Wednesday Transforms Solano Beach into Small Town North Carolina for a Night
On Tuesday, October 14th, Belly Up Tavern hosted the iconic Asheville-born indie rock band Wednesday with their friends Friendship opening for a night of punk rock with a side of folksy southern comfort. The tavern exudes coastal dive bar energy, with a giant shark with laser eyes hanging from the ceiling above the bar. There are tables and high tops to sit and enjoy the show, and the walls display black-and-white photos of iconic past performers and vintage concert posters. Walking towards the stage, one fan said, “I’m so excited!” as another jokingly bit their nails in anticipation.
Chatter settled as Friendship took the stage for the opening act. The band includes lead singer Dan Wriggins, Peter Gill on guitar, Will Hendrixson on bass, (replacing Jon Samuels), and Michael Cormier-O’Leary on drums.
Lead singer Dan Wriggins brings his sultry baritone voice to the room with comfy folk instrumentals. The crowd was welcomed with down-to-earth, relatable lyrics, like “Helps having something on, something keeping me occupied, David Attenborough episodes,” and a song named after a popular video game, “Resident Evil.” The crowd cheered at the mention of the game, and connection was palpable. Wriggins also sings in that same song, “The world’s a scary place to be.” Even those in the crowd unfamiliar with Friendship were able to see themselves in the lyrics and feel a momentary kinship with the band. Their set created a warm, small-town energy in the room that only grew as the stage was prepped for Wednesday’s set.
Behind the drums hung an image of the “Bleeds” album cover, and as the Wednesday set approached, the stage was slowly decorated with flowers and intriguing knick knacks. Old dolls, plush toys, a sock monkey, and even a jack in the box sat on the stage, some creepy but others potentially real old childhood toys. The band is from Asheville, North Carolina, and holds a lot of pride in their home, especially lead singer Karly Hartzman. In a recent interview, she explained she feels her whole artistic expression is “North Carolina-centric.” The rest of the band includes Ethan Baechtold on bass, Xandy Chelmis on steel guitar, and Alan Miller on drums. The room and crowd could feel the quirky alternative energy coming from them, while also feeling warmth and comfort, like you had been invited to their childhood home.
The setlist starts with a bang with the opening song from their recent album, Reality TV Arguments Bleed, exhibiting an epic guitar build-up that reels the crowd into the show from the jump. They sang almost every song off of their newest album, Bleeds, as well as a few select from their last album, Rat Saw God. Before singing fan favorite, Chosen to Deserve, Hartzman dedicates the song to anyone in the crowd from North Carolina. The crowd hushed for a cover performance that the band hadn’t done before, Lonely Girls by Lucinda Williams, from her album Essence, which Hartman deemed “underrated.” Fans swayed to the beautiful cover, a slower moment of the concert and a chance to showcase a softer side of Hartzman’s vocals. The band laughed together while discussing their next song, Hartzman exclaiming it had been a “loose set!” Moments like this make the crowd feel special, like they’re experiencing a show no one else has experienced before. They mentioned excitement over having attended “Battlebots” in Vegas, to which numerous in the crowd raised their hands cheering, Hartzman giggling and responding with love for the kind of fans the band attracts.
The room felt intimate, like a southern small-town local bands night. The crowd was electric and in the moment, moshing to the noisy rock, screaming centric songs like Bath County, and jumping up and down gleefully to the softer, folkier song Elderberry Wine. The last song of the set, Wasp, ends with long, intense screams that Hartzman says she uses to get her anxieties and feelings out, and she dedicates it to someone or a few people each night. For this night, she spoke about the world being a terrifying and unjust place to exist right now, dedicating the song and screams to families affected by the ICE raids that have been spanning across the country in the recent months. The room was brought together in that moment, in community, to think about and recognize those around them and those facing violence in this country. Together, during that last song, we all let our anxieties, fears, and screams out as we moshed with Wednesday and closed out a fantastic Tuesday night show at Belly Up.
Photos and Review By: Claire Irigoyen
