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.

Notable shows:

- Noise For the Needy
- Rock Lottery 3 & 4 at Neumo's
- Live on KEXP Audioasis
- Fremont Fair Mainstage
- Georgetown Music Fest
- Seattle True Independent Film Festival
- KPSU Portland Pop Tomorrow Showcase
- Seattle Pride
- Oly Roller Girls Benefit
- Girls Rock Camp 50 Shows in 50 States

Venues (Seattle):
Crocodile Cafe, Vera Project, Chop Suey, Comet Tavern, King Cobra, Sunset Tavern, High Dive, Bad Juju Lounge, Mars Bar, Skylark Cafe, S.S. Marie Antoinette, Rendezvous, Wildrose, Jules Mae's Saloon, Easy Street, Funhouse, Kaz-ba

Venues (Portland):
Someday Lounge, Towne Lounge, ACME, Music Millennium, Tonic Lounge, Ash Street Saloon, Yamhill Brewerey, Brainstains

Other Cities Played:
Bellingham, Olympia, Anacortes, Port Townsend, Missoula, Spokane, Eugene, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tuscon, Albuqurque, Las Cruces, San Antonio, Austin.

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

Radio:
- KEXP Seattle
- KNDD Seattle
- KBGA Missoula
- Rainydawg.org
- ChurchOfGirl.com

Related projects:

Jamie Henkensiefken - ex-Ghost Stories, Ripley, The East End, The Pleasure (Missoula, MT), Switch (Missoula, MT).

Ben Baier - We Wrote The Book On Connectors, ex-FRANKENIXON (Des Moines, IA)

Weston Dailey - ex-FRANKENIXON (Des Moines, IA)