Mrs. Henry

Blazing musicianship, exuberant harmonies, and propulsive grooves:

San Diego, CA-based Mrs. Henry is a hard-hitting rock and roll band, a quartet of singular spirits on a shared journey, paying homage to a historic legacy as they introduce a new chapter in American roots music.

In concert, Mrs. Henry tethers cerebral excursions and soaring jams to life-affirming anthems. With spring-loaded authority, bassist Blake Dean and drummer Chad Lee balance the spiraling keyboard dexterity of Jody Bagley and the scorching guitar of Daniel Cervantes. All four, compelling lead singers, possess individual voices that intersect and complement one another, singular identities that unite in celebratory choruses.  

Tracked on vintage analog gear in historic Southern California studios, their latest release, Keep on Rising, is a full-on rock opera, a single album of 23 songs that will span three physical vinyl LPs. While the points of reference might seem far-flung -- Dante’s Inferno and Ziggy Stardust meet Pink Floyd’s The Wall and Tommy by the Who – the narrative is cohesive, a theme that the band’s de facto leader, Daniel Cervantes explains is a classic tale of life, death and rebirth. “We write what we know,” he notes. “It’s through our lens, and we are a rock and roll band.”

Mrs. Henry is at the center of a creative collective of like-minded music makers, a number of them signees to Blind Owl Records, a label founded by Cervantes. An eclectic roster of notable San Diego artists joined the ambitious 2017 project, Mrs. Henry presents The Last Waltz, a live recreation of The Band’s fabled 1976 swan song, staged as a concert at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, CA, recorded as a two-CD, triple vinyl set, and filmed as a documentary short that premiered at the Oceanside International Film Festival.

With an expansive set list culled from their collection of releases including Mrs. Henry Volume I & II, the 21-song Feel Free, and Mrs. Henry Live at the Casbah, in 2020 Mrs. Henry was primed for a far-reaching tour when the pandemic hit. In response, they formulated a multi-media web series, The Medicine Show, with members transformed into onscreen sock monkeys. With live performances from the band plus their Blind Owl label mates, this freewheeling presentation helped sustain creative momentum.

Now, with Keep On Rising, Mrs. Henry is preparing for the next step in their ascendant journey. “We never stop being together. We don’t ever want the fire to burn out,” Daniel Cervantes concludes. “It’s love, time, sweat and the community behind us. And we’re not looking in the rear view mirror – our vision is ahead, straight through the windshield.”