The Hidden Hand

The Hidden Hand
The Hidden Hand
Background information
Origin	Potomac, Maryland, USA
Genres	Doom Metal
Years active	2002 - 2007
Labels	Southern Lord Records, Exile on Mainstream, McCarthyism
Associated acts	The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, Saint Vitus, Shrinebuilder, Unmothered
Website	Page via Wayback Machine

The Hidden Hand were a doom metal band from Potomac, Maryland. Active from 2002 - 2007, this band was formed by Scott Weinrich after the dissolution of Spirit Caravan that same year. Throughout their tenure the band managed to release three studio albums. While in similar fashion to most bands featuring Wino in the lyricism dealing with life and some politics this band was also deeply focused on American conspiracy theories, even going so far as to list a series of conspiracy books that the band drew from and recommend to the listener on their debut album.

History

Formation and Divine Propaganda (2002 - 2003)

The Hidden Hand formed in 2002 not long after Spirit Caravan had broken up in May of that year. Announcing the demise of the band, Wino asked Bruce if he was interested in doing a little jamming. Bruce was already playing in a DC band with drummer Dave Hennessy and thought he would be perfect for the project despite being both unaware of Wino's style of playing at the time. Sometime after the formation the band would record at least twelve songs in that time frame. Leading up to the band's first shows it was announced they would release the De-Sensitized 7" in March of 2003. The Hidden Hand's first live performance was on March 23, 2003 at the Velvet Lounge in Washington D.C. (With Solace and The Rubes as support). A string of shows would follow with Clutch and Five Horse Johnson along with an appearance at Emissions from the Monolith. The band would then announce the release of their first album Divine Propaganda in the fall of that same year along with a tour of Europe.

Southern Lord and Dissolution (2004 - 2007)

The band would follow up in 2004 with a split EP with Wooly Mammoth and eventually the band's second album Mother, Teacher, Destroyer after signing to Southern Lord Records in 2004. The Hidden Hand would tour the United States and Europe in support of the album. Tours of the United States and Europe would follow throughout 2004 & 2005, though dates in 2005 would be more sporadic after February that year. Dave Hennessey would be replaced by Evan Tanner at some point in 2004.

The band's second release on Southern Lord would be a limited CD/DVD Dualdisc entitled Devoid of Color, released in late 2005. Along with five new songs the EP's video side featured a full set at The Black Cat in Washington D.C. in July that year. The band would begin work on their third album soon after. On 20 February 2007, The Hidden Hand would release their third (and final) album The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote via Southern Lord. A tour of The United States and Europe would follow throughout the winter and spring that year.

The Hidden Hand would break up in August 2007 with Wino issuing the following statement in an interview with Blabbermouth:

“	“Without going into detail to embarrass anyone, this is a message to inform everyone THE HIDDEN HAND no longer exists. I cannot any longer tolerate being promised stuff that never happens or be accused of dishonesty. I think in my long and fruitful career I have always tried to be fair and honest, even going out of my way creatively and financially to make it happen including compromise. I have put an enormous burden on my family and myself to try and fulfill my dreams which have not been to enrich myself financially, but to enrich others as well as myself spiritually and emotionally. The music industry these days turns on the most mediocre crap, be it pop or cheesy black metal, which is really just sickening or laughable. So be it. I will still be wholeheartedly dedicated to the SHRINEBUILDER project with Chris and Al of OM and Scott from NEUROSIS. This will be a long way off but I KNOW these dudes are FOR REAL. SO all I will say now is thanks for believing. I'm sure some will assume I am some ego guy who's impossible to work with, nothing is farther from the truth. I just expect the same amount of fairness and respect I give. A tall call these days, unfortunately.”	”
	— Scott "Wino" Weinrich, Blabbermouth

Due to the band's dissolving Southern Lord would cancel a vinyl release of the band's third album (Later to be published by Doomentia Records in 2009).

Aftermath

After The Hidden Hand had broken up, Matt Moulis went on to join the sludge band Unmothered.

Wino would eventually branch into different projects in the next few years. Along with rejoining Saint Vitus, Wino would also start up Shrinebuilder, reunite with Saint Vitus and embark on a solo project with Jean-Paul Gaster and Jon Blank, which would evolve into an acoustic project.

Bruce Falkinburg would remain active in the Maryland scene as an engineer, producer and teacher in digital and fine arts. He would briefly reconcile with Wino and join The Obsessed on bass around Halloween 2016, replacing previous bassist Dave Sherman. Falkinburg would depart from the band after only a few shows and be replaced by Reid Raley. On 22 July 2022, Southern Lord Records would post on their socials that Falkinburg had died in July of 2022.

Discography

Studio Albums

• Divine Propaganda (2003, MeteorCity Records; Beard of Stars; Exile on Mainstream)
• Mother, Teacher, Destroyer (2004, Southern Lord Records; Exile on Mainstream)
• The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote (2007, Southern Lord Records)

Other Releases

• De-Sensitized (7" Single) (2003, McCarthyism)
• Night Letters (Split with Wooly Mammoth) (2004, MeteorCity Records; Exile on Mainstream; McCarthyism)
• Devoid of Color (EP/DVD DualDisc) (2005, Southern Lord Records)

Members

• Scott Weinrich - Guitar, Vocals (2002 - 2007)
• Bruce Falkinburg - Bass, Vocals (2002 - 2007) (Died 2022)
• Dave Hennessey - Drums (2002 - 2004)
• Evan Tanner - Drums (2004 - 2007)
• Matt Moulis - Drums (2007)

Tours

• Divine Propaganda European Tour (With Shepherd) (2003)
• February 2004 Tour (2004)
• Divine Propaganda European Tour 2004 (With Ostinato)(2004)
• March 2005 Tour (With Burning Brides, Mastodon) (2005)
• The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote Tour (With Kylesa) (2007)
• 2007 European Tour (With Stinking Lizaveta, Beehoover) (2007)
• Church of Misery / The Hidden Hand Japan Tour (Canceled; proposed with Church of Misery) (2007)
• 2007 United States Mini-Tour (Canceled) (2007)

External Links

• Official Website via Wayback Machine
• Exile on Mainstream Page
• Cosmic Lava Interview with the band.
• Arthur Magazine interview with the band.
• Interview via PluginMusic