The Hentchmen

Formed during October 1992, the Hentchmen quickly emerged among lower Michigan’s leading live attractions across the entire ’90s. Johnny Volare handled organ and vocals, Tim V. Eight played guitar, and Chris Handyside sat behind the drums, creating a stripped-down garage approach that nodded to their ’60s forebears while relying on minimal instrumentation. Early shows in Ann Arbor and Detroit helped cultivate a devoted local following. An untitled debut album and a string of independent singles soon led to a deal with New York’s Norton Records. Now billed as “The Hentch,” the trio began crisscrossing the country yet kept Michigan as its base. Another full-length appeared before Handyside departed, with Mike Audi taking over on drums. Audi’s arrival ushered in the sessions for Broad Appeal and Motorvatin’, both of which became regional favorites without achieving wider national reach. By that point the group had already logged nearly ten years and logged far more road time than most comparable garage outfits. Norton released the Three Times Infinity LP in 2003, earning praise both locally and from critics, while the following year the band made its Times Beach debut with Form Follows Function. In 2007 Italy issued Hentch.Forth.Five, an anthology of earlier recordings.