With Their Long-Awaited Rock Opera, KEEP ON RISING, Mrs. Henry Takes Us On The Jukebox Hero’s Journey
San Diego rock collective MRS. HENRY announce their Rock Opera KEEP ON RISING, the story of YOUR TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY RISING STAR, a rocker who is reaching for the top and will stop at nothing to slake his appetite for rock n roll glory.
Drawing on influences from AC/DC, Alice Cooper, and Guns N’ Roses to Queen, Billy Joel, and Outkast, KEEP ON RISING is a drama in three ebullient acts, steeped in the theatrical tradition of the Who’s Tommy and Quadrophenia, Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, Genesis’ The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Jesus Christ, Superstar, and, of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
From the Angeleno funk of “Doin’ it Right” to the gritty sludge rock of “Back in the Grease”, Mrs. Henry’s four-part harmonies and huge riffs weave together sounds and vibes from across the rock n roll continuum to tell the timeless story of a young rocker who is dying to be reborn a star.
Our protagonist, the author and victim of appetite YOUR TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY RISING STAR wants it all – and wants it now – from fame to sex to drugs to peace and love – and maybe even enlightenment. The road ain’t easy – it’s populated with gurus, pushers, angels, lovers, demons.
KEEP ON RISING is the story of that journey, a magnum opus about desire, love, greed, and insatiable ambition, set across classic rock, metal, prog, and psychedelic soundscapes. Not to mention country, gospel, punk rock, funk and just plain good ol’ rock n roll.
But is YOUR TWENTY FIRST CENTURY RISING STAR an avatar for Mrs. Henry? Or are they just singing his (Their?) story for us?
KEEP ON RISING was born in the dark times of 2020, when Mrs. Henry’s original lineup – keyboardist Jody Bagley, guitarist Dan Cervantes, bassist Blake Dean, and drummer Chad Lee – were in lockdown and dying to get back out on the road. They focused their pent-up musical energy and poured it into writing and recording three acts of rock n roll drama, thirty-eight songs that twist, turn, rage, scream, honk, tonk, chunk, and funk, sometimes outrageously over-the-top, occasionally quiet as an angel’s wing.
Mrs. Henry evoke KISS on the speed glam metal of “A Time Like This”, the Mothers of Invention on the prog psych “I Don’t Wanna Let You Go”, Freddie Mercury and Queen on “We’re Gonna Win”, a GNR power ballad on “It’s OK”/ “It’s Not Okay”. The lyrics wink to rock and pop classics throughout, a barrage of rock n roll inside jokes.
“We Are a Rock n Roll Band” stands in the great tradition of self-reflective rock songs; “Everybody Wants Peace and Love” is an ebullient, Santana-esque hippie anthem; “Better Make It Count'' bridges GNR’s Lies with 21st century indie folk from groups like Akron/Family and Megafaun. There’s mind bending psychedelia here (on “Delivery Room of the Morning Sun'' and “Born Again (I Believe)”). And, on “Find a Circle'', a bit of Mrs. Henry’s alter ego Chest Fever, a Robbie Robertson-sanctioned tribute to The Band.
Mrs. Henry could be telling the story of any of those rock heroes. Every striver who’s ever picked up a guitar or a microphone and screamed I WANT IT ALL. It’s easy to imagine the full stage production, with YOUR TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY RISING STAR a gorgeous androgyne like Jagger, Bowie, Eno, Prince, like Tim Curry in Rocky Horror, like Annie Lennox or Patti Smith. Because this is the story of rock n roll itself.
The songs are woven into a singular extended composition by musical and lyrical themes that connect across the Rock Opera’s three acts, telling the epic story of our jukebox hero’s journey, the cycle of rock n roll rise and fall.
Legendary rock poster artist ALAN FORBES illustrated the book, a 12x12 bound collection of lyrics, iconography, and even piano sheet music – the full musical score for “It’s Never Too Late ... for an Overture”. Forbes’ hand-inked icons unlock the story like keys.
So here it comes, straight outta San Diego like a bat out of hell, a signal from a Twenty-First Century where Rock Rules as King, its genres pressed together in service to the Glory of blazing guitars, beats that birth a billion worlds, organs swirling galaxies, vocals
screaming cosmic fire ...
HERE COMES YOUR TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY RISING STAR!
