Blues worth waking up for

Within the first few melodic thrusts and twangs of an Insomniacs’ tune, your shoulders begin to wiggle, your hips can’t resist a good shake and wholesome nostalgia lures you in with a wink.

Theirs is one of the most relevant interpretations of classic blues—fresh and lively, fine-tuned to offer something for each and every listener’s needs. For the deprived victims of music television, they introduce old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll blues, which have been repressed from the limelight by pop punks and rap artists.

Based in Portland, The Insomniacs are on their way to becoming a nationwide sensation, featuring the savory vocals of songwriter and guitarist Vyasa Dodson, Dean Mueller and Dave Melyan on bass and Alex Sharkeri on piano and organ.

The music demands to be blasted and danced to. Unlike the untouchable worse-than-the-CD disease most touring acts suffer from these days, The Insomniacs promise an experience of the mind, ear and body. Ironically enough, they make a sort of blues that acts more as an exorcism of sadness than a provider—even as the lyrics dip into loves lost, they do so with poise and punch.

With three shows in Portland between now and April 23, a relentless summer tour schedule, a new album and music so chock full of energy, it’s no wonder The Insomniacs are having trouble sleeping. In a recent online interview with bassist and manager Dean Mueller, the Vanguard caught up on the band’s basics. 

Daily Vanguard: What’s the band creation story?
Dean Mueller: We all met in Portland at blues jams around town, mostly at Duff’s Garage. Vyasa and I played together in a rockabilly band called The Push Rods that performed weekly at Duff’s. After that band folded,
Vyasa wanted to start something new and had Dave and Alex all lined up. The chemistry of the band is great and I love playing with everyone in the band. Dave is absolutely solid and Alex is the most musical, band-oriented keyboardist I have ever played with.

DV: At what point have you or would you consider The Insomniacs a success?
DM: There are various levels of success and we are always pushing to find more of it. In a relatively short amount of time we have produced two CDs, been signed by a record label, been nominated for a national blues award and toured around the country playing festivals and top-tier clubs. Given that, we still have a long way to go. Our next goals are to snag a Blues Music Award and start headlining festivals. After that, I am sure we will be looking for more.

DV: Which shows do you most enjoy playing?
DM: We enjoy any shows with a great energy exchange between the audience and the band. This can happen at big festivals, small clubs or dance venues, as long as it is relatively full and people are there for the music.

DV: What do you feel The Insomniacs offer to the music industry that was not there before?
DM: The Insomniacs are filling a void for West Coast jump blues that has been left open for a while. We have been relatively successful bringing young music lovers and dancers back into blues clubs. Even though our music has its roots firmly planted in the ’50s, there is an energy and freshness about it that we hope will bring this style back into the mainstream of 20- and 30-somethings.

DV: Where would you say the inspiration for your music is derived from?
DM: Classic swing, blues and R&B recordings from the ’50s. This was an era of great dance clubs and juke joints with energy and excitement for live music. We use that music for inspiration and put our own spin on it to make it our own.