San Diego Rock band Mrs. Henry have released Keep On Rising – Act II : Faith, Fate and Hope in The Land of Nothing Matters, the second part of the band’s three part album and rock opera series Keep On Rising. In the tradition of epic trilogies like Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, Keep On Rising follows the hero’s journey into dark places.
As bassist Blake Dean remarks, “This is our Empire Strikes Back, 6’ o’clock – The Underworld.”
Act II picks up where Act I ends: the titular hero of the story, Mrs. Henry, has crossed the threshold of The Sex Sells, Love Drugs, Rock N Roll Society and is born again in The Land of Nothing Matters. The music and the lyrics are intended to take audiences into “the hallucinations, the fantasies, and the psychedelic state of The Land of Nothing Matters”.
Bandleader Dan Cervantes explains:
Musically, we are exploring orchestral and operatic themes that really start to take shape. We used the studio to the fullest on these songs – layering parts in brass, strings, woodwinds, vibes and percussion using a Mellotron. The goal of this album was to make something that was purely Mrs. Henry. No guest performers, everything is us.
The album ends with hope rising up as the protagonist rebuilds themself up to something greater than they were before, setting the stage for the series’ grand finale.
Act II follows two San Diego Music Award wins for Mrs. Henry, as well as multiple tours as Chest Fever performing live albums and concerts by The Band including The Last Waltz and Rock of Ages. The group additionally released multiple singles with Hall of Fame songwriter Jack Tempchin, who is best known for penning some of the Eagles’ most beloved songs.
