"In the Hands of the Maker" is the third album from the Five Oclock Band. For this recording, the band enlisted the help of friend, producer, and folk music pioneer Fran McKendree, perhaps best know for his work with the band McKendree Spring. McKendree and recording engineer Casey Wood from Nashville came to Birmingham for two weeks while they worked on a number of songs that were eventually pared down to the 13 tracks included on the record. According to bassist Dwight Williams, “the process of recording this album was streamlined relative to our prior projects.” Through many late-night rehearsals, McKendree assisted in the arrangement of each track before the band ever entered the studio. "Fran was very collaborative, very hands-on. His input greatly impacted the final result," says guitarist Bill Marshall. McKendree works on numerous production projects across the country every year, in addition to recording in his home studio in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The songs that comprise "In the Hands of the Maker" are a mixture of traditional Christian spiritual music and contemporary songs that borrow from genres in the spectrum of alt-country and blues. The opening track, "In the House of the Lord," is based on a Sudanese spiritual that Williams heard while traveling to Africa for mission work. The band rearranged the song and added a new chorus to create a unique version that marries influences from African and calypso rhythms. Overhauled versions of traditional standards such as "Amazing Grace," "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" and "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah" appear on the album, as well as an original piece written by member Leif Bondarenko, "Man Named Jesus." The blues cut is sandwiched between covers of songs made familiar by Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, and Jerry Garcia. The 5 O'Clock Band has been playing at the Cathedral Church of the Advent's 5 O’clock service since 2000, when a handful of members that had been part of the Episcopal Church's Cursillo program introduced more contemporary songs to the liturgy. As part of the Cathedral’s Outreach Program, the band plays at sister churches throughout the region, weddings, charity events, funerals and at the bedside of ill friends and church-members. They are also regularly asked to assist as the musical staff for many conferences and retreats, including the annual renewal conference at Kanuga. Proceeds from the sale of the CD will go towards the Sawyerville Summer Camp and Youth at Risk.