Henhouse Prowlers at TAP

Chicago is a city known for its blues as well as its bluegrass. In the bluegrass history books, it was a pivotal stop along the road to success for the Monroe Brothers and, in more current times, noteworthy as home base for the long popular Special Consensus. The Windy City is also home to the five-piece acoustic outfit Henhouse Prowlers, a group that is making its first Door County appearance at the Third Avenue Playhouse on Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 pm.

Dedicated equally to tradition and innovation, The Henhouse Prowlers center their sound on that of the early, formative years of bluegrass while covering contemporary topics in a largely original repertoire. The group’s prolific songwriting addresses 21st century topics not typically tackled by traditional bluegrass groups.

“None of us in this band lives in a ‘Little Cabin Home on the Hill.’ Most of our audience doesn’t either. But there is a broad spectrum of life that we can all relate to, so those are the themes we try to hit on and tell stories about in our original material,” says guitarist Ben Benedict.

Benedict, fiddler Ryan Hinshaw, dobro player James Weigel, five-string banjo picker Ben Wright, and upright bassist Jon Goldfine all have diverse musical backgrounds, having drawn inspiration from their respective families and communities. Each pursued music in a variety of settings, ensembles, and genres prior to forming the Henhouse Prowlers.

Currently on the road at least two-thirds of the year, the group stresses that fun is still the top priority. “We have a great time, and we feel this directly translates into our audiences’ having a great time, too,” says Hinshaw.

Tickets for the show are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $8 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at the TAP box office, located at 239 N. Third Avenue, from 10 am – 3 pm Monday through Friday, and also one hour prior to any performance. Tickets are also available at the Dancing Bear, located at 13 N. Third Avenue, over the phone by calling 920.743.1760, online at http://www.thirdavenueplayhouse.com.