Nick Hensley
Nick Hensley. Photo credit: Eli Gardiner, 2022.
For the third video in the North Country Song Sessions, I got to hang out with Nick Hensley on the sidewalk outside his St. Paul home, where he played me a new song near a tiny, roadside library. Hensley is an accomplished local singer-songwriter and avid supporter of our local live music scene, hosting songwriting showcases MNaked and MN Songwriter Showcase. His new record is in the can and due to be released in Spring of 2023.
Watch "Second Hand Love"
Nick Hensley Bio
Former lead singer and co creator of The District, a regional soul/rock act from the upper Midwest, Nick Hensley is based out of St. Paul, MN and Chicago, IL. Shortly after The District called it quits in 2002, Hensley created the band Love Songs For Angry Men. An alias/stage name/alter ego that originated as a bad joke falls right in with his other shorter-lived band names–Amish Puppy Mill and Billy’s Little Secret. Nearly 20 years later, the name has stuck.
Hensley’s three studio albums (released in 2009, 2013 and 2019) performed for sold out crowds in Chicago, St. Paul and Minneapolis. These albums are currently available at live shows and all major retailers and streaming platforms, with each receiving several rave reviews from various media outlets, including a 4-star review from Paste Magazine and AltCountry.com and a best of 2010 local selection in the City Pages. Having maintained a full schedule since 1999, playing more than 200 shows a year throughout the US and overseas, Hensley has shared the stage with several national acts, including The Why Store, Alex Ligertwood of Santana, Fastball, Big Head Todd and The Monsters, The Gear Daddies, The Samples, Low, Semisonic, Trampled By Turtles, The Wallflowers, Soul Asylum, Colin Hay and many more.
As if he weren’t busy enough, Hensley is a booking agent and avid supporter of local MN music, hosting some of Minnesota’s most popular Songwriter Showcases, including MNaked and the MN Songwriter Showcase, held every Sunday at Plums in St. Paul and every Wed at The Aster Cafe in NE MPLS.
Photo credit: Eli Gardiner, 2022.
Eli Gardiner is a songwriter, photojournalist, and video creator. You can catch him playing shows all over the Midwest with his band or as a solo performer, and he also captures video and photography for local musicians and nonprofits. His passion is Storytelling through music and pictures.
