“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’ ‘BlackHand’ ‘‘BlackHand’

NOVEMBER 2013

VOL 3, ISSUE 11

From The Nest…

HEY NOW…

We have SO MUCH to be Thankful for this

year, truly not sure where to begin. Well, great place to start is at the top…THANK

YOU to all you incredible friends & fans out there, the “Handerz”, who support our scene by coming out to live gigs, spreading our vibe through sharing our music, pages, & website with your friendz, wearing our ‘merch’, or giving us feedback!! It’s ALL so helpful, and we really appreciate your

confidence & love! HUGE Thank You to ALL the great venues & businesses from our

region & well beyond… that enthusiastically support LIVE LOCAL MUSIC & PERFORMANCE

ART!! Without your willingness to recognize & reward with opportunities the hard work

of professional musicians…the world would be overrun with computer programmers &

DJ’s. Thanks and huge props to ALL the absolutely amazing pool of talented musicians & fantastic bands right in our

home region of south central PA!! If you are fortunate to visit, or far more blessed to live

here, you have a tremendous & eclectic wealth of phenomenal performers & artists

to seek out & enjoy!! We’ve been fortunate to perform all around this great country…

and there really is an inordinate amount of talent in this area! Please get out & show support to YOUR scene!! Buy Local, Support Local, Love Local = Fix Global!! THANK YOU for your continued support, and please invite your friends to be

recruited into the “BlackHand Army”!! Be Well…Stay Blessed! Peace, Love, & Light!

ZZ, Alex, John, & Kyle ~ “BlackHand”

“BlackHand” …is an American band which plays

PsychodelicFolkRock in central PA,

northern MD, & entire east coast.

The 'players' are:

ZigZag-Guitar & Vocals;

Alex-Percussion & Vocals;

John-Piano & Vocals;

Kyle-Bass & Vocals

www.blackhand.us

This is a ‘Forest-Friendly’ publication!!

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’

NOVEMBER 2013 VOL 3, ISSUE 11

Stringz-n-Thingz…

Hey Y’all!! I was once quoted in an interview stating, “I

don't want to play in the BEST BAND. I want to play in a band with my best friends, and perform the best music that band is capable of! I want to play in a band that has the

BEST FOLLOWING...I think that might say something worthwhile about you.” ~ ZigZag of ‘2 Horse Towne’ (1996) I, of course, was not referring to ‘BlackHand’ at the time…but I certainly might as well have been! AS most of

you know, John & I went to Military high school together almost 28 years ago, and Alex & I have been married for over 18 years!! While Kyle will always be referred to as the ‘kid’, he IS only 25, he is a very good friend and has become

family!! It certainly is a ton of fun, but more so is rewarding & enabling for professional musicians in ways that are amazing & slightly hard to explain…To perform the

improv-based folk rock that we enjoy, you must have trust in, be inspired & pushed by, and above all get huge support from your musical partners if the music is ever going to be able to travel anywhere!

That’s where the other half of the equation comes in…YOU FOLKS!! We rely very heavily on the energy & support emanating from the audience to have confidence to try new avenues, & hopefully attain new musical heights!

When the elements are all present, and the Alembic is working…the result is AWESOME!! Come check it out at a

live BH show, & lend to the magic… ~ ZigZag

The Key is…

I have to say that this is my favorite time of year. The leaves have changed, the air is crisp and fall is here! BlackHand played some noteworthy shows this fall including ‘The Festival of Corn’, ‘Fall Jam 2013’, ‘Liquid Hero Brewery’ in York, and this week's electric ‘Thanksgiving Eve Throwdown’ at The Blue and Gray Bar & Grill in Gettysburg. One of my favorite events of the year is coming right up as well. The Pete Kuhn's Memorial Christmas for Kids, held at the Pike this year on December 14th. This is a great charity helping children from less fortunate families in Adams County have a great Christmas! You do not want to miss this one! I hope your November was a great one and see you soon!

~ John

www.blackhand.us

Yep…that’s the dumber ones

doin’ shots in a venue

bathroom!!

(Actually WAS a bartender in there!)

NO TREES were harmed by this Enewsletter!!

Zig feelin’ the Love &

Support!!

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’

NOVEMBER 2013

VOL 3, ISSUE 11

The Drum Circle…

“What is the best music is impossible to define. Just because it's played by a virtuoso player, doesn't mean it's great music. It might not reflect the soul of a people, which is really my criteria for great music.”

~ Mickey Hart (Grateful Dead)

Acoustic v. Electric – When I first was asked to be a

member of BlackHand, I had no intentions of ever playing an actual drum kit again. Having never played acoustic drums before, and not having a bass player or other “backbone” at the time, I had to teach myself and employ some very unconventional techniques. Once our bassist Kyle came on board, it gave us more freedom to choose when we could play electric music or if acoustic instruments would be more appropriate! The size & ambience of the venue, the performance space allotted the band, and the type of crowd, all have a hand in how we make that choice. This past Wednesday night was even another first when I played a three-piece kit! (a long way from my original 7 piece double bass kit of many years back!) It reinforced the fact that “more is not necessarily better”. I like the fact that by simply choosing different equipment, we can change the feel of the music. I hope you all feel the same and enjoy each for what they

bring to the table. ~ Alex

The Bomb Shelter…

Kyle’s accepted a new job, which has taken all of his spare time & energy. I’m sure he’ll be back with a contribution next month…

~ Kyle

www.blackhand.us

Alex takin’ it out on the skinz!!

“All lost in dreamin’…”

GO GREEN…or go home!!

NOVEMBER 2013

VOL 3, ISSUE 11

“The IN”…the official Enewsletter of ‘BlackHand’ We cannot begin to thank each one of you nearly enough for your

unwavering support of & commitment to ‘BlackHand’!! Your attendance & enthusiasm at our live shows is contagious…and we

hope to always be worthy of that kind of deadication!!

Our mission is to bring happiness to ALL…through music !

“BlackHand” Performance Schedule

• EVERY ‘Black & Blue Wednesday’!! -

‘Blue and Gray Bar & Grill’ “Wood & Steel” (acoustic)

8-11pm! Gettysburg, PA

• ‘The N.E.W. A-ville Inn’ Friday, 13th December

8:30ish-12am! Arendtsville, PA

• “Pete Kuhn’s Memorial Christmas for Kids”

‘The Pike Restaurant’ Saturday, 14th December

7-10pm! Gettysburg, PA

• “NEW YEARS EVE RAVE” ‘The N.E.W. A-ville Inn’ Tuesday, 31st December

9:30ish-Whenever we make our point!! Arendtsville, PA

(717)677-4978 booking@blackhand.us www.blackhand.us www.reverbnation.com/blackhand zigsblackhand@gmail.com

Ph.#