Wednesday with Cryogeyser at Mohawk Austin

By Maddy Lehr

Music Journalist

When I heard the news that Wednesday was going on tour and making a stop in Austin, I knew at that moment that I had to be there. As one of my favorite bands ever, I was so honored to have seen them live. To make matters even better, they toured with Cryogeyser, another insanely amazing band.

When I arrived, there was a line out the door just to get inside Mohawk, the venue for the night. Once I made it inside, I had to maneuver through a huge crowd of people to make it to the stage. I could feel everyone’s excitement as we patiently waited for the show to begin. At eight on the dot, Cryogeyser made their way on stage. Vocalist, Shawn Marom, wore a light bluish-purple sheer dress with a beautiful flower pattern. I absolutely loved that she was so joyous to be on stage performing. Marom’s voice was powerful yet calming, and the crowd loudly sang along with her.

As sad as I was to see them leave the stage once their set was over, my excitement for Wednesday quickly took over. As they made their way on stage, the crowd roared in anticipation. The band started off loud and strong with “Hot Rotten Grass Smell,” the first song on their latest album Rat Saw God.

Wednesday’s songs often start off soft, and slowly but surely pick up pace, bringing with it an abundance of noise. That is something I truly love about their music. I feel the contrast resembles female angst, especially with vocalist and guitarist, Karly Hartzman.

The crowd was so huge by the time Wednesday began playing that Hartzman mentioned it might be the biggest crowd they’ve seen yet, on tour that is. Everyone cheered in agreement. The shared love for their music was overpowering. Eventually, it was time to play some “country songs” as bandmate, Xandy, sat down at the pedal steel. Almost everyone in the audience sang along as they played “Chosen to Deserve” and “Bath County.”

One of my all-time favorite Wednesday songs is “November,” which is off of their first album titled I Was Trying to Describe You to Someone. In between songs, Hartzman mentioned their decision to add a song to the set that they hadn’t played live in a long time. I was in complete awe as they began playing. That song was none other than “November.” I can confidently say that I wasn’t expecting to hear this song, considering the release of their new album being so recent. The crowd listened in silence as if everyone was mesmerized by the music.

They ended the show with “Bull Believer,” an eight-minute song that ends with Hartzman screaming, hence playing it last. The raw emotion in her voice during this song is breathtaking. She did not disappoint as the end of the song rolled around. Waves of applause and cheering filled the venue. Simply put, with the talents of Cryogeyser and Wednesday, as well as the lovely energy from the crowd, this was the best show I have been to since the beginning of this year.

Featured Image by Maddy Lehr.