Interview: Hands

Give Me Rest is one of my favorite albums of 2011 and so I'm extremely excited that Hands is the first band interview on Patton on Music. Big thanks go out to Shane Ochsner for taking the time to talk to me.

POM: Everything I’ve read on Give Me Rest has been extremely positive. Are you surprised by the response to the record?

SO: I am very surprised! We love our fans, and we knew that they would be excited about it. But this album has drawn in so many new people to our fan base! And all of them have had nothing but really good things to say about how much they enjoy the music, or what it's doing in their life. We are blown away, to say the least.

POM: Give Me Rest is a pretty diverse record sound wise. Can you talk about the writing process a little? How did things come together with you guys living in different parts of the country, etc?

SO: It seems like every time we write and record an album, there is some sort of crazy story behind it. Well, "Give Me Rest" is no different. I do the writing in the band, and I live in Missouri. The other dudes live in North Dakota. So our drummer Josh made a trip down to my area, to do some writing with me. We nailed down a few songs, and then made plans to finish up the rest in a few weeks. He ended up not being able to make the trip, which put me in the position of having to finish it myself. So I locked myself in my basement every night for 2 solid months, and put the songs together. The great thing about our band is that all of us in the band are down for whatever. We write what we want to write. And what people may think of it, or how many albums we'll sell, has absolutely no influence on what we do. "Give Me Rest" comes from a different place than our previous albums, and considering we do another record in the future, I can guarantee it will be totally different than one before it.

POM: There’s a nice tension in the music that’s also reflected in the lyrics. Was there intention at making sure the lyrics and music conveyed the same feelings?

SO: I think since I had written the album myself, music and lyrics, it just kind of naturally turned out that way. All of the feelings and emotion I have were channeled into the writing of the music, and the lyrics for each song.

POM: The lyrics really strike a chord with me and I think it’s the same way with a lot people. The general theme seems to be an internal struggle with God and how to relate to him. Especially when seeing things in other Christians that you feel is contrary to who God is. Can you expand on the lyrics a little?

SO: I had grown up in a Christian home. And I had spent my teenage years with other Christian friends, playing in Christian bands. I never had taken the time to actually find out who God is, why he is, and what my relationship is with him. Why I called myself a Christian. Towards the end of our time on the road, I was pretty jaded and bitter about a lot of things. I sort of fell into this deep hole of questioning everything I believe. It didn't take long for me to completely just fall off of the map. Eventually, I opened up my bible and started trying to figure things out for myself. You can ask all of the questions in the world, but you need to search for the answers. I spent too much time expecting God to just hand everything over to me. In this process of starting over, "Give Me Rest" was written.

POM: I’ve seen people say on various sites how they were saddened or upset by the lyric “God damn this place” on Cube. Why go with that wording and did Facedown have a problem with the line?

SO: If anyone had any idea what that song was actually about, or the "place" it was referring to, it would probably help with taking their minds off of the idea that I intentionally used the line to be "edgy" or to start any sort of controversy. In writing lyrics, I mean every word I say. I will someday look to these songs, and be able to understand exactly where my head was at. So in a way, this album is almost like a personal journal. How could I not write exactly what I feel? And in reference to the song, there is no other line I could have used to describe the feelings towards that particular subject. I discussed a few of the lines on this album with Facedown before it was released, knowing that some of them may raise some spark. But the album came out, and they are in full support of our band and the message "Give Me Rest" is sending to the listener.


POM: Hands really stands out in the current Christian hardcore/metal scene. What are your musical influences?

SO: All I have listened to for the past year is Jimmy Eat World, HUM, and One Republic. I'm not sure where they all tie into our sound, but I'm sure they do!

POM: You’ve gotten to play a couple of shows since Give Me Rest has come out. Is there any chance Hands will tour again?

SO: It's possible, but not very likely. We all have our own things going on in life, and they all take priority over this band. We will set up some stuff here and there, and hopefully continue to at least play the summer festivals. Keep an eye out, like I said, you never know!

POM: Back in May you guys posted a series of questions on Facebook asking your fans for their opinions on Faith, art, and worship, as well as asking your non-Christians fans, what drew them to your music. It’s the first time I’ve really seen a band use social networking to really engage their fans in a dialogue. What made you want to engage your fans in conversation like this?

SO: Like I had mentioned before, we love our fans. We like to keep the door open for anyone to communicate with us, or ask us questions. Facebook has provided a ground for us to do that. We are not here to tell anyone they are wrong, or judge anyone. And it is interesting to read people's thoughts and opinions on certain subjects. If all you have to do is post a status update to open a discussion between thousands of people all around the world, with different beliefs and opinions, then why not?

POM: What will be next for Hands? Is there more music in your future or is Give Me Rest the grand finale?

SO: Honestly, we have no idea. Will there be another Hands album? Your guess is as good as mine!