Cool Hand Luke is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

band variously classified as

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

progressive pop Progressive pop is pop music that attempts to break with the genre's standard formula, or an offshoot of the progressive rock genre that was commonly heard on AM radio in the 1970s and 1980s. It was originally termed for the early progressive ...

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

, and

emo Emo is a rock music genre characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of and hardcore punk from the Washington D.C. hardcore punk scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore and pioneered b ...

and signed to

Lujo Records Lujo Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 2001 by Erik Aucoin in Louisiana.Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a public university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight undergraduate colleges as well as a college of graduate studies, together off ...

. The band's early music had a punk rock influence, although the range and scope of Cool Hand Luke's sound changed quickly after Mark Nicks joined the band. With Nicks on drums and lead vocals, Cool Hand Luke became known for playing with their backs to the crowd, lengthy, emotively expressive songs, and introspective lyrics. The band signed to

Floodgate Records Floodgate Records was a part of the East West Records family of labels. It was founded in 2000 and managed by Tim Taber (formerly of The Prayer Chain). Distribution was through Word Records and marketing through Rocketown. Their first release was ...

in 2002 and released two full-length albums (2003's Wake Up, O Sleeper and 2004's The Fires of Life). After an extended hiatus (during which Nicks played drums for The Chariot), Cool Hand Luke released

The Balancing Act ''The Balancing Act'' is a compilation album by indie rock band Cool Hand Luke. It contains songs previously released on the band's albums, EP, and vinyl, plus three new songs. It was released in 2007 on Floodgate Records Floodgate Records was ...

, a career retrospective that fulfilled their contract with Floodgate.

contained songs from the band's early independent releases plus its Floodgate discography. In October 2008, Cool Hand Luke released The Sleeping House on Lujo Records. The album, produced by

Matt Goldman Matt Goldman (born December 30, 1969) is an American record producer, audio engineer, mixer, and songwriter based in Atlanta, Georgia. Biography Born in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, Goldman is a drummer by trade. Goldman c ...

and showing such diverse influences as

Shudder to Think Shudder to Think was an American alternative rock band. Formed in 1986, they released three albums on the Washington, D.C.-based label Dischord Records, and two on Epic Records. Their early work was largely influenced by post-hardcore although ...

and Keane, comprises twelve piano-based songs of a depth, intensity, and relative darkness unseen before in Cool Hand Luke's work. The artwork-intensive album, complete with an enhanced CD, featured lyrics, explorations of each song, a music video, and in-depth exploration of the meanings contained within the artwork. On March 22, 2009, Mark Nicks (the sole remaining member of the band) announced that he was working to complete what he at the time said would be the final album under the "Cool Hand Luke" name. The album, Of Man, was released on March 25, 2011. Nicks said, "The album tells the story of Jesus’ final days, from the perspective of the people in His life. Part rock, part classical, part film score, this is the capstone of Cool Hand Luke’s 13-year career. Over 30 friends contributed to the making of this album, including members of

Underoath Underoath (stylized as Underøath or UnderOath) is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by lead vocalist Dallas Taylor and guitarist Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida; subsequently, its additional member ...

, Elliott, Quiet Science, Aireline, and the Kopecky Family Band." Only 500 physical copies of the album were pressed. After a lengthy hiatus, in 2017, Nicks announced a Kickstarter project for funding a new Cool Hand Luke album titled ''Cora''.

Members

Present

*Mark Nicks – vocals, drums, keyboards/piano (studio)

Former

* Jason Hammil – guitar (1998–2003) * Chris Susi – guitar (2004) * Brandon Morgan – bass (1998–2004) * Nathan Lee - drums (2006) * Philip Smith – drums (live) (2006–8) * Joey Holman – guitar (2006–2009)

Discography

*'' Demo Schmemo'' (1998) *''...So Far'' EP (1999) *'' I Fought Against Myself'' (2001) *'' Wake Up, O Sleeper'' (2003, Floodgate Records) *'' The Fires of Life'' (2004, Floodgate Records) *''

'' (2007, Floodgate Records) *'' The Sleeping House'' (2008, Lujo Records) *'' Live at The Brown Owl'' (2010) *'' Of Man'' (2011, Independent) *'' Cora'' (2017, Independent)

References

External links

* . {{DEFAULTSORT:Cool Hand Luke Christian rock groups from Tennessee Indie pop groups from Tennessee Indie rock musical groups from Tennessee Musical groups established in 1998