From left to right: Reno Houston, Kee Charlton, and Hayden Kissler at Half Baked Brew – 765 N High St. Credit: Shea Sooley | Lantern Reporter
Columbus-based hardcore-rock band Pray For Sleep is gearing up for its first hometown show of the year.
Pray For Sleep — consisting of guitarist Hayden Kissler, drummer Reno Houston and vocalist Kee Charlton — will perform at The Summit Music Hall, located at 2210 Summit St., March 15. Doors open at 7 p.m., with opening performances by Detroit-based group Vexatious, New York-based band Glasswaves, and fellow Ohio ensemble Denihilist, according to Eventbrite.
Kee Charlton – photo credit Payton Andisman of Crimson Photography
Kissler said Pray For Sleep began to take shape in summer 2017, after he saw a video of Houston drumming during a Fourth of July parade.
“I messaged [Houston] on Instagram because I saw him shirtless on the back of a pickup truck playing the drums,” Kissler said. “I saw his video, so I messaged him, and we got together and the rest is history.”
Houston said roughly a year later, the pair started playing live shows together and covering songs from modern Columbus rock bands, including Beartooth.
“I think we started playing Beartooth and the classic stuff like that, and from there, just started writing our own music,” Houston said. “We took about a year probably, before we played any shows at all.”
Having joined the band in January 2024, Charlton is Pray For Sleep’s third vocalist and has been friends with Houston for years, Houston said.
“I’ve known [Charlton] for six or seven years now,” Houston said. “We just met through mutual friends and then eventually got to a point where [we were] like, ‘Why are we not in the same band? We keep playing with each other in other bands. We should just be in the same band,’ and he was like, ‘That’s a good idea,’ and then obviously, you know, it’s worked out really good since then for sure.”
Hayden Kissler – photo credit Payton Andisman of Crimson Photography
Charlton said when Houston reached out, he initially planned to fill in for just a few shows after Pray For Sleep’s previous singer left, as he was in a different band at the time. But ultimately, he decided to become a permanent member.
“[Houston] called me and was like, ‘We’re gonna need a vocalist for these upcoming shows. Can you at least fill-in?’” Charlton said. “In three days, I had to learn all of their songs and then go perform it two days in a row. It went really well, and I’ve been in the band ever since.”
Charlton said replacing a vocalist significantly influences a band’s sound, which has certainly been the case for Pray For Sleep.
“This is not like switching drummers, or guitarists or bassists; when you switch a vocalist, it’s almost a completely different band,” Charlton said. “[Kissler] specifically said to me, ‘When you join this band, I want you to make it yours,’ and that just built confidence in me and allowed me to do the work I know I’m good at.”
Charlton said the band has coined its own term, “insomniacore,” to describe its distinct style and avoid the constraints of existing genres. He said this label gives members the freedom to experiment with various styles, from hardcore to metal to rap.
“We’ll have songs that go super heavy, and they’re almost like a hardcore song, and then we’ll have other songs that are almost entirely a pop song, and then we’ll have other songs that are a nice mix between the two,” Charlton said. “It just doesn’t feel right to put us into a box of one genre, so for that reason, we made up our own.”
Notably, Charlton said Pray For Sleep released a new single — titled “EYNGB” — Jan. 24 and will play several other new songs at The Summit Music Hall.
“[‘ENYGB’ is] the first song Pray For Sleep has ever had with a rap verse in it,” Charlton said. “I make the joke like, ‘These guys had no idea what they were doing asking me to be the vocalist.’ The old vocalist, we love him to death, but he would never put rap in a Pray For Sleep song.”
Houston said Pray For Sleep has performed with Denihilist many times in the past and looks forward to reuniting with the group next week.
“I could hype them up all day because they’re just good dudes,” Houston said. “But their music is absolutely insane.”
Tickets can be purchased in advance for $15 through the Eventbrite listing. Guests under 18 years of age must pay a $5 surcharge at the door. For more information about Pray For Sleep, visit its website.
