Bluegrass, on the prowl Chicago group takes rootsy sound on the road

Ben Wright wasn't exactly a stranger to the art of banjos when he spotted the $200 five-string beauty that eventually "took hold" of him and never let go, altering his course of musical inspiration from rock to bluegrass and landing him a gig giving picking lessons to folk-playing newbies.

As a little kid in upstate New York, Wright and his dad performed duets quite a bit: Wright on the kazoo, his dad on banjo. Their score of choice? Well, "The Muppet Show" theme song, of course.

Turns out that when Wright moved to Chicago several years ago and found himself staring down at that banjo in the window of Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music, a little bit of reckless abandon and the right amount of monetary fate nudged him along. "I had $200 in my pocket," he said, "And -"

And the rest was pretty much history for another member of the Henhouse Prowlers, the five-piece Chicago bluegrass band whose members hail from all over the country. If the name rings a bell, you might remember them from the 12-part PBS special that aired earlier this year, called "The Ride of Our Lives," based on "Today Show" feature correspondent Mike Leonard's book of the same name. It's the story of Leonard's two-month RV road trip with his Wilmette-based parents and kids. The Henhouse Prowlers wrote the soundtrack for the whole thing.

"It's been really good to us, to say the least," Wright says of the exposure they've received from the series. So good that it isn't uncommon to find fans of the series at their shows. Then again, it isn't uncommon to see all kinds of people at their shows. The Prowlers' sound leans on traditional bluegrass with contemporary lyrical themes, so the band draws a diverse crowd that ranges from 20somethings in search of danceable tunes (the Prowlers are in their 30s) to people in their 60s and up who grew up loving the music and appreciate the band's dedication to bluegrass roots - dressed in crisp suits and ties, to boot.

"There's something about the music that's captivating, and there's a social aspect that isn't in other types of music," Wright says. Indeed, a bluegrass show won't typically draw the kind of apathetic, crossed-arm fixtures of rock shows, a scene that some of the Prowlers decidedly left behind.

Last fall, each member - guitarist Ben Benedict, bassist Jon Goldfine, fiddler J.R. Hinshaw, Dobro player James Weigel and Wright - collectively chose to trade in their multiple side projects to focus on the Prowlers fulltime. The decision has resulted in a lot of weekend touring and a sophomore full-length that's expected later this year. Wright says they haven't reached road warrior status yet, but they're definitely becoming seasoned travelers and top-notch, roadside improvisers, which suits this close group of friends just fine.

Seeing as the band's roots run from North Carolina (Hinshaw) and Missouri (Benedict) to Evanston (Goldfine) and central Illinois (Weigel) - not to mention Wright's New York home base - everyone initially found each other through other bands upon moving to Chicago. Of course, the common thread that eventually drew them all together was bluegrass and the bluegrass jam session they initiated once a week.

According to Wright, "When you're playing a banjo, you're going to run into fiddle players," so fiddler Hinshaw wasn't far away. None of them were. With the exception of Benedict, who replaced the band's original guitarist a year and a half ago, the guys have been together since the beginning. It shows. Wright isn't shy about mentioning "how much we like each other and how much we like being around each other."

It's a small miracle to find enough like-minded bluegrass musicians to form a band, no less a group of people who actually get along well. It isn't always perfect, Wright laughs, but they've had success treating the band like a business. They've even employed one of Wright's banjo students as a summer intern. As such, each member does his part. And if they don't? Well, there's a wardrobe price to pay (i.e. the "Tie of Shame").

Summer means more touring for the Henhouse Prowlers - to Kentucky, Ohio, Wisconsin, Nashville and all over Illinois. They plan to record their second album, as well, and Wright is pleased to say that this disc will comprise mostly original material.

You know, it's true what they say about music taking hold of a person and never letting go. For Wright and the Prowlers, it's not a stretch to say bluegrass will always be a piece of their souls.