WHAT: Phil Henry Band CD Release Concert, "Robots and Romance."
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
WHERE: Bluseed Studios, 24 Cedar St., Saranac Lake.
ADMISSION: $14 general admission, $12 members; tickets available at the door.
PHONE: 891-3799.
SARANAC LAKE — Phil Henry's third full-length CD, "Robots and Romance," is a tongue-in-cheek nod to celluloid drama at drive-in movie theaters.
Each of the 12 original tracks features a compelling character — a desperate man attempts a bank robbery in "Hold Up," an amateur radio DJ holds his community together during Hurricane Katrina in "WQRZ" and a group of miners struggle to survive in a cave-in in "Dig Our Way Out."
Henry, originally from Saranac Lake, performs selections Saturday at Bluseed Studios, the rare band performance featuring fellow Saranac Laker Brendan Coyle on drums, Tupper Lake sax player Wayne Davison and Vermont bass player Jim Gilmour.
"The title of the album came from a line in one of the songs," said Henry, who is a music teacher in West Rutland, Vt. "The whole cover art has a drive-in movie theme. They're disappearing but there are still some of them out there."
"Drive-In," the first track, laments the disappearance of the outdoor movie theater in modern culture. Henry recorded his tracks using recording software in his classroom during the summer.
"In the last 10 years, all the technology to make really quality recordings are now accessible to anyone."
With his laptop and a couple of microphones, he traveled to Tupper Lake, St. Albans and beyond to record tracks of his guest musicians, some of whom appear in his band.
"One track was recorded in a back room of a music venue in New York City," he said.
'JUMPING-OFF POINT'
Henry's vision for "Robots And Romance" was diverse narratives.
"A lot of singer-songwriters sing songs from their own experience of heartache and heartbreak. I come from the perspective that my life is really good. It's hard to sing about personal songs. I took characters in very dramatic situations and fleshed it out."
The contemporary-folk artist has performed in coffeehouses, festivals and house concerts across the Northeast, including the Kerrville and the Falcon Ridge folk festivals. Henry has received top honors at the Susquehanna Music and Arts Festival and Vermont's SolarFest and opened for folk notables such as Vance Gilbert, Rachel Bissex and Cliff Eberhardt.
He plays acoustic guitar and has written songs since he was 17. Henry studied voice at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam.
"I'm heavily influenced by Simon and Garfunkel, the Kingston Trio and James Taylor. They've always been my heroes and a jumping-off point for my writing," he said. "My music is a little more contemporary."
He wishes an entity like Bluseed had existed in Saranac Lake when he was growing up; he embraces it now.
"This is kind of a hometown show."
E-mail Robin Caudell at: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com
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