Photo of Wednesday by Brandon McClain
w/ Cryogeyser | 8:00pm | 3509 Lemp Ave. | All ages | $15
This week, Wednesday comes on a Thursday. I’m not talking about Wednesday Addams, everyone’s favorite depressive demon dream girl—you can watch her any day of the week. I’m talking about Wednesday, the alt-country/dream pop stars of Asheville, NC. The band plays at Off Broadway on the 18th, along with special guest Cryogeyser.
Wednesday features the talents of Karly Hartzman, MJ Lenderman, Alan Miller, and Xandy Chelmis. The band formed in 2018 and quickly gained a cult following. Lenderman’s noisy guitar attack gives Hartzman’s southern-fried stories of angst and heartbreak a sense of urgency. Chelmis’s steel guitar keeps this heady sound grounded on Southern soil. The band is highly recommended to fans of country/indie pop fusions, like Angel Olsen and Ethel Cain.
In 2020 the band released their first full-length album, I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone. By 2021’s Twin Plagues, their songwriting had grown by leaps in bounds. Next came Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling ‘Em Up, a cover album featuring songs by Smashing Pumpkins, Drive-By Truckers, and other favorites of the band.
Unless you’re an alt-country diehard, you probably heard Wednesday for the first time this year. 2023’s Rat Saw God was an instant smash. It’s also the band’s most ambitious work yet and a contender for indie album of the year. The eight-minute “Bull Believer,” with its progressive song structure and Mortal Kombat references, is a clear standout. Other highlights include “Chosen to Deserve,” which proves that love is better than drugs, and the road ballad “TV in the Gas Pump.”
Doors open at 7 and the show starts at 8. At $15, tickets are a steal. Spend your leftover cash lavishly at the merch table, and be sure to get Rat Saw God on vinyl—it’ll be a collector’s item someday. | Rob Von Nordheim
For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.
Wednesday on tour:
05.15.23 | Larimer Lounge | Denver, CO w/ Cryogeyser
05.17.23 | recordBar | Kansas City, MO w/ Cryogeyser
05.18.23 | Off Broadway | St. Louis, MO w/ Cryogeyser
05.19.23 | Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack | Little Rock, AR w/ Cryogeyser
05.20.23 | Pocket Park | Water Valley, MS w/ Cryogeyser
05.21.23 | The Basement East | Nashville, TN w/ Cryogeyser
05.27.23 | Schokoladen | Berlin, DE
05.28.23 | Vera | Groningen, NL
05.29.23 | Upstairs at Paradiso | Amsterdam, NL
05.31.23 | Le Botanique | Brussels, BE
06.01.23 | L’International | Paris, FR
06.03.23 | Primavera Sound | Barcelona, ES
06.05.23 | Basement | Manchester, UK
06.06.23 | The Lexington | London, UK
06.07.23 | Rough Trade Bristol | Bristol, UK
06.09.23 | Primavera Sound | Porto, PT
06.10.23 | Primavera Sound | Madrid, ES
06.15.23 | Neighborhood Theatre | Charlotte, NC w/ Tenci
06.16.23 | Cat’s Cradle | Carrboro, NC w/ Tenci
06.17.23 | Union Transfer | Philadelphia, PA w/ All Dogs and Tenci
06.18.23 | Black Cat | Washington, DC w/ Tenci
06.20.23 | Music Hall of Williamsburg | Brooklyn, NY w/ Tenci
06.21.23 | The Sinclair | Cambridge, MA w/ Tenci
06.22.23 | Bar Le Ritz PDB | Montreal, QC w/ Tenci
06.23.23 | Horseshoe Tavern | Toronto, ON w/ Tenci
06.24.23 | The Pyramid Scheme | Grand Rapids, MI w/ Advance Base
06.26.23 | Metro | Chicago, IL w/ Squirrel Flower & Tenci
06.27.23 | Cactus Club | Milwaukee, WI w/ Tenci
06.28.23 | First Avenue | Minneapolis, MN w/ Tenci
06.30.23 | Ace of Cups | Columbus, OH w/ Tenci
07.01.23 | The Orange Peel | Asheville, NC w/ Tenci
08.03-06.23 | Pickathon | Happy Valley, OR
08.12.23 | Outside Lands | San Francisco, CA
09.08.23 | Hancher Auditorium | Iowa City, IA w/ Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
09.10.23 | Bluestem Center for the Arts | Moorhead, MN w/ Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
09.12.23 | The Riverside Theater | Milwaukee, WI w/ Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
