Sonic Volley: Henry Ferland & Conor Wenk

Thumbpicking Grand Champion Henry Ferland and the one-man bluegrass band Conor Wenk are two Hudson Valley bluegrass musicians making names for themselves as both excellent players and great songwriters. At tonight’s Sonic Volley, they will each share songs and stories about climate change and antifascist murder, performed in the style of modern bluegrass and folk. The volleying between Henry’s blistering thumbpicking and Conor’s multi-instrumental mastery promises a great acoustic show. Sonic Volley is a songwriters-in-the-round with a twist: each artist shares a song, then volleys a thread of it into the circle - a lyric, a theme, a melody, a feeling - for the next to catch and weave into their own. This month, the circle narrows to two, trading that thread back and forth all night, creating an intimate volley and a tapestry woven a little tighter. 

Conor Wenk’s multi instrumental looping using guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle, slide guitar, bass, result in richly crafted, full-band arrangements that showcase both remarkable musicianship and the timeless appeal of bluegrass, folk, blues, and country music.

Henry Ferland is a thumbpicking grand champion on the acoustic guitar and a singer-songwriter. He performs across the Hudson Valley. This year he was one of the emerging artists at the prestigious Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.