Upcoming
Shows:
Sunday, May 4th at the High Dive, Seattle, WA with Kelley Stoltz and Vetiver
Wednesday, May 21st at King Cobra, Seattle, WA with Conservative Dad and Sister Wife
Thursday, May 22nd at Mootsy's, Spokane, WA, with La Cha-Cha
Friday, May 23rd at the Badlander, Missoula, MT with Apples of Discord and Bridgebuilder
Sunday, May 25th at Luckey's, Eugene, OR with The Dead Americans
Friday, May 30th at the Sunset Tavern, Seattle, WA, with Juhu Beach, Mr. Gnome, Who The Hells
Friday, June 6th at the Boiler Room, Port Townsend, WA with We Wrote the Book On Connectors
Saturday, June 7th at Kaz-ba, Edmonds, WA with Lake of Falcons and Post Harbor
Wednesday, June 11th at the Comet Tavern, Seattle, WA, for Noise For the Needy with Hungry Pines, Capillary Action, and Andy Werth
Wednesday, June 25th at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, Seattle, WA, for Laffhole
Friday, June 27th at Skylark Cafe, West Seattle, WA with Biography of Ferns and Little Penguins
About H Is for Hellgate:
When Jamie Henkensiefken transplanted herself to Seattle in 2002, she brought with her the spirit and sound of her hometown, Missoula, Montana, and its infamous Hellgate Canyon, known for it's fierce cold winds, but also for its majestic and ominous beauty. It seemed a natural encapsulation of her songwriting: articulate, urgency-driven guitars paired with the subtle elegance of mild-mannered craftsmanship, so she borrowed its name.
In 2006,
Jamie self-recorded the self-titled H is for Hellgate debut record in her
basement, on which she played every instrument under the influence of post-work
exasperation and red wine. In the process, she met bassist Ben Baier, and
guitarist David Thomas, who both contributed on a few tracks. With Drummer
Marie Calderon, the transformation of her solo act into a 4-piece band was
complete, and the band quickly started playing locally. Jamie almost punched
a girl at their first show at a party at my old house, but "that's kind
of a long story."
H is for Hellgate's sound is a unique blend of indie rock (think The Dismemberment
Plan, Sleater-Kinney, Black Mountain) and Progressive Rock (Mahavishnu Orchestra,
The Mars Volta). This is to say that it rocks with brains in its head and
isn't afraid to take chances. The album is diverse, tight, and extremely musical.
JAMIE
HENKENSIEFKEN HAS PLAYED SHOWS WITH:
Firey Furnaces, The Long Winters, The Forecast, The Used, Les Savy Fav, Erase
Errata, The Butchies, Bitch and Animal, Tracy + the Plastics, The Gossip,
New End Original, The Divorce, Jen Wood, Scream Club, many more.
H IS FOR HELLGATE HAS PLAYED SHOWS
WITH:
Kelley Stoltz, Vetiver, Earlimart, Tiny Vipers, Idiot Pilot, Voyager One
Press:
NadaMucho.com
"H Is
For Hellgate churn out tricky indie-prog constructions onstage with little
apparent effort. The boys in the group mug and pose endearingly, while the
two young women sternly apply themselves to the serious task of rocking the
hell out. They were my favorite local discovery of 2007, and I try not to
miss any of their Seattle shows."
Seattle
Post-Intelligencer
"A fascinating blend of folk, pop, indie rock, progressive rock and classical,
with a hefty dose of riot grrrl energy. "
Seattle
Weekly
"H Is for Hellgate evoke flashes of early Liz Phair, delivered with a
prog-rocker's ear for arrangements"
Seattle
Stranger
" I would
call them indie rock, but I think that'd make them sound more spineless than
they actually are, so I won't."
MORE
PRESS
H Is for Hellgate released February 27, 2007
Stereotype Records
1. Belt of Lights 2. Lines in the Table 3. Description of the New Art 4. Soundtrack to the Summer 5. What it is 6. The Next 50 Winters 7. Post 27 8. This Is How We Take it Offline 9. Cool Your Jets, Four Eyes 10. I Don't Lie 11. Scars Like Stars written and produced by Jamie Henkensiefken.
lyrics here.
