Rene: Welcome to Earshifter. He's Sean Capstick .

Sean: and he's Rene Rouleau. And Rene, tell us, what are we here for? 

Rene: We are here to introduce a band that maybe people will like, 'cause we feel they're overlooked. Or hey, you might know that band and you're gonna learn a whole bunch of stuff about that band that you love.

Sean: Well, this band is. Both of those things to me because they weren't really on my radar until late last year. They did make it on my top records and songs of 25, so you can check that out on ear shifter.com and. It's because my boys took me to a concert, which is, and I saw them and I just said, this is a great band.

I need to know more about Wednesday. 

Rene: And fair enough, Sean. And if I'm being honest with you and myself. I discovered Wednesday because of top 10 lists for 2025. A lot of people had them on the radar, and you know, honestly, they had other bands on the radar too that I didn't like. But Wednesday resonated with me, so I'm really happy that we're doing this.

Sean: Yeah, so the boys had played me some of their. Quieter earlier songs. We, you know, when we're all together, which is so much fun, I do not have control of the jam. Typically it is the others in the room and there's a big joke around the family where we'll be playing music and the music is perfectly acceptable for cooking.

And then we sit down and the music becomes. Unacceptable for dinner music. And this typically happens with Alex g one of his records that the boys really like it has a very, very loud part after being kind of a, a quite nice contemplative acoustic set. So the dinner [00:02:00] music is always a joke around our family as we're, we're cooking together.

So I'd heard them as pre dinner music. 

Rene: So Alex GI feel like I'm ear shifter myself now. I'm afraid I don't know who Alex G is.

Sean: Go back and listen to my top songs of 25 'cause he's on there. Fair enough. He's a American indie artist. Okay. Has had some. Critically acclaim in the past. He's, uh, uh, I don't think he did some anything for a little while and just released an album last year.

Rene: Okay. Alright, 

Sean: thank you. So, the show blew me away and now I'm a fan and I'm really excited to share the band here. 

Rene: And I'm jealous that you went. 

Sean: It's always good to get taken to a concert. Okay, so how did Wednesday start? Wednesday is Carly Hartman. She was inspired by watching Minky. Do you know Minsky?

No. 

Rene: Minsky. Minky. Yeah, Mitski. I'm actually a fan of Minsky. She, she's very cool, but nothing like, in my opinion, nothing like Wednesday, like Mitski is. Sure. Range is large. But she's, [00:03:00] as far as I recall, she's not that like grungy sloshy slow stuff, 

Sean: so, yeah. And she's super popular. She 

Rene: is, 

Sean: She did a uh, NPR Tiny Desk concert and that inspired Harsman to start writing and recording songs under the name Wednesday.

Rene: Yeah. 

Sean: Her first show was for her younger sister's birthday party. In her old house. She was living in Asheville. Going to college. That's, she grew up in a little town called Greensboro. 

Rene: That's adorable. 

Sean: And her first album that they put out by themselves in 2018 was herself and a multi-instrumentalist named David Gorman.

And, uh, I read an interview and. That they did it so that he could finish a recording assignment for his college requirements. 

Rene: Amazing. 

Sean: They expanded Alan Miller on drums, Zandy Clements on Pedal Steel, Margo Schultz as the first bass player. And then they formed an early five piece for their second album around 2019.

And then [00:04:00] significantly MJ Linderman, who is also from Asheville, moved from a collaborator to a full-time guitarist and songwriter for their twin plagues in 21. So she said that the name Wednesday came from her love of the Sundays, which is a British pop band. Do you remember the Sundays?

Rene: Okay. I. I love the Sundays. Sundays are that album. I don't skip a single song on that first album. It's amazing. And, but also, I have to say, I did, you know, I was kind of keen on this one, so I kind of researched a little bit myself and I saw that and I'm like, is that real? Is it real? Like, AI said it was real, but Ai, 

Sean: I, I read some interviews and yeah, she says that's, that's why she named it, but it's also because of, wednesday Adams from the Adams family, I'm sure now, you know, in 2018, like Wednesday is blown up now, the TV show. Yeah. And that's everywhere. So I think it was still maybe a little less in your face Wednesday girl at that time, but I kind like Wednesday. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I liked [00:05:00] all of the, for sure.

Family back on the black and white sitcom. 

Rene: Yeah, for sure. And maybe I'm remembering mitski wrong, but I just don't think she was like. Of this kind of ill of music and neither are the Sundays. The Sundays are the opposite of this. The Sundays are pretty you know, melodic. There's no, there's none of this in those Sundays or Miky, as far as I remember.

Sean: Wednesday is extremely melodic and poppy. That's what I think. She also does other parts to her songs that are not necessarily melodic or quite. Dissident and deals with non poppy subjects. But in, that's what I think, and especially this latest album bleeds is that. Totally great. Okay.

Pop album. 

Rene: Okay. Okay. Melodic was not the right word. I think what I meant to say was, you know, she's crunch, there's crunch to her, her sound, right? Mm-hmm. Um, but the Sundays are just like pretty poppy songs and minsky's kind of light, not lightish, right? So I just mean, and I know that Wednesday hits some really beautiful, soft, sad songs, which is my jam.

But she also comes out [00:06:00] hard. They come out hard on some stuff that's just nothing like the Sundays and not like Mintz. 

Sean: Well, maybe that's why Wednesday is a better day. That fits that gothic storytelling, Southern gothic storytelling and the cathartic parts of her songs. Okay, so you've done your homework.

I gave you the reading list a little bit and it sounds like it's working this whole thesis about let's introduce music that somebody may like is working 

Rene: because sometimes it's me. 

Sean: Okay. So have you been to North Carolina other than driving through it on the interstate, 

Rene: just drove through it. 

Sean: Any of the Appalachia.

Rene: Is the Blue Ridge Highway count or no? 

Sean: The Blue Ridge Parkway is definitely right through Appalachia. The blue, there you go. Blue Ridge Mountains or that's the, that, so it's an interesting part of the world. It's uh, and, uh, she's very focused on these placed based narratives. Her songs are centered on characters and stories in North Carolina and [00:07:00] Appalachia in.

General, 

Rene: I have two things to say about this. I was literally telling a friend of mine last night when we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway or Highway, we got a little lost. And this is a true story, guys. We got lost and there was no GPS at the time. So I had to walk into this rinky-dink bank slash liquor store slash beer store slash convenience store slash grocery store all in one.

And the moment I, there's no one in there, it's just the person behind the counter. And the moment I walk in, she doesn't even look up and she just goes. You're not from around here, are you? And I was like, am I in a movie like that is straight out of a movie. But yeah, and she wasn't very helpful either. 

Sean: So I've spent a lot of time in Appalachia.

It's a wonderful place to ride motorcycles. And so riding the Blue Ridge Parkway is something that, that we do often. Riding the roads that are around the Blue Ridge Parkway is something we do more and we have stopped in and talked. To people and they do not know the [00:08:00] directions that we're asking.

They have not been outside of their county. They have not been over those hills, and I just find it, yes, it is a remarkable part of the world. We'll get into that a little bit later. Okay. Alright, sounds good. So, so she moved to Asheville where the band was formed. There's a Asheville's, a college town, and to me, North Carolina is, you know what the, these contrasts that we were just talking about, Asheville's a medium sized city with a big arts community, and it's where black Mountain College, a liberal arts college was set up in the 1930s.

And so, the. To me the most, uh, notable graduate from that is Buckminster Fuller. Do you remember? Buckminster Fuller, are you gonna 

Rene: gimme a hint? 

Sean: It's important to us because he designed the geodesic dome. He was an architecture philosopher and conservationist. 

Rene: Okay. 

Sean: And so, you know, the Ontario Place IMAX was a [00:09:00] geodesic dome after Buckminster full.

Rene: Okay. 

Sean: And we were too young to experience firsthand, but it was certainly part of our growing up, the Expo 67, the Canadian Pavilion, and the biodome was designed by Buck Meister Fuller. Okay. Uh, in Montreal. Yeah. So he's, you know, he's like, but at the same time. It's one of the most racially segregated places I've ever been to.

When you're outside of any of the cities, it is very monochromatic and not very friendly. To what I, if I wasn't a white guy on a motorcycle, which immediately engages people like Canada, you're from Canada, why'd you come here? And I tell them because I love their roads and I love their uh, communities.

And then, you know, I'm like, Hey, you know, like we get. You know, very warm reception, but I don't know if that's the case for everybody. And it's stunningly beautiful, like all of Appalachia. It's just so, such a [00:10:00] gorgeous part of the world. 

Rene: I agree. 

Sean: And so Hartman's a bit like those contrast, she's not on social media but she's got a very consistent image.

And look her, internet thing is a personal archive, like it's a blog style site called prison divorce bombshell.com. And, you know, instead of the Instagram stories that you love so much she uses to chronicle her life, her thoughts, her inspirations and shares, pictures of her life and her tattoos.

So it's totally old school. 

Rene: Yeah. Yeah. 

Sean: And she's a young person. Right? Yeah. And you know, like we've talked about the music, it varies between the screaming sweetness and what shouldn't work? This shoegaze country, which is a great genre. So let's, you know, let's talk about her reference to places on our first album there's a song called Dolly World and Dolly World.

I know because I've been there now. I didn't go in, but I drove past it. It's in Pigeon Ford, Tennessee. It's at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. [00:11:00] And so you're driving through and, and the North Carolina mountains are the highest on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the highest in Eastern continental states.

Just beautiful. And they get to. An amusement park. 

Rene: Is it Dolly Parton 

Sean: Amusement park. Dolly Parton Amusement. Park. Park. Wow. Wow. 

Rene: Okay. 

Sean: So it's just a little bit of contrast. In one of her posts on her, on her blog, she describes driving past abandoned houses in North Carolina and she says the porch lights still burns even though there's no one lived there for years.

It feels like the house is waiting for someone to come back, but the could zoo weed has already decided otherwise. And. It's like she's hopeful. I guess she's not, you know, she's young. Nobody's coming back to those houses. We drive past houses and there's a tree growing through a trailer that no one has bothered to remove.

Remove. So it's just such a interesting part of the world. We got lost in North Carolina once and we asked a guy in a Toronto may [00:12:00] police, you know. He's in a, a blue jersey and he didn't know where we could go either, but he kind of told us, yeah, he said Up that hill, there's a bar. And I think they got a place to stay.

It was terrible recommendation. We shouldn't have listened to him. One of the guys, I didn't ask him this, he said, Hey, deal, I like the leaves. And he goes, no, I'm wearing blue because it's my gang color. 

Rene: No way. I mean, I don't like the Leafs either, but Yeah, still that's pretty wild. 

Sean: Yeah. It's a, it's a crazy part of the world.

Right. And one of the songs on the last album is called Carolina Murder Suicide, which is inspired by a real life murder The Mada. And it's written from the perspective of the girl who lives next door to the family who sees 'em go into darkness. So it's, again it's dark and bleak, but let's get into.

Why I like them so much, the concert tour, you know, what I expected and what I got. So I'd been listening. The album came out in September. We saw them in November. So I'd been listening to the album beforehand and it was great. So, let's listen [00:13:00] to one of the sweet songs on the album, elderberry Wine.

Lovely. Let's listen to it.

Clip: The.[00:14:00] 

Rene: That song is a lovely song. It actually gives for me a little bit of Fleetwood Mac weirdly. I just feel a little Fleetwood Mac in there in a good way. 'cause I actually don't like Fleetwood Mac except for landslide. But, uh, but I do love this song. It's, it's very pretty. You 

Sean: especially like the slide guitar.

Rene: I, I like the slide. I'm okay. I'm okay. Listen, I'm not anti country dude. I'm just not as country as you. Like that. That's it. Like I, I am, I enjoy a good slide guitar.

Sean: You're just a little bit rock and 

Rene: roll. I'm a little bit more rock and roll, which actually leads me to, and this might surprise you, but reality TV argument mm-hmm.

Is actually one of my favorite songs, which is a very loud song. Mm-hmm. It's very slushy. It's just a slushy. Crunchy banger. Right? And it's got the loud, soft, which you know, I love. I think that would be a great song. Live do. Do you recall? 

Sean: Oh, EV, every song was a banger. There was no let down [00:15:00] and her personality was so great, like the concert was amazing and a totally diverse crowd.

There were dreads and gray hair. There were people with Super Style because there. Trendy hot band to be, and they wanted to be there, whether they liked them or not. And then there were a whole bunch of people with no Style who just loved the band. Like when she started playing the More Punkier there was a whole bunch of moshing going on, which was just No way.

Yeah. It was great. And then, you know, like, and you know, and the band was having a lot of fun, and she did the banter that you love. 

Rene: Oh man. And where'd they play? 

Sean: They played at concert hall. 

Rene: Okay. So in Toronto, the concert hall holds. Oh, about how much? 

Sean: About 1200 people, I think 

Rene: about 1200. I am so jealous, man.

This is making me sad. 

Sean: Well, it was totally sold out, so unless, unless you had one of your sons buy you tickets that, 

Rene: ah, I wouldn't have been able to go. 

Sean: Yeah. 

Rene: All right. 

Sean: Okay. Maybe I'll get 'em to invite you to more shows. 

Rene: Yeah, maybe 

Sean: Yeah, it was totally diverse, totally fun. Yeah, she talked about the hand pulled Dole place just down the road on Young [00:16:00] Street, which we go to, and she goes, yeah that's my destiny.

I love hand pulled doodles and she's. In North Carolina. So elderberry wine's a love story and we'll get into the failed love later. But at one point she does the Catherine O'Hara. I wanna bear your children in Second City tv, which is so funny. But she says it seriously. She says, you know, I want to have your baby because I freckle in you tan.

That's like, that's a great, just love, love, love 

Rene: Because we know each other so well, and because I knew we were gonna get, talk about lyrics, I actually read the lyrics quite a bit along with the songs. And I, I honestly, dude, I thought she was. I thought she was exceptional as a lyricist.

I was really impressed. 

Sean: Yeah, 

Rene: she paints stories that are just so rich and yet a little bit familiar, but very much kind of the redneck sort of small town sort of life. Well, let's hear 

Sean: Gary's too, and 

Rene: then I'll tell 

Sean: you that story. 

Rene: Okay. All right. Let's hear Gary's too.[00:17:00] 

Clip: But said.

Dentures 33 told you.

Sean: Okay, so that's an example of her place-based storytelling about. People she's met. So Gary is a resident of Asheville. And that's a story about how he got dentures at age 33 because he [00:18:00] was jumped outside of a bar because he was mistaken for someone else. And on her Twin Plagues album, she's got Gary's.

Original, which is another song about the same person. So I understand that he's dead now, but before he died at 70, he would walk around at Asheville with his oxygen tank, smoking and telling stories. Yeah. So that's kind of like, again, just such an neat perspective on storytelling and characters 

Rene: and it really brings you Right.

Seemingly brings you right in there. Yeah, like just the way she paints that picture. But I will say this, that I did look at the lyrics to this one because I'm literally listening to this song going, this is a basic country song. It's great, it's good, it's good, it's good, but there's nothing exceptionally remarkable about.

The actual tune. So I'm like, okay, I gotta look at the lyrics. 'cause there's something in there that Sean's liking. And sure enough, once I read the lyrics, like, okay, I totally get this. 

Sean: Yep. Yeah. It's a story. 

Rene: Yeah. Yeah. 

Sean: Okay. So this the album right before that, we'll go and go [00:19:00] backwards. Oh, 

Rene: well can we stop 

Sean: though for a second?

Oh, you want talk more about bleeds? 

Rene: I do. I do. I do because my favorite song, 'cause you didn't ask me, uh, my favorite song is Townies. 

Sean: Oh yeah, 

Rene: I love Tony's. I think, um, I love the draggy singing on the chorus, but interestingly verse wise, it's very country. So the verses are very country, but the chorus just breaks out into this draggy sort of almost grunge, like kind of slushy feeling, and I just freaking love that song for it.

Sean: Did you read the lyrics to that? 

Rene: I don't think I did. 'cause I love the song so much. No, 

Sean: that one's pretty dark too. Okay. 

Rene: Yeah. Okay. 

Sean: They're all great. Bitter Every day is such a happy song. Except she's singing, I get bitter every day. Like it's, uh, yeah, we could go on, we could, like I, that's my album that's in heavy rotation now.

I'm doing a bit of a Renee on that album. 

Rene: Okay. Okay. 

Sean: Okay, so the sister album the album that was preceded and [00:20:00] the songs were kind of written all around the same time. Oh, is called Rat Saw God. Yeah. So that came out in 2023. 

Rene: Is it considered a sister album? 

Sean: It's the same. She's talked about how she's looking forward to the next album because she can get onto something new that they were.

Still, like she was a, you know, it was a period of creative output for her and some of the songs were written around the same time. 

Rene: Nice. Okay. 

Sean: That's cool. And the themes of Love Heartbreak, are there in both of them. Right. So, and this is really where Wednesday became critical darlings, right?

In 20 23. They. We're named album of the Year by the Enemy. So they get a lot of critical acclaim right there, and it's a little more raw, right? So let's hear, um, there's a few songs on there, but let's hear, I think the one again, lyrically and musically is, is interesting, is called Chosen to Deserve.

All right. Let's hear it. [00:21:00] 

Clip: My.

To get his stomach.[00:22:00] 

Rene: Okay, so I had this song on, I like this song too. Can I explain why I like this song? Not especially 'cause it really is just another country song, but somehow it grabs me a little bit more. 

Sean: The chorus, I am the girl you were chosen to Deserve, is such a great line. Yeah. It's it says a lot depending on who did the choosing Yes.

Rene: And what she deserves. 

Okay. And then I do wanna talk about one song in particular on this album. It's called Quarry. 

Sean: Yeah. 

Rene: And that's a banger. It's a banger. And it's actually the most blade song on the album as well. And, uh. I was actually comparing at the time, 'cause remember I kept saying Wednesday.

Remind her singing voice reminds me of this. Band. Mm-hmm. I couldn't remember the band. Mm-hmm. So I found out, I think I sent you Hopalong old band 74,000 monthly listeners. And her voice at times is similar to the lead singer of Hopalong. And in this song in particular, [00:23:00] by accident, I hit this song Corey and actually thought it was a Hopalong song.

'cause I just mixed up in my own brain. And, uh, this one probably comes closest to sounding like hopalong a pop. It's like a Poppy Wednesday. Is basically 

Sean: and, and more disjointed. Yes. Hop along. I, I, I get played, hop along by the boys as well. They, no way. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah. I like them a lot. Yeah. Oh.

'cause it's quirky and not disjointed. 

Rene: I saw them at the horseshoe. I drive my friend Craig to the Horseshoe. He absolutely hated them, but he also likes the Leafs, so, you know, it's all fair. Okay.

Sean: Let's talk about their covers album next. So in 22 they did this cover album it's called Mowing the Leaves instead of piling them up.

And they are pretty, you know, again, showing their rock cred. They're blues country punk rock cred. It's really interesting the bands they chose to [00:24:00] cover on there. Chris Bell, co-founder of Big Star Roger Miller you know, from, king of the road. Right. You know, favorite of Reems the drive by Truckers.

Right. Who's a big Southern alternative country song. Yeah. Some shoegaze bands that I think our sound producer Joe would like. And, vic Chestnut. Now, do you remember Vic Chestnut? 

Rene: Okay. I remember you loving Vic Chestnut and I'm, I was actually shocked that you didn't pick the Vic Chestnut song to play on this podcast.

I was like, what? Like he, I remember him loving Vic Chestnut 

Sean: and Vic Chestnut. For dear listeners who don't know Vic Vic how old was he? I think he was in a car accident when he was a very, very young man. So he was a paraplegic he could, or a a Yeah. Para. He could not. Walk, but he could play guitar and play music.

And Michael Stite produced his first two albums. Cool. And there were a bunch of Vic Chestnut tribute and you know, fundraising like the, that was popular back in the, the aughts in the nineties. Right. Where bands, [00:25:00] you know, would get together to help him with medical bills. And yeah, he he's dead now, but he released a whole bunch of albums that were, yeah, they were pretty good.

Yeah, I remember them when we were living together. Yeah, exactly. 

Rene: Yeah. 

Sean: But the, and there's a, a country, a hard drinking country song. She's acting single and I'm drinking doubles, which is a great country line. But the one that I picked was for you. 'cause maybe Danielle will listen to the episode if you say that we're gonna play a Smashing Pumpkins cover.

Rene: Yeah, we control her at this point, I think. 'cause yeah, Danielle's my wife and she has yet to listen to a single episode, so I'm calling her out right now. Um, but, uh, I, I mean it's so funny 'cause of course I am a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan. I've seen them three times. Once in Japan actually where he was 

Sean: Trying to impress his future wife.

Rene: What do you mean? 

Sean: I thought that was a big, uh, uh, were you guys totally going out by that time? Very, oh, sorry. I thought you meant that was very thought meant. That was a big courting. 

Rene: Yeah. I thought you meant Billy Corrigan's, future wife. No, my future wife. Yes. Yes. At the time we were [00:26:00] dating. That's a longer story.

But anyway, the other thing I wanna say about perfect, and thank you for playing that one. Is that. The thing I love about it is they didn't try. I hate when your favorite band plays another song that you also love, but all they do is just sing it and play it exactly the way it originally was played.

It's like, it's not frigging karaoke. Make it yours. And that's what these guys frigging did with this song. They made it theirs, and that's what I loved. 

Sean: Okay, so let's hear it. 

Rene: Let's hear it.[00:27:00] 

Yeah. So again, like I said, I love the fact that they made it their own. I kind of wish they would've brought the vocals up just like 10% more, maybe even. But it's just, just lovely and they made it their own. 

Sean: Yeah, and that album is great. Again, just totally diverse. So let's keep going backwards. Twin Plagues 2021.

So this is the first one that MJ Linderman was a full member of the band and started playing. You could hear him harmonizing on that last song. So this is noisy, you know, this is Barry Shoe Gazy. Not as well produced, but still, you know, they, [00:28:00] you could see the potential if you were there with the band.

I'm sure that the people that were. Listening in 2021 are gonna be saying that's their best one. And they'll probably say the previous one's better too, but true. I like, I like the songs. But I can, I like, you know, you know me for lyrics and song titles, so let's hear. How can you live if you can't love?

How can you, if you do, and there's no hyphens. There's no commas, they're all capital. So it's, it's improper title case. It's a, the title is wonderful. And the song's pretty good too. 

Rene: Yeah, and, and I'll just add it, it it. Has a little bit of a car seat headrest, uh, song title feel to it, the nice long title and, but it actually is kind of cool, like the, the words themselves are interesting.

Let's listen to that song 

Clip: call.[00:29:00] 

Sean: Okay, so that's just such a pretty song. And again, going backwards, you can see how they were. Country to start with and, you know, a little less fidelity, more straight ahead country. But again, not conventional lyrics. 

Rene: Yes. And also I, I do [00:30:00] like this song. It was a, it's a pretty sad song. It's my jam. 

Sean: Yep. Okay.

So let's, I think you'll like the next one then. So. The first major or minor record label that they got on. I was trying to describe you to someone again, a great album title. You know, very first person lyricism here. Storytelling, it was. Before they became, I think on a lot of people's attention.

So let's hear the song November. Okay, let's hear it.[00:31:00] 

Okay, Renee, I picked that one for you because as I'm listening to the, the albums, I'm think. Renee would like this song 

Rene: accurate. So I actually didn't know this song. So when you sent that to me, I was like, I actually, I actually thought what a beautiful song and I wanted to thank Sean for sending it to me.

Oh my [00:32:00] God. All right. But I also wanna say Sean, dude, there's a lyric in there that is so cool. The line is, there's nothing like the way you loiter in my heart. I love that line. 

Sean: She's, she's got a. Something. Yeah, she's a great leader system, 

Rene: man. Oh man. Yeah. Alright. That's it. 

Sean: Okay. So the album before that Yep.

Definitely was self-produced. You know, you can't get it on the streaming services in Canada, maybe in other countries. You can't, we can't download it on ours. I listened to it on YouTube. Yeah it's, you can see the beginnings, right? So it's, uh, it's kind of an interesting journey and that's, you know, less than 10 years ago.

And to have that volume of work and to have that. Real. You know, I think they're on the cusp of something pretty good. 

Rene: I know, but I don't want to jinx them either, guys. So if you do happen to listen to this episode, we're not jinxing you. Your next album's gonna be what it's gonna be, and you're gonna love it, and hopefully others do.

That's it. 

Sean: Because they're [00:33:00] kind of punk rock. 

Rene: They are kind of punk rock. 

Sean: Yeah. They do what they wanna do. 

Rene: Yeah. 

Sean: Okay. It's, I dunno, maybe it's the importance of Asheville. When I get to go back to the states, I will definitely go back to Asheville and 'cause it's so beautiful. I've been there before, but we gotta talk about the MJ Lenderman.

So connection, right? So, mark, Jacob, Jake to his friends he's like, my boys call him. A record industry plant because he's everywhere, like in that whole independent area. Like he shows up on people's albums does, has got all this critically acclaimed himself. And, you know, he was touring with Wednesday and he and Carly were in a relationship.

Rene: Oh, okay. 

Sean: So. It, their boyfriend and girlfriend in a job, which is tough to me. And they broke up during the [00:34:00] recording of rat. So God. 

Rene: And is that why he's no longer with the band or? 

Sean: He is still with the band. Okay. He co-wrote and played on bleeds. 

Rene: That's my 

Sean: back. But he's not touring with the band anymore, probably because he's too busy with his own solo stuff.

And, you know, maybe they. You know, again, but they seem to be friends. She, you know, shows up at his shows and play tambourine, so. Awesome. It's, yeah, so that's an interesting backstory. 

Rene: We could do a whole episode on relationships in bands like no Doubt, right? A whole bunch. There's a whole bunch out there.

Sean: It's yeah, it's it's complicated. 

Rene: Definitely. 

Sean: But this is one of the reasons why she talks about all of the screaming, right? And that one Bull Believer song on rat Saw God when she did it in concert, I had heard it, but I was unprepared for the raw emotion that she brings to that song. So that was when she didn't tell the band, but the band said they [00:35:00] knew they're breaking up.

So she's in the studio and she lets out this. Scream. Right. And I don't think we've ever seen a screamo band. I mean, we've seen some emo bands. We've seen some bands that yell, but what she did was really different. And she says she does it, it's cathartic. She does it on tour. She says, and this is where you would've loved the show even more.

She says, I have to dedicate the scream to something. So I, she guess she does it, dedicates it to different things every time she performs and then she goes through the screaming and yeah, it's cathartic for her and the audience, that's for sure. 

Rene: Very cool. Very cool. 

Sean: Yeah. If you're in a mood put on Bold Believer listeners.

I don't think we'll play the Cut right now. So it's 

Rene: I wanna add, it's an eight minute song as well, so it's, it's pretty long, I think if that's 

Sean: the song I'm thinking of. It's a total long song. Yeah. And there's multiple screaming parts. Like she doesn't save it up for just one part. It's, yeah, it's uh, uh, [00:36:00] she is amazing.

So, Renee, are they in your Shifter Bend? 

Rene: I think they are. I mean it's interesting right Sean? 'cause we're getting into bands that are like fully, truly contemporary in the, in the best sense of the word. So it's funny 'cause yeah, an ear shifter band is a band that we feel, you and I, Sean, we feel deserve more attention.

Did they get a lot of attention this year? Absolutely. Did they deserve it? Absolutely. Do they deserve more? Yes. 

Sean: So I agree completely. I think there. You know, their cult breakthrough is one of the things that, that is great. You know, they're coming into the mainstream, but they remain outsiders. They are not doing what other bands would've done.

I think as they're breaking this, like they don't, you know, they're not on social media. They don't like publicity. They shun the public eye. Is that like any other ear shifter bands that we've done? 

Rene: Well, I feel like you're leading, leading the story. I don't, I don't know which one you mean exactly.

Sean: Maybe the T-shirt you're wearing. 

Rene: Oh yeah. Neutral [00:37:00] movie, hotel. Yeah. But I mean, I would argue that I don't even think it was around really all that much, but yes, certainly Jeff issued the entire public. Regardless of social or otherwise. Yeah. 

Sean: So she's doing, she can't not but she's doing it on her own terms.

Yeah. I think the genre fusion and, you know, their, their DYI authenticity, right? They mix things that, really shouldn't go together, but they really do. Yeah. Yeah. Like Shoegaze country is kind of a a great genre. 

Rene: Yeah. Or that Tracker was talking about the TV reality one. I can't remember the exact name.

Yeah. But, but that's like. Country versus, but slushy, grungy choruses. Oh my God, that's amazing. Amazing. 

Sean: Yep. They take the loud, soft to a new area. 

Clip: Yeah. 

Rene: And 

Clip: we 

Sean: know that's so appealing, right? Yeah. Yeah. Similar to that joy, formidable. 

Rene: Yes. 

Sean: Yes, exactly. And finally, I'm gonna make one more, not to belabor the point, but this is what, you know, as I'm realizing, why do I like her so much?

Her songs are short stories, [00:38:00] right. That gets me in terms of the lyrics and the content. 

Rene: Sean is amazing that you said that because I actually had a specific question for you, and that is, and I don't wanna put you on the spot, but I want to ask you like, 'cause lyricist wise, I'm truly impressed and I thought, oh my God, Sean's gonna be impressed too.

And that's probably a large part of the reason he probably likes this band Here is my question for you, dude. 

Would you consider her one of the top 100 lyricists for you? Or top 50? Or top 20 for sure. Yeah. 

Sean: Yeah. You know, I, I, I haven't, and I'm just scratching the surface 'cause it takes a long time to unpack these dense songs and then, you know, figure out what that meaning is.

And you know, that Southern Gothic is pretty compelling, but pretty dark, right? Yeah. You know, it's set Southern, gothic, you know, books set to. Feedback and pedal. Like it's crazy and, you know, the way she ties the human condition into places and [00:39:00] stories. It reminds me a lot of, one of our other weaker one of our other, oh, did you 

Rene: give it away?

Yeah. The weaker thens. Woo. Love them. 

Sean: I think, you know, I think she and John K. Sampson are. Very similar in their approaches. Yeah. Even if they come from super diverse geographies, 

Rene: she does need to write songs about cats though. 

Sean: Well, that I am coming. Some of the, the videos I saw are being interviewed. She had a cat, so, 

Rene: okay, there you go.

Okay, but you didn't actually answer my question. So top 100 rics, would he make that? I think the answer is yes. Oh yes. Would you make that? 

Sean: Oh, are you giving me the above and the, I don't know the line. Mm. I think it's definitely top 50. Definitely. Nice. You know? Yeah. She's totally like I am quite captivated by her songs and her stories.

Yeah, 

Rene: I'm impressed too. 

Sean: Yeah, 

Rene: I'm impressed too. Yeah. 

Sean: Okay. Okay. So who are we gonna hear next time today? 

Rene: Well, it's funny, you know, 'cause Wednesday is a female led band and, actually, we're gonna have [00:40:00] another female led band, and guess what? This one also starts with W. 

Sean: And did we see them in concert? 

Rene: We certainly did.

No, I can't wait. All right. Till next time guys. 

Sean: Bye. 

Rene: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Your Shifter. Tune in next time where we'll cover another band that deserves more. You can find your shifter on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok Friend us or listen to our playlist on Spotify and visit ear shifter.com for more information.

Special thanks. Go to our logo designer Stuart Thorsby, and our intro outro music by Joe Novak. You can find him as Bye. Bye. Badman, one word on SoundCloud and a big shout out to Joe for being our awesome sound engineer slash editor. Until next time.