***Update: Reese’s sarcoma from 2 years ago has come back with a vengeance, it has metasticized (spread) to her back and lungs and is unfortunately incurable and inoperable (its embedded in her pelvic bone) BUT it is treatable, and Reese is looking at the bright side, as always. She has a Caring Bridge if you want to follow along. She also has a gofundme her kick ass sis in law Nicki Gibbs set up for her. Below are the links. Reese has 4 shows left before heavy chemo. Please don’t miss them.***
Caring Bridge: https://www.caringbridge.org/site/614ad3bc-d863-38c5-ab86-0605ff133be6
GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/682e074f
Now back to the bio!
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.
Her songs defy genre and, though one could still categorize them 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 lives in North Carolina and is currently touring with a band as well as solo.
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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.
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On Air Today: Live Music from Reese McHenry | Chapel Boro, September 2022
All Things Music: Moving Forward With Reese McHenry | Chapel Boro, January 2021
VIDEO PREMIERE: Reese McHenry 'Bye Bye Baby' | WUNC, July 2019
No stopping her | Savannah Morning News, July 2019
No Dados Album Review | Pitchfork, April 2019
On ‘No Dados,’ Reese McHenry Delivers Some Rock and Real | No Depression, April 2019
5 Questions with Reese McHenry | Walter Magazine, April 2019
Triangle First: Reese McHenry Lays Three Chords Flat on Garage-Rock Rave-Up “Bye Bye Baby” | INDY Week, March 2019
Reese McHenry on new album “No Dados” due out April 12: Who, What, Where, When, Why | Guitar Girl Magazine, March 2019
Reese McHenry Brings Some Serious Southern Heat to “Detroit” (Premiere) | Pop Matters, February 2019
Bring the Heaters | Wilmington Star-News, Nov 2018
Record Review: Reese McHenry & The Fox Channel Raw Power on High Comma | February 2018
Songs We Love: Reese McHenry With Spider Bags, 'Mexico City' | NPR, July 2017
Reese McHenry is a ‘Bad Girl’ with Spider Bags at Her Side | INDY Week, July 2017
Four strokes couldn’t kill Reese McHenry, one of the state’s best singers, but they stalled her career | INDY Week, November 2015
After a series of strokes and surgeries, Reese McHenry survives and blooms | INDY Week, December 2011