PRESS KIT

The Story of the Album SEVEN NORTH

“When the call comes, will you run or will you stay?” This is the central question posed in the twelve songs of Phil Henry’s new album, Seven North. Faced with the tumultuous world we live in, do we adapt and change? Or do we resist? When our circumstances become untenable, do we pull roots and flee, or dig deeper?

U.S. Route Seven winds its way north from Connecticut to Canada, touching every kind of community in Phil’s beloved home state of Vermont: farmlands, college towns, and post-industrial rail hubs. It passes hiker hostels, former communes, and sugar shacks. This historic road forms the backdrop of many of these songs, and the characters are trying to face the forces of change in their own ways.

In the song “Ten of Nine,” a young man heads to the city, only to be pulled back by the siren call of his hometown. In contrast,  “Prison Town”s narrator vows he’s “never gonna go back” to his constrictive upbringing and mindset. A real-life historical figure in “Extraordinary Woman” tries to rise above her circumstances and is accused in Vermont’s only recorded witch trial. A farming family strives to live within their means and “make something out of nothing” in “The Farmer’s Way.” In “Ticonderoga #2,” the narrator rejects the cookie-cutter life prescribed in public school, to seek something more authentic. Meanwhile, one character asks, (Is it Phil, himself?) “If it’s all the same to you, can we keep it all the same?”

These songs meet at uncertain backwoods intersections of change, and turn down different roads. Some end in despair while some choose hope. Some arrive at resolve, revolution, or renewal.

After seven albums and twenty-five years writing songs, Phil Henry is still finding his way up that road, asking those questions for himself and anyone who may be listening. Ever forward, Seven North.

Short Bio

Phil Henry leads a double life, devoting his time and passion to two balanced pursuits. He is a choral and general music educator at a Vermont PreK-12 school, and was selected as Vermont Music Educator of the Year in 2023. Throughout his 25 years of teaching, he has also been a successful performing songwriter, recording seven studio albums of original, contemporary folk songs and playing festivals and listening rooms across the Northeast. US Senator Bernie Sanders called a recent performance “truly excellent music.”

Singer-songwriter and music educator Phil Henry

Phil Henry leads a double life. He devotes his time and passion to two balanced pursuits, as an award-winning singer-songwriter and music educator.

Over twenty-five years, Phil has crafted acoustic short stories. These contemporary folk songs are populated by vibrant chords and characters, melodies and motivations, and many travel through his beloved state of Vermont. Phil is on the move, too, singing his songs at festivals and listening rooms throughout the Northeast, and as far away as Kerrville, Texas. He is known for a dynamic show and a warm connection to his audience. US Bernie Sanders called a recent Phil Henry performance “truly excellent music.”

For the same amount of time, Phil has shared his passion for music with the PreK-12 students at Vermont’s West Rutland School. He’s taught recorders to fourth graders, electronic composition to middle schoolers, and harmony to high school choral singers. Guitars, ukuleles, and world percussion fill his days. He’s also expanded to educating adults, facilitating a monthly songwriting workshop in his community.

Accolades for both disciplines have followed. Phil was voted in 2023 by the audience at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival as a Most Wanted Emerging Artist to return to the mainstage. He and his band, Phil Henry and the News Feed, performed a formal showcase at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance conference and his albums have appeared on the Folk Alliance International folk DJ chart. For his music teaching, he was selected as the Vermont Music Educators Association Music Educator of the Year in 2023.

Phil Henry and the News Feed

Phil’s regular touring band, Phil Henry and the News Feed elevates the songs through deep groove and lush instrumentation. Multi-instrumentalist Jeff Kimball is a Swiss Army knife of sound, adding rich piano, synthesizer, electric and acoustic mandolins, and frankly, whatever instruments are on had. Mitch Barron is more than the low end of the band, with the distinct sounds of fretless bass melody and upright and electric groove. The inventive pocket of Brendan Coyle on drums cements the News Feed’s sound. On rare occasions, they are joined by the fiddle of Kentucky fiddler Jimmy Kalb, adding a layer of traditional echoes.

Seven North: The Songs

Green Mountain Blues (Nick Grandchamp and Phil Henry)

A snowy drive through Vermont is the backdrop for this personal story of estrangement. References to Robert Frost and the great beyond. Orchestrated with a Steve Gadd-reminiscent drum motor, the narrator laments “Seven North from Bennington, feeling low as I’ve ever been.”

Extraordinary Woman (Phil Henry)

This is the true story of Vermont’s only recorded witch trial in the village of Pownal around 1785. Essentially, her crime was her ability to successfully run a mill after her husband passed. The echoes of this can be seen in today’s political and social climate. “I see faces of neighbors and strangers, generations of great for the mill.” Guest vocalist Erin Ash Sullivan.

If You Asked Me To (Phil Henry)

“I love this town, but if you asked me to, I’d burn it down… and we could start again.” Life and relationships are ever-changing. Do we change with them, stand our ground, or start fresh?

Ticonderoga #2 (Nick Grandchamp and Phil Henry)

This is about learning to make your mark in the world, making mistakes, and questioning what you’re taught as truth. “But they’ll wear dull with their middle class dreams and getting what you want is never what it seems.”

The Farmer’s Way (Nick Grandchamp and Phil Henry)

Inspired by a Thanksgiving service at a rural Vermont church, in which local farmers shared their experiences, struggles and joys. There is gratitude in finding what you need in the land and your community. “We make something out of nothing every day.” Guest accordion and vocals by Grace Morrison and guest vocals by Erin Ash Sullivan.

Hey There Gilligan (Phil Henry)

This song was produced by folk stars Miles and Mafale. It’s a tribute to a modern folk hero, Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island, who never gave up hope. “And if you can keep the faith, so can I.”

Mona Lisa (Phil Henry)

The Mona Lisa was stolen from the wall of the Louvre in 1911, shining a spotlight on what at the time was just a respected work of Italian art, and making it the most famous painting in the world. For three years, the painting sat on the dresser of the thief- an Italian house painter and glass cutter- in a shoddy apartment a few short miles from the museum. Was it patriotism, true love, or bad judgement that motivated the theft? Guest vocal by Catherine Miles and guest accordionist Radoslav Lorkovic.

Ten of Nine (Nick Grandchamp and Phil Henry)

A fire alarm sounds every morning and evening at 8:50 in Rutland, VT, an outdated curfew signal, an institution and tradition in the town. The song focuses on firefighters and also the push and pull most people have about the town where they grew up: “Will you run, or will you stay?” Featuring a chamber string section and a guest vocal by Erin Ash Sullivan.

Prison Town (Phil Henry)

Inspired by a friend who lived in Dannemora, NY and could see the prison wall from where he would grill in his backyard. References to the Dannemora prison break and substance abuse recovery. “Maybe when you grow up in a prison town, all you’re gonna see is a wall.”

Tattoo (Phil Henry)

Inspired by a story about prisoners having face and neck tattoos removed. “Ain’t nobody gonna tell my story for me. This is set to “Wayfaring Stranger” chords and ornamented by brilliant banjo, dobro, and fiddle. Guest banjo by Scott Hopkins.

The Days Before (Phil Henry)

This is an unofficial sequel to Bruce Springsteen’s song “Atlantic City,” inspired by a visit a decade ago, when workers were picketing for fair wages outside of the Trump Taj Mahal. The image of a sand castle acts as a metaphor for political policy based on the weakest grounds. “If you build your castle out of sand you can’t be surprised when they knock it down.”

Make Good Trouble Again (George Nostrand and Phil Henry)

Based on Rep. John Lewis’s call to “get in good trouble… to help redeem the soul of America,” this is a call for the next generation of activists to “put down your phone and pick up a sign.” Co-written and sung by special guest George Nostrand.

Favorite venues

Anonymous Coffeehouse, Lebanon NH
Bennington Museum Concerts in the Courtyard, Bennington VT
Black Bear Americana Music Festival, Harwinton CT
Blue Cat Bistro, Castleton VT
Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs NY
Club Passim, Cambridge MA
Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, 2023 Most Wanted, Goshen CT
Kerrville Folk Festival, New Folk 2011, Kerrville TX
Listening Booth, Lewes DE
Moore Music, Rockville MD
Musical Lairs, Villanova PA
On Your Radar, New York NY
Occasional Concerts, Plainfield VT
Philly Songwriters In The Round, Philadelphia PA
Plymouth Folk and Blues Concerts, Plymouth VT
Reed-Swale Folk Fest, Rocky Hill CT
RISA Songwriters In The Round, Cranston RI
Saranac Lake Porchfest, Saranac Lake NY
Seven To Sunset Concerts, Rutland VT
6 On The Square, Oxford NY
SolarFest, Brandon VT
Somerville Songwriter Sessions, Cambridge MA
Stage 33 Live, Bellows Falls VT
STUV Castleton, Soundings Series, Castleton VT
Sunroom Songwriters Series, Dover DE
Ticonderoga Festival Guild, Ticonderoga NY
TunesDay Concerts, Pittsford VT
Wood Wire & Voice, Plattsburgh NY

Discography

Seven North (2026)
Macguffin (2023)
Chasing Echoes (2020)
PHAT Live (2016)
Aberdeen (2015)
Robots and Romance (2010)
No Place Like Here (2005)
Board By Board (2000)

Notable quotations

“…Truly excellent music.” US Senator Bernie Sanders

“Phil Henry is a top-tier singer-songwriter. Whether he’s telling stories or rocking out, he has a gift for smart lyrics, accessible melodies, and a welcoming voice.” John Platt, WFUV, NYC

“…Vivid, lyrical storytelling that captures the imagination.” Seven Days, Burlington, VT