Henhouse Prowlers//Allie Kral

The musical prowess of this bluegrass band was unlike anything I’ve yet to encounter... It’s straight-laced, tight-knit, barn-burning bluegrass with enough vocal harmonization to make Del McCoury blush.” SOUND FUSE

THE HENHOUSE PROWLERS ARE BLUEGRASS AMBASSADORS.

When performing live, presenting workshops and wherever they are, the Henhouse Prowlers find and spread the commonality we share as human beings through the universal language of music.You can feel it at every show.

On stage, the group's electrifying performances give audiences a sense of how much they love what they do; while on record, the band manages to explore their collective life experiences through songwriting and intricate instrumentation. While bluegrass is the undeniable foundation of the Prowlers music, the band manages to bend and squeeze the traditional form into a sound all their own.

Known for setlists that include bluegrass covers of songs from around the world, many of them learned during their time touring other countries through American Music Abroad, a State Department program for American musicians to travel and build relationships with other countries, cultures, and artists. To put those experiences into action, the band in 2013 founded Bluegrass Ambassadors, a digital space for advocacy and education that has now added an online Bluegrass Ambassadors Academy to connect professional musicians with learners while everyone's at home. During the pandemic The Prowlers livestream shows with artists around the world, dedicating a portion of their videos to teaching children about music. The flexible format and unique perspective of a Bluegrass Ambassadors workshop adds a valuable experience to any event with music and/or cultural focus. Workshops are suited for audiences with or without instruments. The Henhouse Prowlers can cater their programming to the curriculum and collaborate with teachers and administrators to design activities.

To watch Allie play is to witness a passionate mixture of musical styles, from J.S. Bach to Pink Floyd. Allie has a classical background of violin playing that began in 1988, and to this day, Bach and Beethoven are amongst her biggest influences. In 2000, Allie went to college for violin performance at University of Illinois, and found a new love for bluegrass music and improvisation while frequenting The Canopy Club. A 2-year stint with band Green Mountain Grass took her to stage with improvised solos, touring the country and never looking back. A 10-year career with Chicago-based bluegrass jamband, Cornmeal, taught Allie to solo with ears open, with endlessly changing musical styles and a team-player attitude. Allie's excitement for music was nothing short of contagious and her passionate energy never-ending as she joined jamgrass pioneers, Yonder Mountain String Band, in 2014. Embracing her aural skills and heart-forward demeanor, Allie has now recorded on dozens of albums, and has played with the most well-known bluegrass players out there and just about every jamband on the scene. Moving her entire body with her playing, Allie has the ability to use her instrument as a voice, singing melodies with her bow, as an electric guitar, teasing David Gilmore licks with distortion and delay, or utilizing the space in her solos, claiming to be what she calls the sexiest part of playing music. With love and light, Allie continues her musical career with intent of spreading positive energy to all who listen.

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