Jo Henley - Episode 216

Co-founded by longtime musical collaborators Andy Campolieto and Ben Lee, Jo Henley is a Boston-based roots-rock band that has been winning over fans and critics alike since 2006 with their unique blend of rock, folk, country, and bluegrass. Campolieto's and Lee's mutual love of all forms of American roots music shines through in Jo Henley. New England publication The Noise says, "...the rhythm and poise with which the members of Jo Henley write and perform is exquisite. Touches of Robbie Robertson and the Band and all who followed in their footsteps echo throughout this collection. The range is beautiful. The lyrics and melodies have a very familiar feel throughout, as if we have dear friends in all these songs—a rare gift indeed."

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, Sarah Blacker, East 6), and three veteran members of Phish's Trey Anastasio's solo band: drummer Russ Lawton, keyboardist Ray Paczkowski, and bassist Tony Markellis. Inside Out quickly became a fan favorite, 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 coin into a vintage jukebox.

After spending much of the next year on the road, Jo Henley recorded their next album, Mohawk, in a mere 5 days in February 2011 with producer/engineer Mark Bryant. Inspired by the birth of his first child, Mohawk is front-man Andy Campolieto's way of describing his life growing up in his hometown of Schenectady, NY, to his son. Brimming with everything from historical narratives, 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 struggling blue-collar Upstate NY town once known as "The City that Light and Hauls the World," Mohawk hits at the heart of Americana.