Henhouse Prowlers

The Henhouse Prowlers are brand ambassadors and the brand is the universality of music. The bluegrass band began life nearly two decades ago in Chicago, and its mission has always been to balance entertainment and education. Members Ben Wright on vocals and banjo, Jon Goldfine on vocals and guitar, Chris Dollar on vocals and guitar, and Jake Howard on vocals and mandolin are equally committed to both goals.

Working with the U.S. State Department and their own non-profit, Bluegrass Ambassadors, the quartet has toured more than 25 countries. Using traditional American music as a foundation, the musicians have connected folk music, customs, and history the world over. The band’s experiences with people and musicians across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East have shaped its worldview and broadened its direction towards bridging cultural gaps with music, educational programs and workshops.

Through the Bluegrass Ambassadors Workshops, the Henhouse Prowlers have found commonality with people from different cultures through music. From Qawwali music in Pakistan to West African hip-hop in Nigeria to traditional Tatar songs in Siberia to American bluegrass, the musicians have discovered that every culture has ‘music of the folk’ that runs through the minds of its people. Through these interactions with musicians and music fans across the globe, the group has developed an understanding that people have a lot more in common than music, despite our differences.

During these workshops, a small public address system plays the original versions of the songs alongside the Prowlers’ interpretations. A television or projector allows the band to share some of its videos and photos from adventures around the world. Each member of the band can give a workshop on his instrument, from beginner to advanced level instruction. While this kind of programming is common at more traditional bluegrass festivals, it is also welcomed at more multi-genre and jam band fests, as well.

All of this is not to say that the Henhouse Prowlers don’t love their traditional bluegrass. On the group’s latest album, Lead and Iron, which features 11 original songs, one of the featured works is “My Little Flower,” written by Jake Howard. Jon Goldfine says it is emblematic of what the band is about. “The Prowlers have always straddled the line between traditional and progressive bluegrass,” he said. “We know Jake’s “Little Flower” exemplifies that perfectly. The drive and lyrics embrace both sides of the music we love so much.”

John Lawless of Bluegrass TODAY is more succinct, calling it “a hardcore barn burner.”

The Prowlers have always been about finding and sharing the commonality we share as human beings through the universal language of music.