Dutch Henry

USA Today

Ken Barnes
June 08

"...Tantalizing of The Beach Boys and some solid rockers"

- USA Today - Ken Barnes

VINTAGE GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE

John Heidt
June 08

Dutch Henry writes the kind of Pop-Rock that while never being completely out of fashion, probably won't be Top 40 any time soon. The title cut is a bouncy pop piece, much like many of the songs here, and calls to mind the Beatles or Beach Boys. Sure, other bands do the same thing, but not as well. The song has a unique lyric about outer space, and the guitars by John Merchant and Greg Miller are suitably trippy. Throughout this disc, guitars form and dominate the songs in part because Merchant and Miller sound joined at the hip. "Smile" is a great example, with its melodic, intertwining guitars. "Aron Gordon" is oddly sweet country-pop that calls to mind the likes of NRBQ, with plenty of hot country playing. "Lonely You" is a hugely quirky pop song and its solo, filled with hints of jazz, mixes marvelously with the Beach Boys-style background vocals that highlight the song. This Michigan band has all the tools needed in this day and age: they write great songs, the musicians are top-notch, and they play music that sticks in the head
- VINTAGE GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE - John Heidt

MUSIC ROW MAGAZINE

Robert Oermann
Nashville, TN May '08

It’s an audio feast for Americana lovers. It’s an audio feast for Americana lovers. Here are five new collections to warm your rootsy hearts. There’s not a loser in the bunch. In fact, I can’t even decide which one is the Disc of the Day. I will tell you this: The Malcolm Holcombe and Walter Hyatt CDs are going into heavy rotation at my house at once. And Dutch Henry is definitely staying near the stereo, too. DUTCH HENRY/All That Space Writer: Dutch Henry; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Sell the Pup, ASCAP; Dutch Henry (track) (www.dutchhenry.net) —This four-piece Michigan pop/rock band is now being promoted, publicized and managed out of Nashville. This is the lead off track and title tune to a fantastically melodic collection. It is the kind of sound that once you’ve heard it, you can’t wait to play it for somebody else. Infectious and energetic and just plain fun. They’re aiming for Americana acceptance, particularly with tracks like the snarky "44 Days," but I see no reason why mainstream pop shouldn’t have a shot at this too.
- MUSIC ROW MAGAZINE - Robert Oermann

Ken Barnes
June 08

"...Tantalizing of The Beach Boys and some solid rockers"
- USA Today

John Heidt
June 08

Dutch Henry writes the kind of Pop-Rock that while never being completely out of fashion, probably won't be Top 40 any time soon. The title cut is a bouncy pop piece, much like many of the songs here, and calls to mind the Beatles or Beach Boys. Sure, other bands do the same thing, but not as well. The song has a unique lyric about outer space, and the guitars by John Merchant and Greg Miller are suitably trippy. Throughout this disc, guitars form and dominate the songs in part because Merchant and Miller sound joined at the hip. "Smile" is a great example, with its melodic, intertwining guitars. "Aron Gordon" is oddly sweet country-pop that calls to mind the likes of NRBQ, with plenty of hot country playing. "Lonely You" is a hugely quirky pop song and its solo, filled with hints of jazz, mixes marvelously with the Beach Boys-style background vocals that highlight the song. This Michigan band has all the tools needed in this day and age: they write great songs, the musicians are top-notch, and they play music that sticks in the head

- VINTAGE GUITAR PLAYER MAGAZINE

Robert Oermann
Nashville, TN May '08

It’s an audio feast for Americana lovers. It’s an audio feast for Americana lovers. Here are five new collections to warm your rootsy hearts. There’s not a loser in the bunch. In fact, I can’t even decide which one is the Disc of the Day. I will tell you this: The Malcolm Holcombe and Walter Hyatt CDs are going into heavy rotation at my house at once. And Dutch Henry is definitely staying near the stereo, too. DUTCH HENRY/All That Space Writer: Dutch Henry; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Sell the Pup, ASCAP; Dutch Henry (track) (www.dutchhenry.net) —This four-piece Michigan pop/rock band is now being promoted, publicized and managed out of Nashville. This is the lead off track and title tune to a fantastically melodic collection. It is the kind of sound that once you’ve heard it, you can’t wait to play it for somebody else. Infectious and energetic and just plain fun. They’re aiming for Americana acceptance, particularly with tracks like the snarky "44 Days," but I see no reason why mainstream pop shouldn’t have a shot at this too.
- MUSIC ROW MAGAZINE

I decided to stick around and hear a song or two by tonight’s headliner, Dutch Henry, before heading over to a party, but this snappy four-piece (b, d, g & a lefty guitar) from Michigan grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. NRBQ or Rockpile might be reference points- catchy originals with joyful, ringing guitars. They transformed Gillian Welch’s "Everything Is Free" into a punchy pub-rock send-up…one original reminded me of The Bottlerockets, and another Camper Van Beethoven. Their energetic cover of Neil Young’s "Ohio" might have been a little too bright, given the subject at hand. Their encore featured another "hit" from the hippie era- they gave "If You’re Going To San Francisco" more grit and bounce than I remember it having. - Rick Wood's Concert Diary - Vol. 25

The Michigan based band, Dutch Henry took their name from a character in the Jimmy Stewart movie "Winchester '73." Dutch Henry's members are: Greg Miller on guitar, Mitch Wood on bass, John Merchant on guitar, mandolin and harmonica, and Dan Reyers on drums. Their sound is roots-rock/alt-country, a refreshing mixture of a little Robert Earl Keen, a touch of Johnny Cash, a dash of Steve Earle and even a pinch of John Mellencamp. 1973, at 8 songs, is a bit shorter than a full length album, and a bit longer than an EP. Seven of the disc's songs are Miller/Wood compositions, with "Midwest Blues" being penned by John Merchant.

1973 opens strongly with "One A Dime," a tale of a road warrior and a long trail of broken promises, that features some fine guitar work and outstanding harmonies. The theme of "Wealthy Man" is about lessons learned from a grandfather about one not needing to possess material things to truly be a wealthy man. The title track, "1973" is a poignant reflection through the eyes of a child who grew up in the turbulent times of the Vietnam war. "Slow Movin' Train" with it's chugging, western/southern rock flair, conveys the ache of a man that's found he'd lost his love from an unsigned note taped to the TV. "When He Drinks" with it's loopy beat, addresses life growing up with an alcoholic father, while the upbeat country rocker, "Midwest Blues" deals with the ups and downs of growing up and living in the mid-west. "Poorhouse" is a clever, tongue-in-cheek irony filled driving rocker, and the disc ends on a quieter note, with the lovely acoustic ballad, "Martha," about a long distance love.
- AnnMarie Harrington Take Country Back February 2003

Notes:
From the Great Lake state of Michigan come the punchy and melodic roots-rock sounds of Dutch Henry. Named after a character from the Jimmy Stewart movie Winchester ’73, Dutch Henry have that heartland strength which sounds like the best live band you ever heard doing what they do best in the studio. Not running quite full-bore as, let’s say, Jason & The Scorchers, they are fueled with a similar attitude. 1973 would surely appeal to you if The Backsliders were on your good side too. It’s quite appealing no matter what your priors are and there’s just no denying a strong, catchy song. There is certainly no shortage here. Even as an 8 song EP that runs nearly ½ hour, it still satisfies. After all, Pet Sounds wasn’t that much longer - From Miles of Music

Picture this: It’s friday afternoon, you’re coming home from the usual week, filled as usual with the usual idiots and the usual bad news. You’re tired, grumpy and the one thought in your mind is you gotta get drunk. Sorta like Willie, George and Merle. Or Charles Bukowski.

As you stumble up the stairs to your pizza carton-ridden batchelors pad, you spot a big ol’ envelope in your mailbox. You stop for a while, trying to recall what you’ve been up to the last month. Could this possilbly be good news?

This happened me a while back, and on this particular friday afternoon, the yellow cushioned envelope sticking out of my mailbox was what I would call a gift from above, were I a believer. Now it was just a gift from abroad. Still, the contents of the envelope, Dutch Henry’s debut album “1973”, made my day that day, and it’s made a few more days since then. I’d say the grumpiness lasted about 10 seconds into the first song, On a Dime, as did the tiredness. I still wanted to get drunk however – a sentiment that only grew stronger about three minutes later when the organ kicked in on the next track, Wealthy Man – but in a positive way. So who are the brains behind this super band, that could turn my frown upside down in a mere three minutes?

The Michigan-based Americana quartet Dutch Henry consists of old songwriting buddies Greg Miller and Mitch Wood, on guitar and bass respectively, backed up by John Merchant on guitar, mandolin & harmonica and Dan Reyers on drums. Greg and Mitch both sings aswell, a task they perform brilliantly.

Back to the songs: There’s only eight of them on the album (which probably makes it an EP), but they’re all strong tracks and, besides, who needs half-crappy space fillers that you always end up skipping past after a while? Most of the songs are mid-tempo, but not in a middle-aged rocker way. It's more of a driving, up-tempo type mid-tempo. I’d probably call it high-school americana if it didn’t sound like an insult, but if you think Robert Earl Keen and some of his Texas-friends, you're somewhere along the right track (Hmm .. maybe that's an insult to a midwesterner?)

After having guided us through the misfortune of missing your child’s birth, the wisdom of an old man’s advice, the ups and downs of growing up and living in the midwest, through weed smoke and beer, drunk daddies and day-time television, the album ends off with Martha, a slow acoustic song about long distance love - a theme it partly shares with its Tom Waits-penned namesake (as it does atmosphere). Whereas Waits places a phone call, however, Dutch Henry gets the message across in a heartfelt letter.

Incidentally, heartfelt is pretty good a word to describe Dutch Henry’s music, too. But, as we say at Highwaykind, don’t take our word for it – as usual there’s a webpage behind the band. Go to dutchhenry.net to check out some of the songs on the album.

Jakob Bergman

- Highwaykind.com

The other CD I grabbed is by local Americana act Dutch Henry, called "Wealthy Man" (actually Wealthy Man is a song on the CD 1973 - Webmaster). Never heard of Americana music? The sound is a mix of traditional country and rock 'n roll with a little rockabilly, at least that's the way these guys from Newaygo (Newaygo? - webmaster) present it. The guys perform at 9 tonight at Founders Brewing Company, 648 Monroe Ave. NW and again at 9:30 p.m. Friday at Rosebud, 100 Washing ton St in Grand Haven. Go to www.dutchhenry.net for more details, or pick up a CD at one of the gigs. -John Gonzalez. - Grand Rapids Press

At last we’re treated with a good old alt.country record, the kind that, since the devaluation of the genre, hasn’t been made in a long time."

"8 songs coming out of a granary on the frontier between country, rock and pop, and piece by piece they take you by the scruff of the neck from the very first notes."



Dutch Henry / 1973 / Eigen Beheer
- Roots Town mag.

Roots Highway (Italian Roots Rock e-zine) (3 stars)
(translated here, click above to the the original Italian text) What's new in the music of this young Michigan's quartet? If I have to tell the hard truth, there's nothing really different compared to a long tradition of American independent country-roots-rock. And yet, maybe depending on its short length of time (eight tracks for just under thirty minutes, a kind of ep) and the freshness of each single note, 1973 is a strong collection of songs, one of the best independent releases I've heard in recent times. You can charge these guys for taking ideas, chords and inspiration from the past, but they definitely know how to play catchy riff guitars, blending together roots-rock style, electricity and melody. Greg Miller and Mitch Wood are two old friends whom wishes come true: their rock'n'roll dream is called Dutch Henry, formed with the help of John Merchant (guitars and mandolin) and Dan Reyers (Drums). Except for Midwest Blues, a brilliant country-rock written by Merchant, all Dutch Henry stuff came from Miller-Wood teamwork. Undoubtedly they listened to all Johnny Cash and Steve Earle discography since they're very young, and maybe a little bit of heartland-rock in the vein of John Mellencamp. On a Dime is an excellent start, with its sparkling guitar sound and fine backing vocals: it's the beginning of a enjoyable roots-rock set, from the lively electricity of the title-track to the beautiful organ in Wealty Man. Poorhouse seems to be an outtake from Steve Earle's Exit O, Slow Moving Train has a classic rural country-rock mood, whereas Martha is a sweet acoustic ending. 1973 is a small independent record from American musical outskirts and Dutch Henry a small band that deserves its thirty minutes of glory. (Davide Albini)

(3 stars)
- Roots Highway (Italian Roots Rock e-zine)

I must confess that the growing legion of quality alt-country bands is making me a believer. As a self-professed Zeppelin-esque, rock-n-roll gal, lately I just can't get enough Johnny Cash. And along comes Dutch Henry to share the wealth.

Dutch Henry is a local trio with sensitive songwriting, sweet ol' guitar licks, and a witty ear for blending classic country with the ever-popular sounds of Nashville and New York, Denver and Dallas. Be prepared to hear a little Lyle Lovett, a little Big Head Todd and even a bit of the Cash man himself (without the growl, though).

"On a Dime" opens gingerly, a slow swagger, a fitting tribute to the highway warriors among us who have made and broken more promises than roads traveled. Singer Greg Miller states the whole truth, "I'm a long way / from where I should've stayed." The title track is a poignant tale of Vietnam naiveté from a young boy's point of view, political and heartbreaking, and frankly, refreshing and reflective. "I remember it well / I was ten years old / Thought I knew it all / How was I to know / We were growing up wild and free in 19 hundred and 73."

"Slow Moving Train" has guitar work reminiscent of Mark Knofler, shuffling a long down the tracks, with tight harmonies bringing in the lonesome prairie and the heavy heart. The heavy presence of country-style woe in this tune is offset by track seven, "Poorhouse," a tongue-in-cheek scorcher, a great tale of love and pain, booze and irony. Great record - Judy B.

- Go-Go Magazine August 22, 2002 - September 4, 2002

I recently had the chance to take a road trip to Nashville with Dutch Henry and i can not beleive these guys are called "country"
if this is country then these guys are a country version of the Clash...amazing - Music Review Magazine