Email us at:  PlaehnHinoBand@gmail.com

A blues and R&B sound for all occasions.
The Plaehn and Hino sound is centered on the duo of blues harp and slide guitar. But for larger venues, and when dancing is desired, Dave and Jeff can perform as a trio (+ bass), or appear as the Plaehn & Hino Blues Band quartet (+bass & drums) to match the mood of any event. We can provide our own professional quality sound reinforcement for an additional cost.

Dave Plaehn and Jeff Hino explore the uncluttered, powerful mojo of blues harmonica and slide guitar in the tradition of bluesmen like Robert Johnson, Slim Harpo and Elmore James.

A typical Plaehn and Hino performance features traditional blues, originals and contemporary and creative interpretations of current blues artists the likes of Taj Mahal, Sonny Landreth and John Mayall. But Dave and Jeff will surprise the audience by slipping in the high and lonesome sound of country blues, the power of a field holler, or the joy of an old gospel song. It's a danceable blues-based musical InstaPot, with an unusual array of instruments on stage: harmonica, National Steel, lap steel, electric and acoustic guitars, bass, drums, banjo, and even a ukulele. Plaehn & Hino are not your typical blues band. 

Dave Plaehn, an Iowa boy, grew up listening to Sarah Vaughn, Dvorak, and last but not least, Ricky Nelson. His early years in a high school rock band turned him onto Minneapolis folk trio Koerner, Ray and Glover, and early blues artists Robert Johnson and Leadbelly.

Devoting his spare time to songwriting and recording and plugging his songs, Plaehn released an LP, SMOKIN', in and in the early 80's, MOUTH FULL OF BLUES, featuring all original songs.

"Dave Plaehn has made a fine solo debut SMOKIN', showing a talented hand at a variety of arrangement approaches . . . Plaehn's vocal quality is most reminiscent of country rhumba king Jesse Winchester, while his phrasing often approximates Phoebe Snow's jazzy blues." --- R. Borgerson, Prairie Sun, Peoria, IL

"Plaehn sings in a rich, smoky tenor that needs no accompaniment. . . ." --- M. Barron, Isthmus, Madison, WI

"An Iowan worth watching and listening to...Plaehn's able-bodied singing and soulful sense of hymnody and rural blues forms that give this rounder it's wings...`Vigilante Man' will make you soar." --- City Pages, Minneapolis

In 1984 Dave left Iowa for Oregon, where he continued songwriting and performing with a number of local acts including the regional act, NEAL GLADSTONE & COMPANY.

Jeff Hino's early musical experiences included run-ins with piano and cello, until he discovered the electric guitar. His early blues influences came from Michael Bloomfield, Eric Clapton, and Dicky Betts.

After being a high school member of Taiwan's coolest rock band, Mother Goose, Jeff flew half-way-round-the-world to attend the University of Arizona, where Tucson's country rock crowds lured Jeff into the high and lonesome sound of bluegrass.

In the mid-70's, Jeff migrated to Oregon, where he tackled country and city swing on banjo, Dobro and lap steel. He appeared in a mouthful of Mid-Willamette Valley incarnations of bluegrass, country-western, cajun, and hillbilly jazz groups, including the Highwater String Band, Spontaneous Combustion, The Sophisticado Swing Band, Cow Patty & Pals, and Waterbound.

Meeting Dave Plaehn in the late 80's, Dave and Jeff played their first duo performance together in 1990.

Five years later, the duo recorded their first CD on Nontrivial Records--On Your Bond, a mix of rural and urban blues, along with a George Jones classic, Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away, and one of Plaehn's originals. They issued their fifth album, "Plaehn & Hino Blues Band" in 2022.

A multi-instrumentalist, it's not uncommon for Jeff to have five or six instruments on stage including National steel guitar, Dobro, acoustic guitar, lap steel,5-string banjo and ukulele.