The Weis Center will welcome bluegrass ensemble Henhouse Prowlers on Friday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Weis Center Concert Hall.
The performance is sponsored, in part, by The News Item.
Founded two decades ago, this Chicago-bred quartet finds itself at the intersection of performance, diplomacy and education. Onstage, the group’s performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do. In recordings — including 2023’s Lead and Iron — the band explores their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation.
While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Henhouse Prowlers’ music, the band bends and squeezes the traditional form into a keenly developed sound all its own.
All four members possessing a knack for storytelling, compelling songwriting and intricate instrumentation, each offers the utmost artistic prowess, building on one another’s magic night after night.
Working with the U.S. State Department and under their own nonprofit, Bluegrass Ambassadors, the Prowlers have toured more than 29 countries on 5 continents. The group’s experiences with people and musicians in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East have shaped the band’s worldview and broadened the group’s direction towards bridging cultural gaps with music, educational programs and workshops. Using traditional American music as a foundation and connecting folk music, customs and history the world over, the Prowlers incorporate international elements into their already robust repertoire of unique traditional American music.
Whether playing live or presenting seminars, the Henhouse Prowlers find and spread the commonality we share as human beings through the universal language of music.
The group’s experiences with people and musicians across the globe have shaped their worldview and bolstered the bridges they establish between cultures. For this troupe, the work doesn’t end at making music – they are actively striving toward a kinder world.
Jon Goldfine: Bass
Jon’s drive and love shows through his commitment to the business at the bands’ inception and his powerful voice and songwriting. Before the Prowlers, Jon’s bass playing was all over the spectrum of rock and world music. He’s kind, measured and loves dogs more than pretty much anyone you’ve ever met.
Chris Dollar: Guitar
Chris comes from the heart of Bill Monroe country (Central Indiana) and it shows immediately on stage through his fierce guitar picking and ridiculous vocal chops. He cut his teeth with the excellent New Old Cavalry and Flatland Harmony Experiment and has become a foundational presence in the Prowlers. In his spare time, Chris works on both cars and guitars alike.
Jake Howard: Mandolin
Originally from the Akron, OH region, Jake picked up the mandolin at 15 and never put it down. His early years consisted of performing with friends & family and the Prowlers actually had a discussion with him early on about trying out for the band. Serendipity intervened and Jake was accepted into the world famous Berklee College of Music where he honed his skills, landing on stage with the Prowlers in 2020 with an undeniable presence & unmatched musicality. Jake’s propensity for teaching & video editing have helped the band level-up considerably.
Ben Wright: Banjo
Ben is a founding member of the Prowlers, having started his bluegrass journey in Chicago after seeing a banjo in the window of the Old Town School of Folk Music in mid-October of 1999. That $200 impulse buy turned itself slowly into a career spanning thousands of notes, friends and miles. When not playing the banjo, Ben not-so-quietly obsesses over shipwrecks and Nintendo.
TICKETS
Tickets are $30 for adults, $24 for seniors 62+ and subscribers, $20 for youth 18 and under, $20 for Bucknell employees and retirees (limit 2), free for Bucknell students (limit 1) and $20 for non-Bucknell students (limit 2).
Tickets can be reserved by calling 570-577-1000 or online at Bucknell.edu/BoxOffice.
Tickets are also available in person from several locations including the Weis Center lobby (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) and the CAP Center Box Office, located on the ground floor of the Elaine Langone Center (weekdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
For more information about this event, contact Lisa Leighton, marketing and outreach director, at 570-577-3727 or by e-mail at lisa.leighton@bucknell.edu.
For more information about the Weis Center for the Performing Arts, go to Bucknell.edu/WeisCenter or search for the Weis Center on Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube.