Biography

Radio contact: Jana Mougin, jana@darkshadowrecording.com


On stage, the group's enthralling performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do; while on record, the band manages to explore their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.

With over 175 shows a year, the quartet has toured over 25 countries, often going to places traditional American music has never been.

Tours in Siberia or the Middle East are not uncommon since the Prowlers started working as cultural ambassadors with the US State Department in 2013. These global experiences have pushed the band in new directions musically, with songs from Africa and Asia on several albums, but they have also moved the group to start an educational outreach program for both school children and festival-goers alike.
Ben Wright - banjo, cello banjo, lead vocals (7) harmony vocals (3,5, 9,10)
Jon Goldfine - upright bass, lead vocals (5,9) harmony vocals (2, 3,7,8, 11
Jake Howard - mandolin, mandola, lead vocals (2,11), harmony vocals (8, 9,10)
Chris Dollar - guitar, Lead vocals (1,3,6,8,10), harmony vocals (2,5,7,9,11)

GUESTS: Becky Buller - fiddle (5)
Laura Orshaw -fiddle (5)

1. Home For (2:50)
Chis Dollar (Acoustic Currency, ASCAP)
It wasn’t until I traveled thousands of miles away from home that I found real truth behind this song. The final verse came much later as a surprise to everyone.


2. Lead and Iron (4:00)
Jake Howard (World’s Worst, ASCAP)
Losing a child in a school shooting is something a parent should never have to experience.


3. My Last Run (3:28)
Chris Dollar (Acoustic Currency, ASCAP)
That feeling when you’ve survived another tour, the wind is at your back, and you’re going home to stay.



4. Wobbly Dog (3:18)
Jake Howard (World’s Worst, ASCAP)
A shoutout to a pup named Shay. He was the goodest boy. 


5. Subscription To Loneliness (3:58)
Jon Goldfine, Rick Lang (Henhouse Publishing, ASCAP; Deaf Dogs Song Company, ASCAP; Haley Anna Music, BMI)
A young man’s quest for everlasting love and the inevitable follies and heartbreak that ensue. (Some names and other details have been changed to protect the innocent).



6. Passenger Train Boogie (4:36)
Chris Dollar (Acoustic Currency, ASCAP)
Stuck at the station, broke and down, how will a young hobo get back to his darling before it’s too late?




7. Forgotten Gravestones (3:55)
Ben Wright (Henhouse Publishing, ASCAP)
I clearly remember driving through the night after a festival several years ago and seeing the sun rise as we drove country roads. Knowing the band was fast asleep in the back, it struck me how they wouldn’t know about the people buried in a small crumbling graveyard we passed tucked back in the woods, let alone anyone else.



8. Rolling Wheels (3:26)
Chris Dollar (Acoustic Currency, ASCAP)
Lots of miles on this one, but it’s got good bones and minimal wear and tear.



9. Died Before Their Time (2:58)
Jon Goldfine, Ben Wright, Jake Howard, Chris Dollar, Stephen Mougin (Henhouse Publishing, ASCAP; World’s Worst, ASCAP; Acoustic Currency, ASCAP; Timberdoodle Tunes, ASCAP)
In our tours around the globe we’ve been lucky to see some amazing places, but with too many of those places there are dark histories that cannot - and should not - be overlooked.


10. The Show (3:04)
Chris Dollar (Acoustic Currency, ASCAP)
You can get good at putting on a show for the wrong someone but how long can you be your own understudy?


11. My Little Flower (2:35)
Jake Howard (World’s Worst, ASCAP)
Sometimes love comes and goes with the seasons.



Produced, engineered, and mixed by Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadow Recording, Goodlettsville, TN
Mastered by David Glasser at AirShow Mastering, Boulder, CO
Artwork and layout: GF Design
Photography: Scott Simontacchi
In-studio photography: Madison Thorn


Tour schedule, videos, lyrics an more at www.henhouseprowlers.com

Learn about our worldwide cross-cultural education programs, and how you can help support them here: 
www.bluegrassambassadors.org


Singles:

MY LITTLE FLOWER (Jake Howard)

First single from the upcoming album Lead And Iron.

Jake Howard - Lead Vocal/Mandolin
Jon Goldfine - Tenor Vocal/Bass
Chris Dollar - Baritone Vocal/Guitar
Ben Wright - Banjo

Produced, recorded and mixed by: Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadow Recording, Goddlettsville, TN
Mastered by: David Glasser at AirShow Mastering, Boulder, CO
Release date: March 17, 2023

LEAD AND IRON
(Jake Howard)

The second single and the title cut from Henhouse Prowlers album (September 2023)
Jake Howard - Lead Vocal/Mandolin
Jon Goldfine - Tenor Vocal/Bass
Chris Dollar - Baritone Vocal/Guitar
Ben Wright - Cello banjo


"Sometimes a songwriter would rather a song not be timely. Such is the case with the Henhouse Prowlers’ single “Lead and Iron” released this week. Jake Howard, the band’s mandolin player, wrote the song at the end of last summer—after Uvalde but before the recent Covenant School shootings. The song is delivered from the perspective of a parent who has lost a child in a school shooting.

The Chicago-based bluegrass band brings their unique blend of harmony to the song, Howard opens the song on mandolin and sings lead. The message is subtle–wondering, while “taking it slow day by day. . . if they’re up there doing the same.”

What the song doesn’t say is as powerful as what it does. Addressing one parent’s aftermath, Howard sings of “holding hands and first words spoken, tying shoes and playing games with nothing to lose,” evoking images of what young children should be experiencing, a reminder of the simple things lost.

The instrumental breaks on the song echo the tenderness of the song, building in intensity to the final chorus:

Buzzing ears with the lead and iron,
Whispering fire, fire fire!
It’s raining prayers, and it still ain’t helping. . .

The Henhouse Prowlers do not need to make explicit condemnations of the violence. By reminding listeners of the impact on individuals, “Lead and Iron” makes a powerful statement." - Nancy Posey, Music City Music Magazine