Insomniac Folklore is an American indie

Indie rock

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...

/folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

/punk

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 music group from Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

.

Biography

Insomniac Folklore had its start in the small town of Roseburg, Oregon

Roseburg, Oregon

Roseburg is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is the county seat of Douglas County. The population was 21,181 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, when lead singer Tyler Hentschel decided to start doing acoustic singer/songwriter sets (then known as "The Tyler Hentschel Band") as a side project to the punk and hardcore bands he was playing in at the time. Over the years Hentschel has been joined by a rotating cast of friends and family as they released four full-length records and two E.P.s and toured the continental United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

The group has become known for their somewhat unpredictable live shows and their sense of camaraderie as a group. Insomniac Folklore has toured and played with bands such as Bradley Hathaway

Bradley Hathaway

Bradley Hathaway is a spoken word poet and a folk singer and songwriter from Fort Smith, Arkansas-Biography:Bradley Hathaway was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas and lived there until 1997, when he moved to Alma, Arkansas, where he graduated from high school in 2000.After high school, he attended the...

, Soul Junk, Showbread

Showbread

Showbread , in the King James Version: shewbread, in a biblical or Jewish context, refers to the cakes or loaves of bread which were always present on a specially dedicated table, in the Temple in Jerusalem as an offering to God...

, Fall of Troy, Joy Electric

Joy Electric

Joy Electric is the brand label for a series of electropop/synth pop productions by Ronnie Martin. Martin began producing music under the Joy Electric name in 1994, after the demise of Dance House Children, a band Ronnie was in with his brother Jason Martin of Starflyer 59. Starflyer 59 bass player...

, Jason Webley

Jason Webley

Jason Webley is an American musician known for his fusion of folk, experimental and alternative music. He began as a busker, playing accordion in the streets of Seattle, Washington, but has since moved in-doors and on stage, playing various venues....

, Randy Stonehill

Randy Stonehill

Randall Evan "Randy" Stonehill is an American singer-songwriter from Stockton, California, best known as one of the so-called "fathers of contemporary Christian music". His music is primarily folk rock in the style of James Taylor, but he has assayed other styles, with various albums focused on...

, Havalina Rail Co, The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

 and Calibretto 13

Calibretto 13

Calibretto 13 was an acoustic punk band from Kokomo, Indiana, United States. The acoustic punk style of the band and the peculiar vocal style of singer Joe Whiteford gives the band their signature sound. Another signature mark of the band is themes in their lyrics, which often are about B-movies...

. Insomniac Folklore has also made appearances at the Cornerstone Music Festival, Tomfest

Tomfest

TOMfest was an annual Christian music festival held in Camas, WA, USA.TOMfest was a Christian indie and alternative music festival founded in 1995. Showcasing established and up-and-coming Christian bands, TOMfest presented an alternative to secular music festivals and provided a venue for...

 and X Fest NW.

The name "Insomniac Folklore" is a reference to Hentschel's own battle with insomnia

Insomnia

Insomnia is most often defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. While the term is sometimes used in sleep literature to describe a disorder demonstrated by polysomnographic evidence of disturbed sleep, insomnia is often defined as a positive response to either of two questions:...

 when he started the project. Hentschel intends for the project to me more about friendship than being a "concise" band. Hentschel writes more of the material but wants everyone involved to have part of their personality in the music.

In 2011, Insomniac Folklore recorded and released A Place Where Runaways Are Not Alone. On November 3, 2011, the band released a music video for the song "Useless," filmed by Emily Kathryn Curry .

Reviews

In 2005, Insomniac Folklore was on the HM Magazine

HM Magazine

HM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...

 top 5 staff pics for record of the year with "Smile Or Die".

Members

The only constant member of the band since the beginning it Tyler Hentschel. Every other position in the band has been filled by several of other musicians.

In 2008, Ayden Simonatti joined the band as a bass player then moved to drums while working with Hentschel on another project as alter egos "Runes and Numerals." Ayden has played in nearly every live performance of Insomniac Folklore ever since. Around the same time, Ayden's sisters Zoe and Anavah Simonatti joined the band as backing vocalists. Ayden, Zoe and Anavah are the children of Randy and Chris Simonatti of the alternative punk group The Clergy.

Dennis Childers joined the band as part time bass player in 2007. Dennis has also played with Yum Yum Children

Yum Yum Children

The Yum Yum Children are a Christian band originally from Oregon, now located in northern Idaho. Their music is similar to that of They Might Be Giants or 1970s style art rock.-Background:...

, Flock 14, Empty Tomb & Larry Norman

Larry Norman

Larry David Norman was an American Christian musician, singer, songwriter, record label owner, and record producer, who worked with Christian rock music...

.

Current members

• Tyler Hentschel - Voice, Guitar
• Ayden Simonatti - Drums
• Dennis Childers - Bass
• Anavah Simonatti - Vocals, Tambourine
• Zoe Simonatti - Vocals, Tambourine
• St John Van Beek - Accordion
• Danielle Maes - Violin, Flute

Former and occasional members

• Andy Cameron
• Kial Collins
• Britta Cooper
• Bree Bizell
• Sam Ellis
• Brian Fletchner
• Leon Goodenough
• Zac Kreiss
• Chris Lofton
• Alicia Nye
• Steven Nye
• Jory Randall
• Tim Westcott

Releases

• "Despite It All" (2001, PMC)
• "Consumer Appreciation" (2003, Stick Figure)
• "Split EP w/ Nate Allen" (2005, Quiver Society)
• "Smile Or Die" (2005, PMC)
• "Oh Well" (2007, Quiver Society)
• "Split EP w/ The Gray Fox" (2008, Return Records)
• "What a Mess Vol. 1" (2010, Art Vs Product)
• "EP" (2010, Art Vs Product)
• "Alone" (2010, Art Vs Product)
• "LP" (2010, Art Vs Product)
• "A Place Where Runaways Are Not Alone" (2011, BD Recs)