Henry Mena is a Brooklyn-based
singer/songwriter who for more than a decade (1992-2004)
led the pioneering Rock en Español act La Ruta.
He has since embarked on a series of solo shows to promote
songs from his first English-language release: the acoustic EP The Avatar Sessions
which will be re-released in a remastered digipak format
--and available as well as a digital download--in December 2007.
The full-band Beautiful Insults and Compromises album is due for an early 2008 release.
Mena was born in New York
City but raised in Santiago, Dominican Republic. led the pioneering Rock en Español act La Ruta.
He has since embarked on a series of solo shows to promote
songs from his first English-language release: the acoustic EP The Avatar Sessions
which will be re-released in a remastered digipak format
--and available as well as a digital download--in December 2007.
The full-band Beautiful Insults and Compromises album is due for an early 2008 release.
Originally a drummer, he switched to bass and sang in various Santiago area bands,
notably Via Contraria and Sociedad Anonima. After moving back to NYC and formally
switching to guitar, Mena formed La Ruta in 1992, along with bassist/vocalist
Carlos Guzman and drummer Luis J. Ruiz. With the departure of Guzman in 1999,
he became sole writer of all of La Ruta's original material.
While his own music has close stylistic ties to both power pop
and the singer/songwriter vein, the breadth of Mena's musical interests is quite ample,
as evidenced by his work with metal act JLS and latin jazz heavies Sonido Isleño.
Credits:
La Ruta / Amarillo Pollito EP (1996)
Producer, vocals, guitar, bass.
La Ruta / Adios, Ruperto (1998)
Producer, vocals, guitar, bass.
La Ruta / Bailando En La Tierra de los Zombies EP (2001)
Producer, vocals, guitar, bass, programming.
Henry Mena / The Avatar Sessions (2002)
Producer, vocals, guitar, keyboards.
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Other credits:
Sonido Isleño / El Asunto (1999)
Vocals.
JLS / Serpiente En El Huerto (2001)
Background vocals.
Also:
- Toured Spain as bassist for JLS (2001);
- Co-produced tracks for singer/songwriter --and La Ruta bassist-- Alex Guerra (2002);
- Guitarist in Alex Guerra's live band (2003)
- Featured bassist with electronica/groove maven Nova (2002);
- Bassist for singer/songwriter Mark Elliot Miranda (2004-2005).
