Nine-piece puzzle

Trent Hancock’s 13 years as a musician have been filled with moving parts — bandmates, bands, cities, and scenes.

After a two-year stint pursuing a solo career in Brooklyn and Los Angeles, Hancock has returned to San Diego, and the pieces are beginning to fit into place. On Friday night, Hancock will unveil his latest music project, Lion and the Lady.

Lion and the Lady is the first band that Hancock has played in since 2009, when he fronted local indie-electro band Ghostbird and filled in on keyboards for alt-rockers Transfer during a 2009 tour.

In solo-artist fashion, Hancock formed Lion and the Lady before having any musicians in place.

The idea started the night Hancock met Al Howard, drummer and lyricist for numerous local bands, including Midnight Pine and Rebecca Jade, after a Midnight Pine show at the Soda Bar in 2012.

The two chatted and Howard soon began looking for the right musicians for the project. Now the band consists of nine members, most of whom are interchangeable. The band will release its debut record on March 27 at the Whistle Stop.

“It’s been a crazy process, actually, writing and recording an album before having a band,” Hancock tells the Reader. “At this point I’ve worked with [drummers] Jake Najor [Styletones] and Chad Farran [Superunloader]; [vocalists] Shelbi Bennet [Midnight Pine], Sandi King [22 Kings], and Phylicia Barron; Tim McNalley and Lauren Scheff on bass; and Josh Rice [Cold Fact] and Jeremiah Zimmerman [Silent Comedy] on keys. They all play interchangeably, depending on who is available for what show.”

Hancock says that in addition to releasing their debut album, The Grey, the band will also show a new music video Friday night.

“The video was the result of a brainstorm session between me and my friend Laura Belle, a director from Austin. She was visiting town a few months ago, and we decided we wanted to do an underwater music video to the song ‘Wish It Wasn’t You.’ We hired a crew of friends [including local surf photographers Troy Brajkovich and Lucia Griggi], found an awesome location, and filmed it in the shortest time possible.”