Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders
Ben Schlabach – guitar, vocals
Jason Summer – pedal steel, vocals
Ben Bailey – electric guitar, vocals
Christopher Waters – bass
Logan Stoltzfus – drums
Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders are based in Harrisonburg, VA, a growing college town in the middle of the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The band’s geographical location has shaped its sound, pulling punk and rock influences from the underground basement scene typical in many college towns while simultaneously taking elements from the music born out of the surrounding mountains. Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders blend and bend those distinctly differing genres to create their own sounds.
Biography/Timeline
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Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders began in the winter of 2009 as Ben Schlabach’s solo project. Jason Summer added pedal steel to the early live shows and became a fixture in the project. The stripped-down lo-fi folk songs evolved into an amalgamation of country, punk, garage rock, and folk, walking the line of music that should be played on a porch or in a dimly lit basement. The lineup has changed throughout the years, allowing the songs to morph and grow with the band.
In 2010, “They Grow Up So Fast” (cassette) and “Massanetta” (7″ lathe) were both released under the name Ben Schlabach. In late 2010, drummer Nicklaus Combs joined the duo, and the fledgling band began billing themselves as Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders.
The group released its first full-length, “Comes in Nine” (CD), in November 2011. In December of that year, they went to their friend’s basement in Northern Virginia to record their half of the Prison Book Club split (cassette), released in April 2012.
2012 brought a lineup change to the Restraining Orders, with Todd Yoder taking over the drumkit and Megan Tiller joining on upright bass. In 2013, the new lineup recorded an EP, later released on “Demos Vol. 1” (cassette). In 2014, the lineup shifted again, and the band spent a few years playing locally as a guitar/steel/upright trio.
In 2015, in between drummers, the band began recording their next full-length record. John Hostetter, who played drums on “They Grow Up So Fast” and “Massanetta,” sat in on most of the songs, with Schlabach filling in on one and Jess Bergh rounding out the last couple of tracks. Bergh eventually joined the live band.
The group continued to perform locally while the record was slowly recorded in basements, bedrooms, warehouses, and DIY studio spaces across the region. Lineup changes continued as Jason Summer left the area, and Ben Bailey was added on lead guitar. During this period, the world caught on fire, shows stopped happening for a bit, and no one left their house.
In 2020, the weird headspace of the pandemic led to the digital release of “Isolation Vacation,” followed by a physical release as a limited edition 8″ screen-printed lathe in the Fall of 2021. Billed as “Punkle Bengine,” this five-song EP clocked in at under 8 minutes. There is no country or folk here, just garage-punk weirdness. Most of this recording is Schlabach, with Ben Bailey supplying some socially distant lead guitar riffs.
And remember the second full-length, which started production in 2015? “Write Home” was released on Funny / Not Funny Records in December 2021. Available on Bandcamp, funnynotfunnyrecords.com, and at all shows. Vinyl LP limited to 200 LPs (100 blue / 100 black).
After the pandemic, Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders solidified a new lineup, with Jason Summer’s triumphant return on steel, Christopher Waters joining on electric bass, and Logan Stoltzfus behind the kit.
Uncle Bengine and the Restraining Orders are:
Ben Schlabach – Electrified Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Ben Bailey – Electric Guitar
Jason Summer – Pedal Steel, Background Vocals
Christopher Waters – Electric Bass, Electric Guitar
Logan Stoltzfus – Drums
Beloved former members:
Megan Tiller – Upright Bass, Vocals
Jess Bergh – Drums
Melanie Schlabach – Violin, Vocals
Todd Yoder – Drums
Nicklaus Combs – Drums
With help from:
John Hostetter, Tucker Riggleman, Matt Leech, Scott Whitten, and many other friends!