Reese McHenry came up swinging in Northern Minnesota and she didn’t sit still for very long. A true troubadour, her powerful voice has driven her from the fresh greens of Eau Claire to the dusty motels of Albuquerque and everywhere in between. Since settling in North Carolina, this prolific songwriter and jagged performer has lent her fire and talent to a number of recording projects and now turns her attention to her own damn show.
In 2005 McHenry started the seminal garage-rock blues-band The Dirty Little Heaters, beginning as a duo with Melissa Thomas, and in 2007, brought on Rob Walsh (Spinns) and Dave Perry (Jett Rink). Sidetracked by a near fatal stroke and Pulmonary Edema, the decision to sever the faulty part of her heart and install a pacemaker has put her back on track to full time rock and roll. In 2014 she teamed up with Bob Wall (Erie Choir), Dave Perry, Ed Hurt, and Chuck Garrison (Superchunk) to release “Tourist” as The Second Wife. In July 2017 she released the acclaimed garage-rock “Bad Girl” with Spider Bags, a collaboration that marks McHenry’s turn from the band life to her status as a rock icon who can join any backing band and make something great. After teaming up with Stephen Garner as Reese McHenry & The Fox in summer 2017, and releasing the 4 song 45, High Comma, Reese decided to add more members to the band. Stephen quit and Reese recruited members of Drag Sounds, Oedipus Dick and New Reveille, dropped the Fox moniker and started going strictly by her own name. The new band recorded No Dados in 6 days at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium in Kernersviille, NC with famed producer/engineer Missy Thangs at the helm. No Dados came out on Suah Sounds Records on April 15, 2019 to rave reviews. Reviewed in No Depression and Pop Matters, Pitchfork gave the record a 7.4, and it was Paste Magazine and Bandcamp’s album of the day, .
Her songs defy genre and, though one could still categorize then as straight-shooting “rock,” the real thread connecting these songs is a wry brand of humor mixed with an ability to catch a hook at just the right moment. McHenry’s true signature, of course, is her emotive blues voice that can change at any moment from soft sweetness to a torrential downpour.
Reese is currently touring with a band as well as solo.