Waiting For Henry

“From the scratchy opening intro (intended) and its guitar twang, the band --Waiting For Henry seems to have been worth waiting for. But that guitar twang is not representative of every song. There is a diversity in this work: some songs burn, some smolder and some are slow silent fiery embers…. they do sound like a more rocking version of Michael Stipe’s R.E.M…. But, when I say they “sound like” I don’t mean imitating. These guys are following their own menu and pile on their instruments differently than R.E.M. I would also add, that Waiting for Henry mines a different musical tradition than R.E.M. This band would appeal also to listeners who may have enjoyed early Pearl Jam – there’s a little spice in this recipe, the flavors are stronger… So, what do we have here? Eleven tracks of splendid rock, some with melody, some with muscle and all performed with expertise and just enough weight. I believe Waiting for Henry has a fine set of balanced songs in this collection. Nothing sappy or cliche, and most importantly – they never seem to lose momentum or inspiration. They perform well together and conjure great rock spirits… But, this band is disciplined, fresh, and you can hear it in their playing. They may take a slice of Lynyrd Skynyrd, a piece of REM, a slab of this and a sliver of that and so long as they come up with a different “face” on what they present – then, hell – they are original. They mixed the right musical ingredients differently and they made a really engaging meal of melodies. Isn’t that what music is all about? Waiting For Henry was worth the wait.” -John Appice - No Depression

A few years back, Mr. Henry, fronted by vocalist/guitarist Dave Slomin, was the band that should have been the big breakout band in New York City. Never happened for various reasons. Not to worry as Mr. Slomin is back with a new band and better than ever. Added to their R.E.M.-like alt-rock mix is Chicago-based drummer/guitarist/vocalist David Ashdown. His no-nonsense 'tude brought them some serious Midwestern rock and roll sensibilities. This is not the pretentious art rock that often rises from the rank and file of New York's club scene, just straight ahead timeless classic rock -- two guitars, bass, and drums -- and perfect for any playlist in any era. - Dusty Wright - The Huffington Post

Echoes of proto-Americana bands like Wilco and Old 97's are awash in this warm and welcome second album from Waiting for Henry. Town Called Patience, with its sharp hooks and memorable lead guitar lines, serves as a sympathetic and effective musical backdrop for the lyrics of Dave Slomin and David Ashdown. While Slomin's radio-ready vocals draw the listener in, Ashdown's raspy singing often takes on a world-weary tone. The jangle quotient is especially high… which isn't all that surprising when a band is aided in the studio by R.E.M. and Connells producer Mitch Easter. The result is a tight and unified (but not glossy) sound that'll prove particularly pleasing for the more country-rock inclined followers of the '80s college-rock movement. Bill Kopp - Colorado Independent

"This river rises without warning, and here comes the rain." It's a lyric from one of the better songs on Waiting For Henry's impressive 2013 release, but it's also a fair way of describe their music. Surprising, aggressive, elemental, this long-running New York alt-country outfit can sneak up on you, carry you away. Like a rowdier, less melodic Blue Rodeo, Waiting For Henry boasts two vocalists, dueling guitars and terrific energy. They are clearly so happy to be up there, doing their thing, it's hard not to get caught up in that flood. - Stuart Henderson - Exclaim Magazine / Exclaim.ca

This is the second album by Waiting For Henry and one that completely emasculates the old phrase ‘that difficult second album’… with every song absolutely essential listening for anyone who has any feeling for, what to me, is classic alt. country… A great band and a great album that will surely be picked up by the world at large! - American Roots UK

I covered Waiting For Henry back in 2013 when they released (Ghosts) and I loved that record and now Town Called Patience continues that passion I have for this band’s direction and musical growth. If you’re a fan of rock music in the tradition of R.E.M., Whiskeytown and Wilco, you are going to love Town Called Patience. John Pfeiffer - Aquarian Weekly

"…the perfect elixir to a hot, uninspiring summer – breezy, melodic and guitar-laden end-to-end. The New York/New Jersey-rooted band has hit stride and helping to give the songs even greater impact is the production work of the legendary Mitch Easter…and has the mark of some of Easter’s best known and most acclaimed work (especially Reckoning)... It used to be that the second album was a make-or-break thing for bands, but so many releases have come and succeeded that no newer bands need worry about such a cliche – at least Waiting For Henry doesn’t. This is a confident, solid and completely on-the-one effort. Rob Ross - PopDose

...Hearing the first song only, I knew that Waiting For Henry and I were going to be alright. It was that simple... The way the lead guitar plays in the first bars has everything from The Tragically Hip to southern rock bands of the 70s. And when the singing starts all that fits in a country rock voice presents itself. Gritty emotions from travelling on too many dust roads swigging a moonshine liquor container until the final drops are licked off the lid. In short a bit rough and dirty... it is about touching people and that is what Waiting For Henry does… So all's well in a Town Called Patience. Wout do Natris, Netherlands - WoNoBlog

On their second release, Town Called Patience, Waiting For Henry take major step forward with a rock’n’roll faith and a firm belief in their sound of music. The album is sort of DIY template written by a working band, a history on the moving lines of the highway… If the initial sound of Waiting for Henry went back to school kids emulating influences on their first album, the band has graduated to being the instructors on Town Called Patience as they show by example just how to wrangle wild guitar licks and corral them in a song (“Wrong”), proudly stride on a track headed home with a confident beat (“Musconetcong”), strum an easy jangle (“Could It Be”), and let the title track musically sparkle for the troubles in the story line.” Danny McCloskey/Bill Hurley - The Alternate Root

“The entire album has a potency that is to be admired. Each song stands on its own… This is quite a masterwork with that Athens, GA lead guitar sound at full force and gale. Absolutely smoking…” John Apice - No Depression

Waiting For Henry is a “back to the future” band that holds its own in a genre ruled by current kings such as Red Wanting Blue and Gaslight Anthem. The band is a guitar lover’s dream that pays homage to the indie bands that left an indelible mark on generations of twang-addicted dreamers… The unapologetically gritty rebellion of the The Replacements, the melodic jangle of the REM and the back porch Americana twang of The Felice Brothers are all in there, and it’s waiting for you to revisit the past while applauding this band’s bright destiny. - John Pfeiffer - The Aquarian Weekly

Voted the #10 Album for 2013 by the listeners of the New Jersey Shore's WBJB 90.5 The Night. The station played and listed over 300 albums for the listener voting. Thanks New Jersey! - www.wbjb.org

#10. Waiting for Henry - Ghosts and Compromise - Bass, drums, guitar rock and roll...period! After a misalignment of the stars kept the NYC band Mr. Henry from reaping the rewards they should have received amidst strong critical praise, guitarist and vocalist Dave Slomin moved on and solicited the services of Chicago based guitarist/drummer and vocalist Dave Ashdown and formed Waiting for Henry. The two fit together perfectly and have crafted one of the finer efforts of 2013. Call it alt-country, call it southern rock meets grunge with a hint of REM, call it whatever you want. Ghosts and Compromise is a refreshing sound built around excellent song writing and solid playing. - Bill Hurley - The Alternate Root

“The two dominating factors on this tremendous album that perfectly blends equal does of classic indie rock and alt. country, is is the meaty dramatic quitar sound and Dave Slomin’s classic alt. country vocals… The band’s fully developed style has a tremendous power and vitality that sets them apart from most other bands working in a similar field. The playing is always excellent, as is the writing, with some gorgeous melodies upping the ante another notch, crowned by Dave Slomin’s atmospheric vocals that are just about as perfect for this style of music as anyone could wish for. It that is not enough, a final summing up could say if you like Son Volt and/or R.E.M., you will almost certainly love this. High praise but fully justified!” - Mike Morrison - American Roots UK

#29 of Alternate Roots TOP 30: Waiting for Henry - The streets of rock and roll history are littered with bands that had everything in place to explode-- except fate. We could list hundreds. The New York City band Mr. Henry was one of them. Fate forgot to intervene. Fate, being a fickle girl, came back around in 2013 and intervened on behalf of Waiting for Henry. Shades of indie rock urgency, garage band attitude and Jayhawks meet R.E.M. intelligent power make the 2013 release Ghosts and Compromise one of the best Roots Rock albums of the year. Fate brought Dave Slomin and Dave Ashdown back together for the first time since SXSW in 2009. Fate landed Ghosts and Compromise on our desk and we're repaying her by giving a solid thumbs up to Waiting for Henry as one of the Top 30 Contemporary Artists on our list. - The Alternate Root

Representing indie folk-rock at its most harmonic and downhomey, this New York trio keep things real tasty and tuneful throughout. The raspy drawling vocals project a right-on country charm. The beefy ringing guitars, swaggering basslines, and sturdy forward-ho drums provide a wonderfully rousing wealth of kickin’ grit and sparkling melody, thereby delivering music that possesses the best of both worlds. The smart and reflective songwriting serves as the yummy cheery on an already quite delicious sonic cake. Better still, these guys neatly alternate between spirited rockers and more low-key thoughtful numbers without ever missing a beat. Excellent stuff. - Jersey Beat

“8.5 out of 10 Stars. …Ghosts & Compromise does have some great moments. Foremost of these is album opener “Buy American,” a jangly slice of patriotism that is crisp, anthemic and nothing short of perfect. Like a distant cousin of Son volt and Whiskeytown, “Buy American” is a gently rising dollop of wistful alt-country that any onetime No Depression subscriber would find kinship with… Slomin has always had a penchant for writing an honest, first-rate American ballad and “Ghosts & Compromise” is that very song… Songs like these are just begging for a wider audience.” -Greg Robson - AbsolutePunk

“Sometimes, very occasionally, the life of a reviewer can be particularly easy. Then you do not have to go looking for labels and boxes to put an album in, nor do you have to engage in figuring out the history of a band or its members. That was what happened to me with Waiting for Henry, a New York band of three old friends, the Daves, Slomin and Ashdown, and Michael Chun, who more or less lost sight of each other and then one day ended up in the same place. One thing led to another, and this debut record came to be. …The authenticity and honesty here overflows… That’s not the case with all bands and it gives Waiting for Henry some extra points on a disc that, in terms of sound and production, could just as well have been made ten or twenty-five years ago. In Dutch, I believe we call it "timeless." - Freddy Celis - Rootstime.BE (Belgium)

“Waiting for Henry does much more that serve old wine in new bottles. Their music draws not only from the archives of alt-country, but also incorporates influences from the heyday of the American Underground, and with a little imagination even influences from grunge or Southern Rock. When listening to Ghosts & Compromise I more than once thought of the best of the Jayhawks (which is very good), but almost as often I was taken back to the heyday of REM (and that is even better) and occasionally I heard some of Pearl Jam or the Drive-By-Truckers… The result is almost irresistible. Ghosts Compromise is a glowing disc full of wonderful songs. Through this combination of influences Waiting for Henry succeeded to make a record that sounds utterly timeless, yet sounds different than anything that we have heard in the past 25 years…. There is now a veritable tidal wave of American Roots discs thrown at me, but there are not many that have made such an impression on me as the debut of Waiting for Henry.” - De Krenten Uit De Pop (Holland)

“The ghosts that haunt the Waiting for Henry album, Ghosts and Compromise, make an early appearance in opening track, “Buy American”. The spirits materialize in the music, with faint wisps of Uncle Tupelo haunting the sound and the Middle American pride of one of Alt Country’s cornerstones. Waiting for Henry do not copy, mimic or outright steal the sound of the men of Uncle Tupelo. They use the stretched out notes from instruments and lyrics that inhabited the groups No Depression days, and take steps to move Alt Country forward with songs unique to Waiting For Henry that honor without feeling the need to re-invent any wheels to plow the genre’s fields.
There is a balance in the tunes of Waiting for Henry. “Cayuga Why” is a good example of how two distinct sounds emerge in the songs. Vocals that come in a near whisper at times, never rising to a screech but letting you feel every feeling that passes through the songs’ words. The voice is complimented with the distorted crunch of the guitar. The chords and notes are kept in place by the production and the feral attack on the strings never overpowers or buries the lead or harmony vocals. It does, however, let the voice know that it is present and guarding the tunes like a junkyard dog prowling for a bite of the night. The title track builds and recedes like a tide regulated by the heat of the sun rather than its light, “L.I.E.” enter with just the electric guitar notes filling the space in and around the vocals and “Parallel Lanes” closes out Ghosts and Compromise with a soft exit. The acoustic guitar work still sparkles the air as the vocals take pride in the beauty of a Brooklyn morning.” - The Alternate Root

Among the strongest and most memorable is the title-cut “Ghosts and Compromise”, plus, arguably the most vivid piece of songwriting on the album “Parallel Lines”. Stripped bare with little other than voice and acoustic guitar the reflective piece speaks of among other things, a Brooklyn Sky, sunrise and of there being a ghost at every street light and of how the two people become stuck in parallel lines. Nice one, Dave (and band) for the album finale. “Riverside” drifts along in a dreamy, reflective fashion as band leader, lead vocalist Dave Slomin speaks of becoming caught in the 'wreckage at your riverside’. Like with a good few more on the record it becomes stronger and easier to connect with the more you hear it. More than one of the bands they Occasionally remind me of REM! - americanaUK

"Waiting For Henry is a new American rock band that's enjoyed an unstoppable buzz since the release of their debut album..." - Dan's Papers (Southhampton, New York)

No Depression: "Elevator pitch, in one sentence: what’s your favorite thing about how the disc turned out?" Slomin: "I always feel like a it’s a success if I come up with a recording that sounds like something I would buy myself… and I think I’d buy this one. Or at least bootleg it." - No Depression

In Dutch. To Be Translated! - Wono Magazine

In Italian. To be Translated! - Rootshighway

their power pop, look no further than this second release by under-the-radar, Jersey-based band, Waiting For Henry. Real meat, cured, seasoned and prepared with love by no less than Mitch Easter, fans of whom know exactly how much he can lend to anything he touches… Each of the 12 tracks on Town Called Patience stirs the listener in record time with serious hooks, harmonies and enough tough and/or melodic guitar sounds to stir your inner rock star. Influences abound. Early Matthew Sweet, R.E.M. and Replacements come to mind – yet these solid-rocking mini masterpieces have little else to do with anything beyond the musical vision shared by lead vocalists/ guitarists Dave Slomin and David Ashdown, bassist Mike Chun and drummer Rob Draghi - Blurt Magazine