INVISIBLE HAND - SELF TITLED LP | PRE-ORDER HERE | STREAM VEGETABLES ABOVE

Jeff Byers on The Invisible Hand:

“Richmond, VA – It was the summer 2007 and I went to go see my North Carolinian friend Rich sing for a band supported by a rotating cast of characters called Order, who were based out of, depending on who and when you asked, Charlottesville or Harrisonburg, VA. Order had gained a reputation in that “everyone gets to play in Order at some point” if you’re generally music-inclined. In it’s ten year existence, the band has 17 or so members. Before or after Order played (I can’t remember), Order’s bassist picked up a guitar and he and Order’s drummer began playing what I came to immediately recognize as sugar coated pop songs laced with punk rock. Amidst the confusing lineup changes, it wasn’t until a couple of months later I learned this project was called the Invisible Hand.

Harrisonburg, VA – MACRoCk ’08. The Hand was given “alternate” status for MACRoCk meaning they weren’t playing. There was a cookout on Old South High Street. I sold a bunch of records by the Pixies and Dinosaur Jr for ridiculously low prices because I stole them from radio stations in Richmond and San Francisco, respectively. Matt Beck of Shdwply records was stoked because he’s older than me. The Super Vacations and Order decided they were going to play 308’s basement because playing once just wasn’t enough. Either before or after Order’s set, Tim Westberg (the old Order singer) picked up a guitar andagain, Adam Smith took center-basement while Thomas Dean (Order’s guitarist) picked up the bass and played a full set with Parker Smith (the aforementioned Order drummer). With a full band, the songs I didn’t remember probably sounded better because the band was ripping into their loose Kinks-influenced pop. They were the best band that played all conference and they didn’t even technically play the conference.

Austin, TX – Funny / Not Funny Records’ Matt Leech and I had decided to go on a roadtrip poorly named a “tour” as American Tourist, Matt’s defunct folky type project. Our plans were vastly different than what happened. Car troubles and broken promises of shows left an American Trail of Tears all the way to Austin where American Tourist was scheduled to play with Invisible Hand and a couple of other bands who were really good but names are lost on me currently. By this time, the Hand had a solid lineup consisting of Thomas on bass, Adam Smith on vocal and guitar rounding out with Adam Brock on drums and Jon Bray on guitar. Brock had ordered a keg and rented out a C-list version of the Los Angeles’ M Bar (in décor only) for a couple of hours. American Tourist was asked to play in between sets while the bands were setting up, much to Matt’s chagrin. He went to see Maps & Atlases in the middle of our “set”. Invisible Hand was pretty good that day.

Harrisonburg, VA – MACRoCk 2010. By this time, Invisible Hand had become MACRoCk darlings and got the “choice cut” of a time slot right below Cloud Nothings and Best Coast at a restaurant that sells “Pabst Blue Ribbon American Lager” for $3 instead of “$PBR” for a buck and change. I had been living in Providence since the past September and hadn’t gotten to see many bands since the move. The conference was in many ways for me to re-connect with a cityand it’s music. Despite being “from Charlottesville”, the Hand may as well be a Harrisonburg band. I walk into Clementine Café just in time as the Hand is setting up. Smith is wearing a flimsy excuse for shorts. They opened up with “Death Bellows” and proceeded to play the best set I’ve ever seen them play. To me, they grasped the experience of going to a concert and being inspired by what you were seeing. At the Blue Nile later that night, the Hand killed it doing a Kinks cover set.

Providence, RI: I hadn’t seen any information from Club Hell, the supposed club that the Hand was supposed to play. No flyers. No internet posting. I’m not even sure if Club Hell as a proper web site outside of it’s ad-littered Myspace. I get to the club and see ¾ of the band on their cell phones. Apparently, no one had told them that the show had been canceled. I leave because I didn’t want to stand outside of a club and watch people get bummed out. I get a text from Thomas that they found a club called The Penalty Box to let them and Boone, N.C.’s Naked Gods (the Hand’s tourmates) play for an hour or so. I was dangerously low on gas but I “went the distance”. I walked into a dive bar where a women’s softball team is sitting and drinking from a pitcher and The Hand is towards the end of “Room in my Will.” They then played two songs and left the corner of the room so that Naked Gods could play some songs. After the Gods played, the Hand came back and did a cover set. By this time, the softball team had left and the only other people in the bar were getting down with the rock show. Though there were only about 20 people watching them, The Hand  played with grace and intensity. Before heading home, I bought the “Sinister Hand” tapeand realized that it was the third time I had bought a copy of the same recording.” 

Invisible Hand’s Self Titled debut full length will be officially released on Funny / Not Funny Records November 9th, 2010. A very special release show is scheduled at The Jefferson three days prior on November 6th in Charlottesville, VA, at which the Hand will play the record as arranged in its entirety, with special guests on keys and strings.

Specials for this pre-order, AVAILABLE RIGHT HERE.
$12 for Invisible Hand’s LP + Digital Download 
$15 for Invisible Hand’s LP and F/NF001 (invisible hand / alphabet 7”) (+ Digital Download for all releases)
$18 for Invisible Hand’s LP, F/NF001, and F/NF011 (invisible hand / borrowed beams of light 7”) (+ Digital Download for all releases)
*All Pre-Orders come with a digital download of F/NF008, Invisible Hand’s Sinister Hand Cassette.
All orders will ship the first week of November.

Track listing:

1. Two Chords
2. There’s Room in My Will
3. Coy Trap
4. (Aubade)
5. Four Seasons
6. I Want To Win
7. I Caught Twenty Two
8. Don’t Wait For Your 3rd Eye
9. This Morning Was 
10. Black Tie Formal
11. Vegetables
12. Once The Salad Enters Your Mind

More information can be found on Invisible Hand and their upcoming LP on the Fanatic PR Website.

Invisible Hand plays the Jefferson in Charlottesville this evening with Andrew Cedermark and The Extraordinaires. Doors are at 7PM.