Henry Berry: News

THANKSGIVING DAY 2007-went to see my buddy John yesterday....he's dying from liver disease. He has two weeks at best. His body is swollen and it leaks, but his eyes still dance like they always did. 3 of us went to see him, he hasn't any family, 51 yrs old, and he is a dead man walking.....but his attitude is unbelievably good. He says he's ready, he knows he can't do anything about it, so "let's rock n' roll."
His condition is a result of too much drinking and smoking, so not many people want anything to do with John.....they make it a moral issue, but it's not....John has a disease, alcoholism, and without treatment it is progressive and fatal, which means it gets worse and it'll kill you. Some of us make it out and some of us don't. Why I did and John didn't will always remain a mystery, because but for the Grace of God there go I. Early on during our visit, I realized that John was helping me as much or more than I could ever help him.....and I know that somehow he knew that, because I could sense that he really was at peace. Isn't that odd.....a man dying from drinking giving such a gift to a man living sober....but if you know Bill W then you know what I'm saying. They say that some of us gotta die so that the rest of us can live....I guess that's true. So today I am overwhelmed with grattitude, and I'm especially grateful for John Harrell. Keep the wind to your back Johnny......we're gonna miss you.

Hi ya'll....been a long time since anything new has been posted here. We have really been busy. But I wanted to respond to a message posted in the guestbook by "Larry Long John Britt", and clear up some misconceptions that he has about Henry Berry and Soundland. First off, he needs to know that Henry Berry is just two dudes, Robbie Lee VanHoy, who is 100% caucasian white, and Larry Dean Chavis, 100% Lumbee Indian. These two guys also own Soundland Studios, and have worked with fine musicians of all races.....unencumbered by the color of the player's skin. There is absolutely NO race agenda in the studio....just a common goal to produce the finest music possible. Secondly, Soundland is not a public studio. We only work on projects that we feel to be "cutting edge" projects, and we are always involved in all aspects of the project. Therefore, there is no hourly or daily charge for our work....we make an investment in the artist and the project. That is why we usually have only one project underway at any given time. Truthfully, we don't make a lot of money at Soundland, but that is not our goal anyway. What we care about most is the music. That's what makes us happy. Listen, we understand that there is a lot of racial stuff going on in the world, and religious stuff also, just look at the middle east....but there are things happening where race is not an issue, and there are people out there who judge a man by who he is, not the color of his skin, and we meet a lot of those people in the music business. So I reckon we'll just keep on keepin' on, by the way, I'm a cowboy too.....

Well, it's finally done, the Careless Woman video, and it's posted on www.myspace.com/henryberry for all to see and enjoy! and its absolutely free, it can even be downloaded to your my space profile. Not sure if it can be downloaded for a burndown, but if you want your very own copy, email us a physical address and we'll send you one. We'll even pay the shipping! It doesn't get any better than that! Just specify DVD format or CDV format.

Henry Berry CDs can be purchased at the following locations:

Pembroke

John Dale's(Union Chapel Rd)
Pembroke Hardware
Cruz Thru
Trikes & Bikes
Palmer Prevention

Red Springs

Bluebird Grill(North Main)
Sun-Do(211 East)

Worldwide

CD Baby! (www.cdbaby.com)

just like we promised, the Charly Lowry Jamtrain rolled into Soundland the 1st week of Feb. and immediately began laying down tracks for her forth-coming CD, to be released sometime late spring or early summer. Just in time for the 4th of July! Now, you guys know that we know music, right, and let me tell you, we have not heard a set of pipes like Charly's in a while. So, we're gonna work real hard to finish the CD, 'cause you guys are gonna want to hear this release asap! Be sure to check here often for updates, and maybe some sound clips, and fersure check Charly's profile on MySpace to hear most of the new material.

Well, we recieved more good news yesterday about the title cut "Payback Time". Seems our very own song has made it's way into the Top 10 on the Broadjam website in the Country/Rock genre. Cool! Broadjam gives the viewer access to the music of Independent Artists from all over the world, so we feel honored to have one of our tunes make a Top 10 list there, as well as anywhere. Larry and Robbie are very grateful just to have an opportunity to display their music to all people everywhere, and truely appreciate every individual who takes the time to listen to their music......thank you so very much. To access Broadjam, just go to the links page here and click on Broadjam. Then, click Top 10, click the Country genre, then click Rock sub-catagory. See ya' soon!

As a promotional plus from DiscMakers, Robbie and Larry were entitled to 1 free song review from Taxi, an independent A&R company located in Calabasas, CA.(www.taxi.com). So, they decided to submit "Friend of Mine" for review. Turns out it was a good choice. All 6 critique catagories averaged a score of 8 out of 10, which for a Taxi review is very good. The reviewer really liked the song, and went on to say, "The production is well done-good guitar sounds. There are some interesting instrumental touches, especially in the breakdown. The high pitched electric guitar flourishes add an 'other-wordly' feel-it is almost too much, but it manages to just catch our attention in time for the last verse. The spoken part is handled very effectively." And about the lyrics, Taxi says, "Clever rhymes. This has a ring of truth. I don't know if it is a true story, but it feels like you are describing a real-life person." Well, Taxi reviewer, you are dead on the money! "Friend of Mine" was written about a good friend who died in an automobile accident on Dec. 22, 2005. The reviewer's final comment says it all, "Good luck with this-it sounds really good." Wow! Thanks, Taxi, for such a great review. And thanks, Robbie and Larry, for such a great song.

Guess what! We have just been informed that local HipHop sensation Charly Lowry has been picked to do a 6 week College Tour with National Hip Hopper Remy Ma. If you remember, Charly tracked three demos at Soundland to perform at the audition at the Sutra Lounge in Hot'lanta back in December. Well, we knew she would do great, and , of course, she did! We don't have all the details yet, but we will surely post them here when they come in. Mean time, ya'll keep on keepin' on!

Larry & Robbie are ready to start tracking the 2nd HB cd in January. With almost 30 original songs to choose from, there should be no problem picking 14 killer tunes. Check this sight often for progress updates, and let us know which styles and such are your favorites. Fan imput will have a tremendous impact on our decisions fo CD#2.

CD Baby now has Henry Berry CD's in stock and ready to ship for the New Year, so load up now. Remember, you get huge discounts for multiple purchases!

CD Baby has informed us that the Payback Time CD is out of stock. Great news, but a bummer for Henry Berry fans. But not to worry...a full box has been shipped to CD Baby asap, and should be there any day! Please be patient, Portland is a long way from Pembroke, but they will be there soon. Thanks for your interest in our music! We love our fans to pieces!

American Idol finalist Charly Lowry, from Pembroke, NC, has entrusted Soundland Studios to track three demo songs that she will perform at the Sutra Lounge in Atlanta on December 27, 2006. The event is sponsered by Oval Magazine, and is an audition
for a chance to tour with prominant Hip-Hop artist Remy Ma. Wow! What a great opportunity! Best of luck, Charly!