Henry the Archer takes aim at the Fort Worth scene again

Back in February, I caught Henry the Archer performing live at Shipping & Receiving and chatted to the band’s frontman, Richard Hennessy. He promised me he’d let me know when he was ready to talk about the new album. So last week I got a PM from the man himself, and we met up at the KTCU studio Sunday night during my weekly radio show.

Hennessy hails from the East Coast — New Jersey to be exact. But even as a kid he knew that life wasn’t for him.

“I just really didn’t enjoy life in New Jersey,” said Hennessy. “I never felt like it was my home. My whole life — I was not at peace with where I was.”

At one point, he even moved to South Carolina, but when he moved back home, it felt even worse. For a while, he withdrew, stopped performing and starting working on a book. That’s where “Henry the Archer” came in.

“I started writing a book about myself in a fictional setting,” Hennessy explained. “It was a literal true biography about myself but taking place in medieval times. The lead character in the story was Henry, who grew up in a family of masons. He would look out his window and watch the kings’ archers out his window, and he fantasized about being one of these archers.”

Hennessy never made it back to writing the book. Music is his true calling, and soon he was back onstage. Then he got the chance to escape New Jersey.

“My job offered me a transfer to Fort Worth, Texas,” Hennessy said, “and I said, ‘Yep, I’ll take that in a heartbeat.’ Then I came down here.”

Once in Fort Worth, Hennessy wound up performing solo at the Grotto. Funkytown musicians recognize talent — even in “foreigners” — and suggested that he put a full band together. Aaron Knight of the promotion company BlackBox Concerts put out the call for musicians to help, and by the next day Hennessy was jamming with his new drummer, Kevin Geist.

“We get together. Him and I just jam — guitar and drums; and him and I hit it off just instantly,” recalls Hennessy. “I was expecting to go through thousands of people, and it was just instant.”

They teamed up with bass deity Matt Hembre and went about the business of making music. But just as they were gaining ground, Hennessy’s job transferred him to Colorado. For all of 2015, he was living there and flying back down to Fort Worth to play gigs.

The corporate world can be heartless, and Hennessy soon found himself laid off in Colorado, with no means to support himself. He came back home to Panther City, stayed with friends and started trying to put his life back together.

Hembre became a father and had to drop out of the band. Things were tough, but tough times inspire great art, and Hennessy started working on his new CD, “Zero Is a Number.” I only got to hear a taste of the album, which will be officially released 7 p.m. May 26 at Magnolia Motor Lounge.

Henry the Archer’s songs are well-written and approachable, kind of post-punk, with nice hooks and great instrumentals. Hennessy is as talented as he is dedicated. You will want to get this CD when it comes out. And get some hot sauce, too/ Henry the Archer now has its own brand of hot sauce, and it’s pretty good. This kid is all about promotion.

Also new is the band’s bass player, Charles Marchbanks, who fits right in as well.

“Charles’ style is completely different than Matt’s,” said Hennessy, “but it doesn’t take away — it adds a completely different aspect to the music.”

If you can’t wait until May, the band will be headlining Brainhole Fest on Saturday at Lola’s in Fort Worth.

This story was originally published May 3, 2017 at 8:55 AM with the headline "Henry the Archer takes aim at the Fort Worth scene again."