Wino Wednesday: The Hidden Hand, “Sunblood” Live in Philadelphia, 2005
I was at this show, and I recall it specifically both because the wind off the river on that side of Philadelphia was so goddamn cold and because I was supposed to have a tooth pulled the next day. I had been to the dentist a few weeks prior and he was like, “Dude, we gotta get this thing outta here,” and I was like, “Hey man, is that really the proper medical terminology?” and he was all, “Whatevs, we’re yankin’ it,” and then we both laughed because he said “yankin’ it.” Best dentist I ever had.
Anyway, I was going to the show in Philly at the Khyber Pass — Pale Divine also played and were killer — and I treated it like the last hurrah for my tooth. The tooth always liked Wino, so I was taking it out for one last night on the town. We went to dinner beforehand — the tooth always liked Chinese food — and had a couple drinks to celebrate the tooth’s life. “Taken too soon,” went the toast. I remember it well. The tooth and I had a great time at the show. The Hidden Hand had put out their Night Letters split with Wooly Mammoth a few months prior, and they were still playing a lot of material from 2004’s Mother Teacher Destroyer, which was excellent. That was always the tooth’s favorite The Hidden Hand record.
A wild time all around. The tooth briefly met Wino (no, I don’t mean I bit him) and it was a crazy late night. I was living in West Paterson at the time, had been married just a few months, and I didn’t get back north from Philadelphia until the sun was coming up. The tooth and I had pulled an all-nighter. I shudder to think what my breath must’ve smelled like at the dentist’s even after a vigorous brushing. Maybe that was why he decided he couldn’t bring himself to pull the tooth. He said, “Let’s wait five years and revisit the idea.” Eight years on, I’ve still got it and no other dentist I’ve gone to since has even broached the subject. The tooth got a going-away party and didn’t have to leave. Neither would it be the last time it or I saw The Hidden Hand.
“Sunblood” comes off the trio’s 2003 debut, Divine Propaganda, and the vocals are a little low in the clip below, but should be enough to get the point across. Enjoy and have a great Wino Wednesday:
An all nighter with Wino will kill you or fix what ails you. Not surprised the dentist wanted to wait…5 years….damn….
Great story.