Jo Henley
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Music
Press
"Their seven-song album 'Long Way Home' has a rural, serene sound without being static. It has guitars, fiddle and a spry rhythm section with a thumping lope. And it has really, really good songs — reminiscent of Gram Parsons, “Workingman’s Dead” or the less rowdy side of the New Riders of the Purple Sage." - Michael Hochanadel - The Daily Gazette
"No one will ever confuse Jo Henley with The Byrds or The Flying Burrito Brothers. But Lee and his cohorts craft fine alt-country tunes laced with heart-on-sleeve lyricism and deft, tasteful musicianship." - Dan Bolles - 7 Days Magazine
"By aligning themselves with the bland country rock quartet [The Eagles], Jo Henley sells themselves short. The Byrds would be better avian cousins--these bluegrass inflections are more 'Eight Miles High' than 'Tequila Sunrise.' Because on Sad Songs and Alcohol Jo Henley keeps their country stylings poppy enough for the indie kids, but authentic enough for the local barn dance. The gospel flavor that inflects tracks like 'Take Me Back' adds some extra punch to the proceedings. The style suits Andy Campolieto's strong tenor as he unselfconsciously belts out the words while legato violin lines dance over bouncy banjo plucking." - Ray Padgett
Discography
* "Long Way Home" EP released October 2006.
* "Sad Songs and Alcohol" released April 2008, spent 6 months in national Americana charts' Top 100.
* "Inside Out" released February 2010, featuring Russ Lawton, Tony Markellis, and Ray Paczkowski of the Trey Anastasio Band.
* "Mohawk," released in April 2011 on Plimro Records.
Photos
Bio
Jo Henley is not a person. Rather, Jo Henley is a Boston-based roots-rock band formed by longtime musical collaborators Andy Campolieto and Ben Lee, known for its exciting blend of rock, folk, country, and bluegrass that their fans affectionately refer to as “new roots.” Inspired by everything from Hank Williams to The Rolling Stones to Phish, Campolieto and Lee, along with drummer Mike Dingley and bassist Kent Stephens, combine traditional roots music with modern rock to create a sound all their own. Live, Jo Henley shows are spirited, high-energy events that showcase their carefully crafted songs and sparkling instrumental prowess.
In 2008, Jo Henley independently released their first full-length record, Sad Songs and Alcohol. A 12-track collection of tattered tales of lost love and broken dreams told against a backdrop of acoustic guitars, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, train beats, and weepy steel guitars, Sad Songs and Alcohol caught on with roots and indie music fans across the country, spending close to 6 months on the national Americana charts' (AMAs) Top 100–without any label support. Over the next year, the band toured up and down the East Coast and as far west as California, building a passionate following along the way
For their highly-anticipated followup, Inside Out, Jo Henley teamed with producer Rob Loyot (Girls, Guns & Glory), and three veteran members of the Trey Anastasio Band: drummer Russ Lawton, keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, and bassist Tony Markellis. With its heart- and road-weary story-songs that roll easily from folk to straight-ahead rock to honky-tonk to R&B at the drop of a dime, Inside Out quickly became a fan favorite
In February 2011, after spending much of the previous year on the road, building its ever-growing fanbase, Jo Henley signed with Plimro Records, and in an inspired 5-day session at Seasound Studio with producer Mark Bryant (Jake Hill, 3rd Left), the quartet recorded a new album titled Mohawk. Inspired by the birth of his first child, Mohawk is frontman Andy Campolieto’s way of describing his life and hometown of Schenectady, NY, to his son. Brimming with everything from historical narratives about events such as the Schenectady Massacre of 1690 and the building of the Erie Canal, to personal and often painful explorations of his own upbringing in the blue-collar city in Upstate New York, Mohawk is the band’s most accomplished, concise, and exciting work to date.
In the meantime, you can find Jo Henley winning over new audiences up and down the East Coast, out west, and in a town near you.
Links
