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Jo Henley is not a person. Rather, Jo Henley is the name under which longtime friends and musical collaborators Andy Campolieto and Ben Lee write, record, and perform a modern mix of folk, rock, bluegrass, and country that their fans affectionately refer to as "new roots" music. Inspired by everything from old-timey music to arena rock, Campolieto's and Lee's mutual love of all forms of American music shines through in Jo Henley. Michael Hochanadel of the Daily Gazette says, "It has guitars, fiddle and a spry rhythm section with a thumping lope. And it has really, really good songs." The reference is to the band's debut EP Long Way Home, but could have just as easily been about the band itself. Live, Jo Henley is known for fun, rollicking sets filled with well-crafted original songs that often stretch out into boot-stompin' bluegrass territory and even jazzy improv jams without losing focus. Last year, Jo Henley recorded and 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, the self-released album found Jo Henley in top form and sent ripples throughout the roots music scene. Sad Songs and Alcohol caught on with listeners across the country, climbing to number 61 on the national Americana charts (AMAs) as recently as January 2009--without any label support Over the next year, the band toured everywhere from New England to the deep South and out west to California, building a passionate fanbase along the way. Summer 2009 has been a particularly eventful time for the band. In June they began work on the follow-up to Sad Songs and Alcohol with producer Rob Loyot at Noise in the Attic Studio, just south of Boston. Having long since wanted to bridge their rootsy Americana sound with their love of jamband music, Campolieto and Lee turned to three longstanding members of Phish's Trey Anastasio's solo band: Russ Lawton on drums, Ray Paczkowski on keys, and ace bassist Tony Markellis, who also performed on Sad Songs and Alcohol. Jo Henley's fiddler and mandolinist Jordan Santiago rounds out the record's core lineup. So far the early results are in and all signals point to this being the album that puts Jo Henley on the national map in 2010 and beyond. In the meantime, Jo Henley--Campolieto, Lee, Santiago, and bassist Jeremy Foti--can be found performing across the Northeast for the rest of the summer before hitting the road in October for shows up and down the East Coast and out West. WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING... "Their seven-song album 'Long Way Home' has a rural, serene sound without being static. It has guitars, fiddle and a spry rhythm section with a thumping lope. And it has really, really good songs—reminiscent of Gram Parsons, “Workingman’s Dead” or the less rowdy side of the New Riders of the Purple Sage." Michael Hochanadel, The Daily Gazette. "No one will ever confuse Jo Henley with The Byrds or The Flying Burrito Brothers. But Lee and his cohorts craft fine alt-country tunes laced with heart-on-sleeve lyricism and deft, tasteful musicianship." Dan Bolles, Seven Days. PRESS FOR SAD SONGS ANG ALCOHOL... Michael Hochanadel of the Daily Gazette says, "[Sad Songs and Alcohol is] sincere, strong and sweet music, with an acoustic bluegrass/folk authenticity and tuneful pop sensibility." Greg Haymes of the Times Union calls the new album "sparkling." He goes on to say, "The disc features a good batch of acoustic alt-country originals by Campolieto, as well as a fiddle-fueled romp through Hank Williams’ "Why Don’t You Love Me (Like You Used to Do)?" "By aligning themselves with the bland country rock quartet [The Eagles], Jo Henley sells themselves short. The Byrds would be better avian cousins--these bluegrass inflections are more "Eight Miles High" than "Tequila Sunrise." Because on Sad Songs and Alcohol Jo Henley keeps their country stylings poppy enough for the indie kids, but authentic enough for the local barn dance. The gospel flavor that inflects tracks like "Take Me Back" adds some extra punch to the proceedings. The style suits Andy Campolieto's strong tenor as he unselfconsciously belts out the words while legato violin lines dance over bouncy banjo plucking."...Ray Padgett, The Noise "Jo Henley might not be a household name for you yet, but with the quality and passion they can lay in their songs, they are sure to make a name for themselves in the area and in time all over the place. The songs are written and played with care and honesty and Jo Henley is a band with character. A band that plays true music!"...Inner Ear magazine. "For a record with the phrase “sad songs” in the title, this album is anything but. The smooth, clear voice of Andy Campolieto delivers feel-good country minus the twang. The fiddle and harmonica solos on this album give Sad Songs and Alcohol its nostalgic, two-stepping sound, while bridging the gap between country and pop with a set of tracks that would attract any music lover, including the “everything but country” crowd. The blending of a traditional country sound with a soulful pop undertone makes them good songs, yet the well-orchestrated strings paired with the clean vocal harmonies makes them great songs with even better arrangements."...Laura Wiley, Northeast Performer. Buy Sad Songs and Alcohol Here:  I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
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