Local Spins’ ‘Emerging Artists to Watch’ series focuses on a genre-bending act led by a singer and songwriter from Southwest Michigan who’s generating sparks. The band’s debut album dropped last week.
Aiming to Play ‘As Many Shows As Possible’: Headband Henny (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
SCROLL DOWN FOR HEADBAND HENNY’S NEW MUSIC VIDEO
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Headband Henny is intimately familiar with both the Kalamazoo scene and music-making.
Led by Henry Parwoth, current college student and Loy Norrix High School graduate, the emerging Southwest Michigan act oozes originality and ambition.
Not afraid to incorporate key changes, play with dynamics and combine ideas, Headband Henny draws inspiration from the likes of Frank Ocean, Isaiah Rashad and Tyler, the Creator, adding innovative takes on the band’s style to engage fans.
The music reverberates on an R&B wavelength, with a smooth, psychedelic, even bedroom-pop vibe. That doesn’t make their songs sleepy, operating instead on a concentrated wall of sound with varied instrumentation that lays out a universe of music to soak in.
Enthralling Fans: Parwoth and Headband Henny. (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
A native of Uganda, Parwoth began his career early during high school, thanks to a TedTalk by the artist Steve Lacy who opened his eyes to alternative methods of music creation.
“He made music on his iPhone,” Parwoth recalled. “I thought you needed really expensive things to make music.”
Over the past six years, Parwoth has assembled a talented team behind him. Working with Sam Peters and Jack Harrison, mixing and mastering engineers, Parwoth has turned his compositions into reality while also incorporating instrumentals from other producers.
His bandmates add their own parts, purposefully giving the music “different flavors live.”
While initially a bit awkward with his stage presence as lead singer, Parwoth has gained new confidence by performing several times a month as of late. His performances are supported by keyboardist Noah Shanool, guitarist Brandon Marsh, drummer Ryan Fluke and bassist Adam Cortez-Ferrie.
LISTEN: Headband Henny, “Bedroom Pop”
Headband Henny released its debut album, “Purple,” on Aug. 25, featuring four previously released singles and five brand new songs, debuting a video for “DREAMCATCHER” on Friday. (Scroll down to watch the video.)
The new material includes the dreamy and thoughtful “Ankle Socks” and “Ease Up.” Parwoth plans to add three more new songs to the album’s “deluxe” release, adding more gems for fans who’ve embraced their live performances.
In a live setting, the youthful Headband Henny comes across as a powerhouse.
Synthesizer work inspired by the Talking Heads adds a surreal and spacey ’70’s vibe with Parwoth weaving his raps into the auditory mesh, building rhythm just as much as the band’s drumbeats. Even their lyrics move backwards, with a particularly poignant line, “Is it déjà vu or a flashback?” standing out. Often, the band’s lyrics are a bit generic, but newer songs like “Bedroom Pop” and “Purple” improve in concept.
The band’s classic, wall of sound makes for an engrossing performance. During a recent Back Room performance at Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Cafe, Headband Henny simply unraveled the bar with its rendition of the album’s title track, “Purple.”
Next up, the band plays the (Y)Art? Festival in South Bend, Ind., playing at 6 p.m. Sunday (Sept 3).
Beyond that? Parwoth said his goal is to play “as many shows as possible,” spreading Headband Henny’s alternative R&B to new audiences.
VIDEO: Headband Henny, “DREAMCATCHER”
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