|ROBERT HENRY|
My name is Robert Henry, and I front Robert Henry & the Repeaters. I grew up listening to country music with my parents but didn’t start writing and singing songs until I was about 17. After playing heavy metal in high school, my voice finally came into its own, and I realized my range was much better suited for country than rock and roll. Anyone who knows me will say I’m a history nerd, and I was drawn to country music as a genre because it is steeped in tradition—a uniquely American music style that blends the raw emotion of African American blues with the folk storytelling tradition of the English & Scots-Irish. Combined with the brutal honesty and emotion in the lyrics, this had me hooked once I really sank my teeth in.
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As an artist, my influences span a wide spectrum of genres, but as a country singer, nothing sounds better to my ear than the likes of Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, George Jones, and Johnny Paycheck. I think you'll hear those influences in my voice when you listen to the new album.
Our group originated with Jake (our drummer) and me in 2018. We had played music together in our metal band, "Bigger Trigger," back in high school, so we already knew each other musically and have always been locked in when it comes to speaking each other’s musical language. From there, we added Bob Littleton on pedal steel, and after cycling through a few different bass players and guitar players, we eventually got together with Justyn on guitar and Matt on bass. We had the same group together for a couple of years and eventually decided to name the backing band “the Repeaters” as a play on my name to reference the Henry repeating rifle that helped win the West. We’ve developed our unique sound, which has been a pleasure to cultivate as we have gigged together over the years.
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The Portland country music scene has really exploded since COVID ended, and it’s been cool to see such a community form around this music we love so much. The support network is amazing. Go to the Landmark Saloon on a Wednesday to see the band, and 90% of the people in the crowd are artists or musicians in one form or another. My favorite example of this was when we played our single release show last winter at Mississippi Studios. It seemed like the entire scene was there to support us, and we were only a handful of tickets away from selling it out. It was a very validating moment for all of us.
The beautiful thing about country music is that you can find solace knowing that whatever you’re feeling, someone else has felt it too, and you can be damn sure there’s a song out there that makes you think the writer was reading your mind. I’m no genius songwriter, but if I can give one person a safe place to hide in one of my songs, I’ve done my job. That’s what I look for as a fan, so that’s what I try to do in my role as an artist. My favorite song to record on this album was “Demons & Dreams.” It’s right in my vocal wheelhouse, and it comes from a really raw place. I do my best work when I’m discontented, and it almost acts as a sequel to my very first single, “Storm the Gate.” I’m sure the listeners will find it easy to draw some thematic similarities.
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Listen to our new album, out on December 2nd, on whatever streaming platform you use, and be sure to follow @roberthenrymusic on Instagram and Robert Henry & the Repeaters on Facebook to stay up to date with all of our tour dates and any new music we put out in the future.
See you down the road.