Dead Hand | |
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![]() Dead Hand in 2018 | |
Background information | |
Origin | New York City, USA |
Genres | Punk rock, alternative punk, post-punk, alternative rock, pop punk |
Years active | 1983-1988, 2017-2018 |
Spinoffs | L.S.F |
Dead Hand was an alternative punk band from New York City, New York, formed in 1983 by frontman James Bill Hardy. It gained local prominence until his death in 1985.
Guitarist Dylan "JD" Jameson, later a sessionist guitar and producer (known for his work with Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa), has been the band's only constant member. Since its formation, the band has gone through various lineup changes. Second lineup was formed in 1985, featuring Violet Turner, later a Grammy-nominated country singer as a lead guitarist. It was composed of Matthew Fisher as a vocalist, Dylan Jameson and Ashley Blakely as guitarists and Barry J. Newman as a drummer.
Disbanded in 1988, the band later received attention in April 2017, after the discovery of a demo tape of their second album in a charity shop by a 4chan user and its sharing in social media. Its brief status as lostwave media led to a dedicated cult following and a community devoted to tracking down its band members. In December 2017, the band quickly reunited and finished their album, briefly participating in punk rock festivals in the US and Europe.
On September 21, 2018, the band announced via JD's Twitter that it was "calling it a day as a band" and "leaving it as history for both fans and band members". Jameson said that he hoped fans realized it "wasn't an easy decision but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way."