Henry Mena profile picture

Henry Mena

a smoke, a drink, a foreign city at night

About Me

Henry Mena is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who for more than a decade (1992-2004) led the pioneering Rock en Espanol act La Ruta. Since then he's performed solo to promote his first English-language release, the acoustic EP The Avatar Sessions and the upcoming full-length, full-band album Beautiful Insults and Compromises.
Born in New York City but raised in Santiago, Dominican Republic, Mena was originally a drummer, later switching to bass and singing in various Santiago-area bands. After moving back to NYC and formally switching to guitar, Mena formed La Ruta in 1992. In the latter part of their decade-plus run he was the band's sole songwriter.
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, latin jazz heavies Sonido Isleno, and electronica artist/producer Nova.
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My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/4/2006
Band Website: henrymena.com
Influences: The Beatles, Big Star, Cheap Trick, The Cure, Guided by Voices, The Posies, The Pretenders, Todd Rundgren, Elliott Smith, Matthew Sweet, Teenage Fanclub, XTC, Neil Young
Sounds Like: Hopefully, you can hear elements from all of the above
Record Label: One Seventeen
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

So, this is what it has come to?

As I write this I'm getting ready to go into the studio and start recording my first solo album. Since my ride is a few minutes late I decided to sit in front of the TV. And then...a Luvs diaper comme...
Posted by Henry Mena on Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:58:00 PST

news...news...news...

Two things, people:   One Seventeen Records is re-releasing an expanded, remastered version of my acoustic EP The Avatar Sessions on Dec. 18th. Bonus tracks and revamped artwork on a digipak pac...
Posted by Henry Mena on Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:32:00 PST

HM news

Yo, peeps... Lots o' music goin' on: + This Tuesday, July 10th my old band La Ruta is playing a Dominican Rock showcase @ Ace of Clubs in NYC. Also on the bill are Nelson Poket, directly from t...
Posted by Henry Mena on Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:07:00 PST

what year is this?

Walking home the other day I started to think about the albums that had mattered to me during the first half of this decade. I'd been listening to Jane's Addiction's Ritual de lo Habitual just a few d...
Posted by Henry Mena on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:54:00 PST

Ego Trip tees

Hey, peeps!The folks at univoxDesign have some "Ego Trip" t-shirts on sale. Cool designs for guys and gals and more! Check 'em out at: http://univoxdesign.spreadshirt.com
Posted by Henry Mena on Fri, 05 Jan 2007 08:01:00 PST

Final Ego Trip of the Year - Ace of Clubs: 12/28/06

Come join us for our last show of 2006! On behalf of Jim, Alex, Hank and myself, thanks for your continued support. It's been fun playing for you and we hope to rock your world some more in the next y...
Posted by Henry Mena on Tue, 26 Dec 2006 04:00:00 PST

The Ego Trip lands in BKNY: Sun 12/10 @ Buttermilk

The Henry Mena Ego Trip [ HM vox, gtr; Hank Gonzalez, gtr; Alex Guerra, bass, vox; Jim Jackson, drums, vox] will make its Brooklyn debut at a cozy Park Slope watering hole called Buttermilk on Sun, De...
Posted by Henry Mena on Wed, 29 Nov 2006 11:00:00 PST

Tower of Power(less)

I recall it being a rainy Monday afternoon in the spring of 1986. I was walking through Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village with my good friend Luis Manuel, who had just moved up here from Sa...
Posted by Henry Mena on Tue, 17 Oct 2006 08:42:00 PST

Wed. 10/4 - The Henry Mena Ego Trip LIVE @ Ace of Clubs

The Ego Trip Strikes Again!HM - vox, gtr featuring:Hank Gonzalez - gtrAlex Guerra - bass, voxJim Jackson - drums, voxAce of Clubs(formerly known as Acme Underground, Under Acme, etc.) 9 Great Jones S...
Posted by Henry Mena on Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:12:00 PST

C86

Funny how one thing leads to another: I was looking for something to read the other day and came across a Joe Jackson autobiography I'd purchased 2 or more years ago but had never even glanced throug...
Posted by Henry Mena on Tue, 26 Sep 2006 02:27:00 PST