In 2019, the Mrs. Henry Presents the Last Waltz documentary debuted at the Oceanside Film Festival just two short years after the original performance electrified a sold-out crowd at the Belly Up San Diego. The two years between were filled with requests and offers to once again recreate the Band’s famed concert. Mrs. Henry led by Dan Cervantes (Howlin Rain guitarist + Blind Owl label owner), rounded out by Jody Bagley, Chad Lee and Blake Dean, is a group that was ignited by a consciousness-changing West Coast tour in 2015. Since then, Mrs. Henry has spent the last five years on the road building an unrivaled reputation for their brand of intergalactic boogie with a torrent of improvisation, and in turn, a cult following atop their already well-established individual credits (Howlin’ Rain, The Schizophonics, The Silent Comedy). Endurance is their vocation and bringing unapologetically live music into a new era is their mission.
In spring 2020, the time was finally right. As Mrs. Henry prepared to embark on a 40-date tour from coast to coast, performing a set of their own music followed by a set of music from the Band, everything changed. They were one day into the tour when COVID-19 and California’s Shelter-In-Place restrictions hit. In the wake of this new reality, Mrs. Henry decided to borrow another page from The Band, pulling a little inspiration from The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show by creating their own Variety Show. “The Last Waltz opened new doors” says guitarist and label head Daniel Cervantes (Howlin’ Rain, Mrs. Henry), “we were ready to take our hybrid set on the road, but instead, we’re taking it to your living room.”
“We wanted to offer something different, something that only Mrs. Henry would do,” bassist and singer Blake Dean adds, “It’s our live concert meets Mystery Science Theater, The Muppets and Beavis and Butthead, with our music and songs from our Mrs. Henry plays the Band set.”
In Episode One, Mrs. Henry introduces a cast of characters, including the apparition of their inner-apes, guest appearances by Blind Owl label mates and live performances of The Band’s “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show,” “Look Out Cleveland” and “Tears of Rage.” Overwhelmingly, the group continues their crusade to bring positivity, freedom and a little bit of escapism to their fans through the unwavering joy of Rock N’ Roll. In classic Mrs. Henry fashion, you won’t find a lot of social commentary, or anybody taking themselves too seriously. The show is designed as a reprieve, a break from the stress, anxiety, and fear of this pandemic with the motto that “Rock N’ Roll is good medicine.”
Live Stream concerts have quickly become the new normal, and while a candid look inside the home of your favorite artist provides a certain kind of comfort, Mrs. Henry’s Medicine Show is more than a webcam stream. It is multi-faceted, multi-camera, production, captured in multiple locations. “It’s Rock N Roll, and the show must go on” insists Cervantes. And on it goes.
With this in mind, the ensemble recorded a fresh track aptly titled “We Are A Rock N Roll Band” and even put together a special video for it recorded and produced from the confines of their respective homes, and today Glide is excited to premiere it. As far as videos streamed and recorded in quarantine, Mrs. Henry may take the cake for biggest and baddest effort with a rock and roll party anthem that will make you sing along drunkenly while jumping around your living room and pumping your fist. Featuring a massive cast of contributors each layering in a loose amalgamation of boogie woogie instruments while singing in harmony, the song is a soulful, cowbell-laden ass-kicker of a track. True to their explosive live performances, the band delivers the kind of blistering, unapologetic rock and roll that will remind you of the good times you’ve spent and will one day spend in dark, sweaty clubs.
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