The Insomniacs are sure living up to their band name these days — perhaps the members of this vintage-toned rocking blues outfit will find time to sleep once they’re dead.

    Since its inception in 2005, the Portland, Ore.-based band has won fans with its dynamic stage shows. According to Blues Notes magazine, “This West Coast jump blues band ignites a party whenever they perform.”

    The band’s self-produced first album was quickly picked up by Delta Groove Records, boosting the band from Northwest regional darlings to the new national blues act to watch.

    The band has since scored several awards, including from the prestigious Cascade Blues Association for Best New Act (2006) and a nod for Best Contemporary Act (2007).

    National recognition came this year from The Blues Foundation, with a recent nomination for 2008’s Best New Artist in the annual Blues Music Awards.

    The Insomniacs are now midway through their first North American tour, which features a stop Saturday at Ogden’s Wine Cellar.

    “In the last two months, we’ll have hit a total of 12 states or provinces,” said slightly road-weary bassist Dean Mueller, who is also the man who’s done the lion’s share of PR to get them to this point. He was calling from a friend’s house on a tour stop in Denver.

    The band’s origins date back to a Portland rockabilly outfit called The Pushrods, where Mueller played with singer/songwriter/guitarist Vyasa Dodson (his first name is Sanskrit, a gift from his free-spirited Northern California mom).

    “At various blues jams, we’d play in the style. And I liked it, too, that Vyasa was a very good songwriter. So, when The Pushrods quit what they were doing, in about 2005, we started out this thing without any grand plan. We got a drummer, Dave (Melyan), who had played with him at jams. And Dave knew Alex (Shakeri, keyboards).

    “I was really glad we got Alex,” added Mueller. “I personally don’t like playing with many keyboard players, but Alex was a perfect fit for us. The band just melded and came up with the great songs that matched the songwriting style of Vyasa. And from there, it’s really taken off.”

Museum-worthy gear

    The band plays a style akin to the classic electric blues of the late ’50s and early ’60s. To do so correctly, said Mueller, takes not only skill and historical knowledge of the style, but also the right equipment — well-crafted vintage gear.

    Equipment includes Dodson’s golden 1950 Fender Nocaster (the rare granddaddy of the Telecaster), Mueller’s 1964 Framus Star bass, and Magnatone and Ampeg tube amps to make the music smoke hotter than a July noonday.

    A Nocaster, widely sought by collectors, is one of the featured artifacts at the Fender Museum of Music and Art in Corona, Calif.

    “For the style of music that we’re doing, to get the sound that we want, we have to go back to those guitars and amps, that era of instrumentation,” said Mueller. “It is old-school — a natural, real sound. More modern instruments do other things really well, but they just can’t capture that sound. So we search out the tone. It brings the whole vibe of the sound in line with the vibe of the band.

    “But we do find these items are getting more rare. It’s a good thing the amps themselves are pretty tough, and will likely stay in good shape as long as we can keep getting replacement tubes. But, in fact, the Nocaster can no longer make the road trip — not because it is delicate, but because it is just too valuable.

    “Now, my ’64 Framus is old, too, but it has that tone I really need for this, so I take it along,” said Mueller. “I figure, hey, it has lasted this long, and it is not so crazy valuable as the Nocaster. You can get (a Framus) for maybe $500 or $1,000, but that Nocaster of Vyasa’s is very nearly priceless now.”

‘Left Coast Blues’

    While the band members were still getting to know one another musically, they decided to record an album. Mueller, who was an electrical engineer at one time, has a basic, but very solid, home studio in which to record.

    “So, we had to decide what we wanted from the CD,” he said. “Did we just want to use it to get gigs, or to sell it, too? Well, we decided to make it as good as we possibly could with our resources. I produced it with Vyasa, and I did all the engineering. When we released it in November 2006, we immediately got regional press and airplay.”

    With a handful of songs then posted on MySpace, the Insomniacs attracted the attention of Delta Groove, an indie label out of Los Angeles.

    “They bought the record from us, and packaged it, and remastered it, added a few live tracks to it. So, just the fact we were on the label made booking that much easier. This was after only a couple of years as a band — and that first year amounted to, like, eight gigs total.”

    According to Blues Source magazine, “(‘Left Coast Blues’) is a smooth classy groove from the opening track.”

    Said Mueller: “We were real pleased with the outcome, and are now working on our second thing, in between tours. We have about seven tunes done, and are targeting a release for early next year.”

    Mueller said that while band members like to add a few covers in the set, they strive to record all originals — so far, written in the main by Dodson.

    “Vyasa is interesting, because he is only 26, but has listened to a lot of ’50s era music. He has a lot of hooks, a lot of fine lyrics, too, and reaches back to a time in blues when things were a little more melody-oriented. And he definitely has that crooner thing going on when he sings.”

    The forthcoming album is also being recorded in Mueller’s home studio.

    “If, when Delta Groove hears the end results, and wants to put us in a studio, we are open to that, too,” said Mueller. “But, as with the first one, we are working to make this sound as good as we can make it.”