Henhouse Prowlers

The Henhouse Prowlers have spent more than two decades together since they started in Chicago, and it has been time well spent. Members Ben Wright on vocals and banjo, Jon Goldfine on vocals and guitar, Chris Dollar on vocals and guitar, and Jake Howard on vocals and mandolin are equally committed to the dual missions of entertaining and educating. The Henhouse Prowlers are brand ambassadors, and the brand is the universality of music. Traveling the world, the Prowlers have used these experiences as a foundation to showcase their passion for their craft and our shared humanity.

Working with the U.S. State Department and their own non-profit, Bluegrass Ambassadors, the quartet has toured 30 countries on five continents. Using traditional American music as a foundation, the musicians have connected folk music, customs, and history the world over. The band’s experiences with people and musicians across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East have shaped its worldview and broadened its direction towards bridging cultural gaps with music, educational programs, and workshops.

Through the Bluegrass Ambassadors Workshops, the Henhouse Prowlers have found commonality with people from different cultures through music. From Qawwali music in Pakistan to West African hip-hop in Nigeria to traditional Tatar songs in Siberia, to American bluegrass, the musicians have discovered that every culture has ‘music of the folk’ that runs through the minds of its people. Through these interactions with musicians and music fans across the globe, the group has developed an understanding that people have a lot more in common than music, despite our differences.

During these workshops, a small public address system plays the original versions of the songs, alongside the Prowlers’ interpretations. A television or projector allows the band to share some of its videos and photos from adventures around the world. Each member of the band can give a workshop on his instrument, from beginner to advanced level instruction. While this kind of programming is common at more traditional bluegrass festivals, it is also welcomed at more multi-genre and jam band fests, as well.

All of this is not to say that the Henhouse Prowlers don’t love their traditional bluegrass. On the group’s recent album, Lead and Iron, which features 11 original songs, one of the featured works is “My Little Flower,” written by Jake Howard. Jon Goldfine says it is emblematic of what the band is about. “The Prowlers have always straddled the line between traditional and progressive bluegrass,” he said. “We know Jake’s ‘Little Flower’ exemplifies that perfectly. The drive and lyrics embrace both sides of the music we love so much.”

John Lawless of Bluegrass TODAY is more succinct, calling it “a hardcore barn burner.”

The group’s latest album, Unravel, released in April 2025, underscores the band’s resistance to being contained by one genre, with some songs expressing a modern Americana feel and others nodding to classic country and bluegrass standards. On this newest offering, their trademark four-piece harmonies have only matured in tone and sincerity. Still, while the recordings are great, you haven’t really experienced the band until you see them onstage. Audiences can expect to hear tunes from their extensive songbook, accompanied by an inspiring narrative and international music, perhaps in a language they’ve never heard before.

The Prowlers have always been about finding and sharing the commonality we share as human beings through the universal language of music.

Come share it with them.