Biography
Wednesday is an indie rock band from Asheville, North Carolina, fronted by singer and rhythm guitarist Karly Hartzman. The band grew out of five North Carolina musicians playing in basements and later signed to Dead Oceans.[1] Their lineup has included guitarist MJ Lenderman, Xandy Chelmis, Ethan Baechtold and Allan Miller.[1]
Hartzman grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, in a Jewish family, and her songs are built from true stories and personal memories of small-town life in the South.[1] She collects everyday details from tours, thrift stores and the people around her, and often writes in public places.[1] Lenderman is her romantic partner as well as her bandmate.[1]
The band blends shoegaze-influenced noise with classic country twang, a sound that reached a wide audience with the 2023 album Rat Saw God.
Hartzman is also a collector of real scenes. "Bath County" began as a porch-written account of a trip to Virginia with MJ Lenderman, and she directed its video herself as a tribute to PJ Harvey.[2][3]
Hartzman has said she borrows from books as well as memory. Her songs have drawn on Lynda Barry's graphic novel Cruddy and Mary Karr's memoir The Liars' Club, and she has named Drive-By Truckers, Loudon Wainwright III and Richard Buckner among her influences.[4]
References
- The Line of Best Fit: Wednesday, Everything Is Stories — Background on Hartzman's upbringing, the band's origins, and her songwriting.
- Wednesday Share Riveting New Song 'Bath County' (Clash) — Origin of Bath County.
- Wednesday release video for new single 'Bath County' (Far Out) — Video directed by Hartzman.
- Stereogum: Wednesday interview on Rat Saw God and its influences — Hartzman on the books and songwriters that shaped Rat Saw God.