The Band
The members of Insomniac Folklore are a band of lovable hooligans that would probably be considered offensive, if only they weren’t so darned cute. At present, the group includes Tyler Hentschel, Amanda Curry, and Adrienne Hentschel, with frequent appearances by Wallace the Musical Sheep. This charismatic group is enthralling as a three piece with guitar, bass, stomp box, and their signiature intense vocals, though they take special pride in occasions when they may gather in greater numbers near their home cities of Portland, Oregon, and St. Louis, Missouri. At these times, Tyler, Adrienne, and Amanda may be joined by Randy Simonatti, Dennis Childers, and St. John Van Beek; or Lisa & Zachary Strader and Joshua Hedlund, respectively, to create a vibrant whirlwind of musical tones using such insturments as drums, accordion, violin, tambourine, and occasionally ironing board. ¹
Insomniac Folklore has been warmly received by members of the cabaret and steampunk communities and can be recommended for people who like Tom Waits, Wovenhand, meWithoutYou, Nick Cave, Jason Webley, the Dresden Dolls and Simon & Garfunkel.
Their music, to which they lovingly refer as “Tantrum Folk,” has been described as a combination of 1960s folk-rock, 70s punk, indie-rock and vaudeville. In the vernacular, this translates to a heartfelt and theatrical stomp-along dance party which may very well leave you in tears.²
Contrary to popular belief, the members of Insomniac Folklore have never committed arson or incited any people to riot. If you invite them to your town, they promise to be on their very best behavior, really and truly, especially if you provide them with food.
¹Other people who have occasionally lent their talents include Ayden Simonatti, Zoë & Anavah Simonatti, Danielle & Jason Maes, Ivy Strader, Zach Strader, Mercy Maes, Joel Brophy, Steven & Alicia Nye, Ricardo Alessio, Bradley Hathaway, Kat Jones, Brian Flechtner, Leon Goodenough, Philip Kelly, Bree Bizzell, Sean from Wisconsin, Joe Mendonca, Kyle Collins, Tim Westcott, Sam Ellis, Chris Lofton, Andy Cameron, Jory Randall, Ben Michel, Tyrone Wing, and Zac Kreiss.
²See also Irreverant Anono-Narci-Mono Psuedo Singalong Prepost Unfolkrock