2001 The Healers Barrel (Manhand 005, CD)
  • 2002 The Book of Pressure (Manhand 006, CD)
  • 2002 The Agoraphobic Christcycle (Manhand 007, CD)
  • 2002 Headdress (Records, LP)
  • 2002 Jaybird (Qbico, LP)
  • 2002 Sopra L'Influsso - video - (Qbico)
  • 2003 Shit Spangled Banner-Inflated with Self-Hatred (Manhand 008, CD)
  • 2003 Closer to the Bone (Manhand 009/010, CD)
  • 2003 Magnetic Drugs (Manhand 011, CD)
  • 2003 The Trickle Down Theory of God Knows What (Eclipse, LP, CD)
  • 2003 The Sunburned Hand of the Man (LP)
  • 2003 Hoof Trip (Riot Season, 7")
  • 2004 Soft (Manhand 012)
  • 2004 Rare Wood (Spirit of Orr, CD)
  • 2004 The Secret in Disguise (Finga 013, CD)
  • 2004 No Magic Man (Bastet, CD)
  • 2005 Zample (Manhand 014, CD)
  • 2005 Anatomy (Manhand 024, CD)
  • 2005 Wedlock (Eclipse, double LP)
  • 2005 Complexion (Records, LP)
  • 2006 The Mylar Tantrum (Three Lobed Recordings, CD)
  • 2006 Bone For Sky Baba Ganoush (Chad Cooper CD)
  • 2007 Z (Ecstatic Peace, CD)
  • 2007 The Blaze Game (Conspiracy Records) - collaboration with Circle as Sunburned Circle
  • 2007 Fire Escape (Smalltown Supersound) - produced by Four Tet
  • 2007 "Weekend at Burnie's 2" (Lost Treasures of the Underworld, LP)
  • 2007 "Locked / Loaded" Cs (Meudiademorte, Cassette]
  • 2008 the Spacial Crime symbol (Manhand 082, CD)
  • 2009 Loose Bugs (Magnetic Expansion Label, CD)
  • 2010 A (Ecstatic Peace!, LP) - produced by Four Tet
  • 2019 Headless (Sunburned Records 165, CD)
  • 2020 Covered In Mud (Manhand 170, CD)
  • 2021 Pick a Day To Die (Three Lobed Recordings)
  • 2021 Vulgarisms (Manhand 178, CD)
  • 2021 Exile on Broadway (Manhand 172, CD)
  • 2021 The Air Itself (Manhand 182, CD)
  • 2022 Headdress 20th Anniversary Remaster (Three Lobed Recordings 141, LP)
  • 2024 Nimbus (Three Lobed Recordings 150, LP)

References

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  1. ^ Nickey, Jason. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  2. ^ Kitching, Sean. "The Strange World Of... Sunburned Hand Of The Man". The Quietus. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Album of the month: Jaybird". Head Heritage. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
  4. ^ Keenan, David (August 2003). "Welcome to the New Weird America". The Wire (234): 32.
  5. ^ Haver Currin, Grayson. "Fire Escape Album Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  6. ^ Gaerig, Andrew. "'A' Album Review". Pitchfork Media.
  7. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Pick a Day to Die Album Review". AllMusic.
  8. ^ Coley, Byron. "Marc Orleans RIP". The Wire.
  9. ^ Ingalls, Chris (11 March 2021). "Sunburned Hand of the Man are Back". Pop Matters.
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