When you consider peripheral acts like Denver's Woven Hand, it is obvious that we can still learn a lot from the motherland.

Woven Hand is the side project of 16 Horsepower frontman David Eugene Edwards.

However, if you're looking for Edwards beyond the scope of Metro Denver, you need to travel some distance. Though unable to build a huge following in the States, Woven Hand has toured extensively throughout Europe. Edwards has to satisfy his audience abroad. "We have a good audience overseas, and that's where we play," says Edwards, who's signed to the German label Glitterhouse. "I have to go where I can make a living."

Woven Hand’s self-titled debut was released internationally last spring, but the Denver-based foursome's sound could not be more American. Edwards' combination of atmospheric melodies and edgy lyrics are inimitable. While he cites church music, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams as his earliest musical influences, Edwards also draws inspiration from punk and industrial. Woven Hand is a synthesis of these styles. "It's my own version of folk music or traditional music," he says. "A combination of all the things I've been inspired by."

The ability to create such genre-defying music is a gift, but from an industry standpoint, this endowment is a liability. "I don't really think about it; (fitting into a niche) has never been a concern," he says "I don't think about it, I just do it."

Edwards has also found the time to compose the music for Ultima Vez's modern dance production, Blush. For some dates, Edwards will perform the soundtrack live with a backup band. "Blush has brought me exposure to a whole new audience," he says.

Edwards' artistic bent should come as no surprise. His lyrics are rich in symbolism and poetic wordplay, and his dark imagery and spiritual messages are the perfect complement to his heavy, soulful music. With an obvious gift for language, will the wordsmith forgo songwriting in pursuit of a writing career? "Naw," he chuckles. "I've tried to write, but I just can't separate it from the music. It always ends up as lyrics, so I guess that's what I'm supposed to be doing."