Free Henry! A band with promise

Free Henry! is a Buffalo-based band that formed four years ago when the musicians graduated high school. The band began with Bob Buckley as the vocalist, Alex Foote on guitar and Derek Presti playing bass. One year ago, Pat Mannell joined Free Henry! as the drummer. Since their conception, they have grown and evolved to become a band with a purpose."Our goal is to build a career and identity for Free Henry!, versus a quick out-of-the-box hit single artist," Buckley said in a press release. "We strive to connect with our fans on all levels, and will continue to mature throughout our career path."

The band agrees they had a modest beginning.

"We were just friends that played together," Presti said. "We evolved, and had a chance to mold ourselves. Now, we put on high-energy shows that are sure to help audiences forget the work of the weekdays."

The band's debut album, Summers on Neptune, tells of a promising future for Free Henry! Buckley's lyrics are as rich and entertaining as his voice, which has a full sound, and is a cross between Dave Mathews and M. Doughty of Soul Coughing. At one moment, his lyrics are a story, telling of a son's rebellion in "Three Sisters' Island," and in the next moment the words sound like a poem.

"As I ran across the bridge from fantasy to reality/and a cold wind blows my way/you gotta light the fire, breathe desire/and understand, for me, it's not as easy as it seems" sings Buckley in the song "River of Wine."

The band, as a whole, pulls from a diverse collection of influences, citing everyone from Kings of Leon, to the Beatles and U2. However, the music sounds like a jam-band with jazzy colorings.

Occasionally, the jazzier parts take away from the music. "Sailboat Senses" starts out with an ambient and hypnotic opening. The song's melodies are something listeners can zone out to. At one point, there is a saxaphone solo, which sounds like something heard in the elevator.

"Smoke," on the other hand, is a bluesy song, which is sure to have listeners tapping their toes. It starts slowly, with Buckley's soulful voice accompanied by guitar, but then quickly picks up and encourages listeners to dance along. When the sax comes in, everything sounds in place.

The band's most memorable performance was when they opened for Blind Melon.

"Their promoter contacted us when they were coming through Buffalo, and thought we'd be a good fit," Presti said. "We got to talk to the guitar player. We talked about the music business, and he gave us advice for a young band."

Free Henry! said they plan to start touring in a few months. "We should be coming through Rochester this summer and hopefully we'll be playing Brockport next semester," Presti said.