Wednesday (American band)
Wednesday is an American rock band from Asheville, North Carolina, currently signed to Dead Oceans. The band consists of vocalist Karly Hartzman, guitarist Jake Lenderman (aka MJ Lenderman), lap steel player Xandy Chelmis, drummer Alan Miller and bassist Ethan Baechtold. Wednesday was formed in 2017 as Karly Hartzman's personal songwriting project. Career
Hartzman was inspired to start playing guitar after watching Mitski's NPR Tiny Desk concert. Hartzman attended college in Asheville, where she met Daniel Gorham. The two recorded an album together under the moniker Wednesday titled yep definitely. The band's name was inspired by the British band The Sundays. In 2017, Hartzman met Lenderman after he slept over at Hartzman's family home after a show. Lenderman would join Wednesday in 2018 for an EP called How Do You Let Love Into the Heart That Isn’t Split Wide Open. Hartzman formed another band called Diva Sweetly, alongside members of the band Pictures of Vernon, which released an album in 2019. However, Hartzman was interested in making music that was closer to shoegaze, a departure from the style of Diva Sweetly. After Gorham left the band to work on other musical projects, Hartzman gathered new members from the local music scene in Asheville to join Wednesday. The group released their second album, titled I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone in 2020. The group released their third record, Twin Plagues, on August 13, 2021. Twin Plagues is the first Wednesday album with Lenderman as a full member of the band. On March 11, 2022, the band released a covers album titled Mowing the Leaves Instead of Piling 'em Up, featuring covers versions of songs by Gary Stewart, Chris Bell, Roger Miller, Drive-By Truckers, Hotline TNT, Greg Sage, Vic Chesnutt, Medicine and The Smashing Pumpkins. On September 8, 2022, the band left Orindal Records and signed to Dead Oceans, releasing the single "Bull Believer". On January 18, 2023, the band released the single "Chosen to Deserve" and announced a fifth album, Rat Saw God, which was released on April 7, 2023. The band performed at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona on June 4, 2023, where the band, playing on the Amazon Music stage, went on an anti-Amazon speech prior to "Bull Believer" and dedicated the song to "any warehouse workers who have ever been mistreated." Jake Lenderman also releases solo music under the name MJ Lenderman. His third solo album Boat Songs was released in 2022 and received critical acclaim. Influences and Style 
The band's music contains semi-autobiographical details about Hartzman's past life experiences in Asheville. Some songs mix minor details in the environment with darker tales of drug abuse. Hartzman credits Drive-By Truckers as a songwriting influence, mentioning the band in the song "Bath County". According to The Ringer, the band was also influenced by "country storytellers" like Lucinda Williams and Richard Buckner. Hartzman sites Lenderman himself as an influence, having been a fan of his solo work under the name MJ Lenderman before the two met. Some songs include details of their relationship, since the pair started dating around the time of Twin Plagues. Their sound has been described as country, shoegaze, and indie or alternative rock. Band members
Current members
Karly Hartzman – vocals, guitar (2017–present)
Jake Lenderman – guitar, vocals (2020–present)
Xandy Chelmis – lap steel (2020–present)
Ethan Baechtold – bass guitar (2023–present)
Alan Miler - drums (2020–present)

Former members
 Daniel Gorham – bass guitar (2017-2019)
 Margo Schultz – bass guitar (2020–2022)

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

Musical groups established in 2017
Musical groups from Asheville, North Carolina
Indie rock musical groups from North Carolina
American country rock groups
American shoegaze musical groups
2017 establishments in North Carolina
Dead Oceans artists