Paradise City

[April 4th, 2007] Walking into the Southeast Portland home of the Shaky Hands' Nathan Delffs (pedal steel, percussion) last Thursday evening, I was greeted by the sounds of Bob Dylan, a Bridgeport IPA and bassist Mayhaw Hoons urging me to wrap salami around the pretzel sticks. Delffs, older brother to singer Nick, was in the early stages of hosting a housewarming party, and the atmosphere and setting—a vast bungalow near Laurelhurst Park—felt a lot like the Shaky Hands' music: good.

Many have described the band's sound as "jangly," but drummer Colin Anderson insists that the Hands have "more balls than bands described as jangly." Nathan adds, "We don't even have a 12-string!" (a jangle calling card). Hoons then claims that they've "never heard Tom Petty, the Byrds or R.E.M.," bands he considers traditionally jangly. He's joking, of course, but that doesn't mean these are direct reference points, either. Sure, the Shaky Hands play a similarly sunny, feel-good type of pop, but the band's embodiment of folk, rock, soul—even oldies—makes it truly hard to define.

And Anderson's right: The Hands owe a lot to their balls. Along with the songwriting and voice of 22-year-old Nick, the band's live chops have earned it lots of cred. With only a self-released EP to its name, the Hands have created a loyal following based on explosive performances (which often include Nick de-shirting himself and laying across the stage). Now, the band's releasing its self-titled debut (full review on page 43) on Holocene Music—and it's already received national exposure on Pitchfork and in Spin.

"It's getting more and more fun," says Anderson, adding, "everyone in the band's first focus is the band." And it shows. The Shaky Hands is full of rich surprises: Cheery pop, complex folk and hints of soul decorate the band's rock core and offer strong structures for Delffs' wistful and wise-beyond-his-years lyrics. Though the band plays down such successes—Anderson asks, "Doesn't Spin suck?"—Hoons says, reflectively, "It's weird to read about your band at all."

Originally a trio, the Hands went through one bassist before recruiting Hoons, who they met playing house shows and Porky's gigs with Hoons' garage-funk outfit Mondo Hollywood. Then came second guitarist Jeff Lehman and Nathan. "It was destiny," says the relatively quiet Nick. Now, the members—who also work construction together—are a tight-knit family, joking about everything from the Western-themed house party gig where they met (Hoons says it was a "cool band vs. geek band" scenario) to their sacred shrine to Guns N' Roses.

Though they skirt questions about defining their style and influences, the Hands all agree that Portland's music community raises their level of playing; Nathan calls it "healthy competition." But Hoons adds that there's a degree of separation between the bigwigs (Sleater-Kinney, the Shins, etc.) and the bands "you actually play with." With an air of pride and respect, he adds, "Those are the people who feed each other."