a new path through music
[the band at 20(!)]
listen to new album
’Lead and Iron’
Listen to new album ‘Bluegrass Ambassadors Sessions Vol. 1’
In Nearly 20 years since the Henhouse Prowlers' inception, the band has forged its own path through music and across the globe.
On stage, the group's enthralling performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do; while on record, the band manages to explore their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.
With over 175 shows a year, the quartet has toured over 25 countries, often going to places traditional American music has never been.
Tours in Siberia or the Middle East are not uncommon since the Prowlers started working as cultural ambassadors with the US State Department in 2013. These global experiences have pushed the band in new directions musically, with songs from Africa and Asia on several albums, but they have also moved the group to start an educational outreach program for both school children and festival-goers alike.
Jon Goldfine
Bass
Jon's drive and love shows through his commitment to the business at the bands' inception and his powerful voice and songwriting. Before the Prowlers, Jon's bass playing was all over the spectrum of rock and world music. He's kind, measured and loves dogs more than pretty much anyone you've ever met.
Chris Dollar
Guitar
Chris comes from the heart of Bill Monroe country (Central Indiana) and it shows immediately on stage through his fierce guitar picking and ridiculous vocal chops. He cut his teeth with the excellent New Old Cavalry and Flatland Harmony Experiment and has become a foundational presence in the Prowlers. In his spare time, Chris works on both cars and guitars alike.
Jake Howard
Mandolin
Originally from the Akron, OH region, Jake picked up the mandolin at 15 and never put it down. His early years consisted of performing with friends & family and the Prowlers actually had a discussion with him early on about trying out for the band. Serendipity intervened and Jake was accepted into the world famous Berklee College of Music where he honed his skills, landing on stage with the Prowlers in 2020 with an undeniable presence & unmatched musicality. Jake’s propensity for teaching & video editing have helped the band level-up considerably.
Ben Wright
Banjo
Ben is a founding member of the Prowlers, having started his bluegrass journey in Chicago after seeing a banjo in the window of the Old Town School of Folk Music in mid-October of 1999. That $200 impulse buy turned itself slowly into a career spanning thousands of notes, friends and miles. When not playing the banjo, Ben not-so-quietly obsesses over shipwrecks and Nintendo.
The Prowlers’ nonprofit, Bluegrass Ambassadors, uses traditional American music as an educational foundation to talk about folk music and cultures all over the world.