diff --git a/connectionpool.go b/connectionpool.go
index 05b2415aa..8afef8730 100644
--- a/connectionpool.go
+++ b/connectionpool.go
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ func (p *policyConnPool) addHost(host *HostInfo) {
 	pool = newHostConnPool(
 		p.session,
 		host,
-		p.port,
+		host.Port(),
 		p.numConns,
 		p.keyspace,
 		p.connPolicy(),
diff --git a/control.go b/control.go
index 72949358b..012412a37 100644
--- a/control.go
+++ b/control.go
@@ -311,7 +311,10 @@ func (c *controlConn) fetchHostInfo(addr net.IP, port int) (*HostInfo, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	host := &HostInfo{}
+	host := &HostInfo{
+		port: port,
+	}
+
 	if err := fn(host); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/events.go b/events.go
index b49545346..9ebf35e0f 100644
--- a/events.go
+++ b/events.go
@@ -153,14 +153,19 @@ func (s *Session) handleEvent(framer *framer) {
 
 func (s *Session) handleNewNode(host net.IP, port int) {
 	// TODO(zariel): need to be able to filter discovered nodes
-	if s.control == nil {
-		return
-	}
+	log.Printf("new node host=%v port=%v\n", host, port)
+
+	var hostInfo *HostInfo
+	if s.control != nil {
+		var err error
+		hostInfo, err = s.control.fetchHostInfo(host, port)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Printf("gocql: events: unable to fetch host info for %v: %v\n", host, err)
+			return
+		}
 
-	hostInfo, err := s.control.fetchHostInfo(host, port)
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Printf("gocql: unable to fetch host info for %v: %v\n", host, err)
-		return
+	} else {
+		hostInfo = &HostInfo{peer: host.String(), port: port, state: NodeUp}
 	}
 
 	// should this handle token moving?
@@ -170,7 +175,10 @@ func (s *Session) handleNewNode(host net.IP, port int) {
 	}
 
 	s.pool.addHost(hostInfo)
-	s.hostSource.refreshRing()
+
+	if s.control != nil {
+		s.hostSource.refreshRing()
+	}
 }
 
 func (s *Session) handleRemovedNode(ip net.IP, port int) {
diff --git a/events_ccm_test.go b/events_ccm_test.go
index 775c348f4..bbcdca906 100644
--- a/events_ccm_test.go
+++ b/events_ccm_test.go
@@ -61,15 +61,16 @@ func TestEventNodeDownControl(t *testing.T) {
 	time.Sleep(5 * time.Second)
 
 	session.pool.mu.RLock()
-	defer session.pool.mu.RUnlock()
 
 	poolHosts := session.pool.hostConnPools
 	node := status[targetNode]
 	log.Printf("poolhosts=%+v\n", poolHosts)
 
 	if _, ok := poolHosts[node.Addr]; ok {
+		session.pool.mu.RUnlock()
 		t.Fatal("node not removed after remove event")
 	}
+	session.pool.mu.RUnlock()
 }
 
 func TestEventNodeDown(t *testing.T) {
diff --git a/host_source.go b/host_source.go
index 05226164b..17bfab36d 100644
--- a/host_source.go
+++ b/host_source.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ type HostInfo struct {
 	// that we are thread safe use a mutex to access all fields.
 	mu         sync.RWMutex
 	peer       string
+	port       int
 	dataCenter string
 	rack       string
 	hostId     string
@@ -172,6 +173,19 @@ func (h *HostInfo) setTokens(tokens []string) *HostInfo {
 	return h
 }
 
+func (h *HostInfo) Port() int {
+	h.mu.RLock()
+	defer h.mu.RUnlock()
+	return h.port
+}
+
+func (h *HostInfo) setPort(port int) *HostInfo {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	h.port = port
+	return h
+}
+
 func (h *HostInfo) update(from *HostInfo) {
 	h.mu.Lock()
 	defer h.mu.Unlock()
@@ -186,10 +200,10 @@ func (h *HostInfo) IsUp() bool {
 	return h.State() == NodeUp
 }
 
-func (h HostInfo) String() string {
+func (h *HostInfo) String() string {
 	h.mu.RLock()
 	defer h.mu.RUnlock()
-	return fmt.Sprintf("[hostinfo peer=%q data_centre=%q rack=%q host_id=%q version=%q state=%s num_tokens=%d]", h.peer, h.dataCenter, h.rack, h.hostId, h.version, h.state, len(h.tokens))
+	return fmt.Sprintf("[hostinfo peer=%q port=%d data_centre=%q rack=%q host_id=%q version=%q state=%s num_tokens=%d]", h.peer, h.port, h.dataCenter, h.rack, h.hostId, h.version, h.state, len(h.tokens))
 }
 
 // Polls system.peers at a specific interval to find new hosts
diff --git a/session.go b/session.go
index 4d8c02c1a..92fe41fe8 100644
--- a/session.go
+++ b/session.go
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ import (
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
+	"log"
+	"net"
+	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
@@ -96,30 +99,48 @@ func NewSession(cfg ClusterConfig) (*Session, error) {
 	}
 
 	s.pool = cfg.PoolConfig.buildPool(s)
+
+	var hosts []*HostInfo
+
 	if !cfg.disableControlConn {
 		s.control = createControlConn(s)
 		if err := s.control.connect(cfg.Hosts); err != nil {
+			s.Close()
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
 		// need to setup host source to check for broadcast_address in system.local
 		localHasRPCAddr, _ := checkSystemLocal(s.control)
 		s.hostSource.localHasRpcAddr = localHasRPCAddr
-		hosts, _, err := s.hostSource.GetHosts()
+		hosts, _, err = s.hostSource.GetHosts()
 		if err != nil {
-			s.control.close()
+			s.Close()
 			return nil, err
 		}
 
-		// TODO(zariel): this should be used to create initial metadata
-		s.pool.SetHosts(hosts)
 	} else {
 		// we dont get host info
-		hosts := make([]*HostInfo, len(cfg.Hosts))
-		for i, addr := range cfg.Hosts {
-			hosts[i] = &HostInfo{peer: addr}
+		hosts = make([]*HostInfo, len(cfg.Hosts))
+		for i, hostport := range cfg.Hosts {
+			// TODO: remove duplication
+			addr, portStr, err := net.SplitHostPort(JoinHostPort(hostport, cfg.Port))
+			if err != nil {
+				s.Close()
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("NewSession: unable to parse hostport of addr %q: %v", hostport, err)
+			}
+
+			port, err := strconv.Atoi(portStr)
+			if err != nil {
+				s.Close()
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("NewSession: invalid port for hostport of addr %q: %v", hostport, err)
+			}
+
+			hosts[i] = &HostInfo{peer: addr, port: port, state: NodeUp}
 		}
-		s.pool.SetHosts(hosts)
+	}
+
+	for _, host := range hosts {
+		s.handleNodeUp(net.ParseIP(host.Peer()), host.Port())
 	}
 
 	// TODO(zariel): we probably dont need this any more as we verify that we