Sweet Wednesday
Gig Seeker Pro

Sweet Wednesday

Brookline, Massachusetts, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2006 | INDIE

Brookline, Massachusetts, United States | INDIE
Established on Jan, 2006
Band Folk Americana

Calendar

Music

Press


""Prepare to Fall in Love with Sweet Wednesday""

Think about the last time you received an unexpected and totally delightful gift.

That’s just how I felt when I heard the music of Sweet Wednesday. You’ll forgive the gushing when you hear the alt-country, folk, roots sound of the Boston-based duo known individually as Dave Falk and Lisa Housman. I didn’t think musicians made music this addictive anymore. Not since Joan Baez, Glen Campbell (courtesy of Jimmy Webb songs) and Joni Mitchell, anyway.

“What I love is the story telling in folk, “ said Housman. “I’m a lyrics person and when the lyrics get me, then that is the song that I am going to love. That is one of the things that got me about folk was the beautiful harmonies.”

Still it was something of a surprise for Housman when she met Falk about twelve years ago and soon found herself collaborating with him. For one thing, Falk was a rock and blues guy and Housman was a folk fan. Perhaps that’s why the songs the two perform as an acoustic duo have so many influences, though it’s often Housman’s clear, emotive vocals that steers the music—and steals the show.

That’s no small feat when you consider Falk plays guitar, mandolin, harmonica, banjo and violin and Lisa plays guitar—all beautifully I might add. Their playing is such that they could certainly enjoy success if they played nothing but instrumentals.

Lucky for listeners the two haven’t gone that route, preferring instead to develop songs with hearty vocals and lilting harmonies. The two are true road warriors, in the US and Europe, and have also won a host of prestigious songwriting awards.

Now that the two are looking toward their May release of their latest album Escaping from the Pale Moonlight, that’s not likely to change anytime soon. And that’s just the way the duo want it.

“With music, it’s important to love every aspect of what you do,” said Housman.

“I love writing songs, I love practicing, I love when our music makes people happy. It just fills my soul.”

Prepare to have the duo’s music do the same to your soul, especially with the songs on this latest album that are full of the type of imagery that can only be likened to a Joan Baez or Leonard Cohen song—really, that rich and magical.

“We wanted to take listeners on a journey through dark times,” said Housman of the songs on the album. “It’s [akin to] going through a dark storm with waves almost pushing the ship over. You almost feel as if you’re going to drown and manage to break free and have this wonderful feeling of elation sweep over you.”

With a description like that during a casual conversation, you can imagine the power of Sweet Wednesday’s music.

But don’t imagine. Go to the group’s website to hear and buy the music as well as find tour dates.

-Nancy Dunham, Our Stage (an MTV Partner)
http://www.ourstage.com/
- Nancy Dunham, Our Stage (an MTV partner)


""Whether they're breaking your heart or making you laugh out loud, discover why audiences all over the country are falling love with Sweet Wednesday""

"Whether they're breaking your heart or making you laugh out loud, discover why audiences all over the country are falling in love with Sweet Wednesday. Great musicianship and terrific writing make Sweet Wednesday's national tour the one everyone is talking about."

- John Anglim, Music Director, KAFM 88.1 FM Grand Junction, CO


"Reminiscent of the Best of the Peace and Love Era"

A rare breed of individuals reminiscent of the best of the 1960s and '70s peace and love era and their music is a true reflection of that. - Jacques Fleury, Spare Change News


"The Dynamic Duo Are Receiving Rave Reviews on Their National Tour"

On a national tour, they are performing to rave revues. Audiences love their shows and so will you... The two Singer/songwriters, Lisa Housman and Dave Falk, make an exciting Duo... Their folk/rock style has been compared to Bob Dylan and Woodie Guthrie... I highly recommend that you get there early just to make sure, you get a good seat. . . Enjoy! - Sister Joy, YAHOO! NEWS


""If Natalie Merchant and Neil Young were to form a band, the result wouldn’t be distant from Sweet Wednesday""

Artist: Sweet Wednesday

Album Title: Escaping from the Pale Moonlight

If Natalie Merchant and Neil Young were to form a band, the result wouldn’t be distant from Sweet Wednesday’s harmonious mélange of folk, country, and roots rock. Name-dropping such iconic figures may seem like hyperbole in describing a fairly young and rather unknown duo from the Boston music scene; however, Sweet Wednesday’s emotionally stirring and poetic narratives on Escaping from the Pale Moonlight lend credibility to such a startling comparison.
Comprised of singer/songwriters Lisa Housman and Dave Falk, both of whom also play guitar, Sweet Wednesday approach their lyrics with a literary perspective that is often lost in the stream-of-consciousness trends damaging the indie flock. Actually, Sweet Wednesday are indie in status only; their tunes are closer in style and spirit to early ’70s singer/songwriter balladry and country rock than anything charting on college radio at the moment. On the opening cut, “Days Grow Long,” Housman truly recalls Merchant in her 10,000 Maniacs prime; however, Housman’s voice is more deep and husky, and it absolutely soars during the chorus. Furthermore, Merchant’s words were never as quirky as this as Housman seems to be singing about vampires - or perhaps werewolves - in love (“When the moon is full and takes an orange glow/That’s where our souls ignite”).
Housman and Falk display an irresistible chemistry; their voices blend together effortlessly, especially on “Southern Drawl” and “Open Up the Blind,” wherein the two glide breezily over a locomotive beat. Alone they deliver knockouts, too. “I Still Love You” finds Falk at his most fragile and tender; the track’s intimate acoustic arrangement unveils the wounded longing in his voice.
- No Depression, Stacey Zering


"A "Must Buy" Album"

"Escaping from the Pale Moonlight" is a top of the line album by sweet wednesday... a "must buy" album. - John Shelton Ivany, former Editor in Chief of Hit Parader and Rock'n'Soul Magazine


"Lovely Tunes, Misty California Mysticism"

Despite their delicate Southern pop, the Yanks of Sweet Wednesday don't sound like frauds at all. They don't even sound like East Coast poseurs. Their lovely tunes actually sound more like misty California mysticism. The duo isn't another Fleetwood Mac throwback, though. Even their jaunty departures sound more like carefully disciplined music geekery influenced by UK psychedelia. - J.R. Taylor, BLACK & WHITE, BIRMINGHAM'S CITY PAPER


""Vital Roots music of the very best kind""

When you look at the cover of Wherever You Go, a CD by Sweet Wednesday, you'd expect some classical music. Well, it's not. The CD does give you that feeling of a live record though. You almost get the feeling that you're sitting on songwriters Dave Falk and Lisa Housman's porch in a wooden rocking chair, overlooking the cornfields while the artists play their favourite songs especially for you, and they're playing it something fierce, and with enthusiasm!

Dave Falk plays the guitar and harmonica and Lisa Housman plays the guitar, mandolin and kazoo. Both of them sing. They've written all of the songs themselves. Their songs tell us about all the possible places and situations between Half Moon Bay, CA and Winter Hill, MA. We're dealing here with true musicians. They sing together and play together in a way that shows that they're something special together. Love radiates so to speak, and I don't just mean the love for making music! There's something magical going on. The two of them are playing so intensely together, and complete each others performances so wonderfully that you get all giddy.
The performance is purely acoustic, and it's a brilliant mix between folk and rock. You can really see that they're having fun playing their music together, and because they're both really good, it's just something special.

It's not only so very breathtakingly pretty when they're performing together, their solo-acts are wonderful as well. Everything is in function of the song, without trying to be dramatic, and they touch you right in the heart. Lisa's songs are very strong, and Dave's are just as good, and the same goes for the songs they've written together.

On top of that, there are some other local musicians from the Boston scène on this wonderful CD, for instance members of the Swinging Steaks like Andy Plaisted, Paul Kochanski, Jamie Walker, Steve Sadler and Jim Gabino. Other contributions are by Steve Mayone on lap steel, mandolin and lead guitar, and we can hear Seth Connelly on guitar, mandolin and bass. Vital roots-music of the very best kind!!!
-Freddy Celis, ROOTSTIME MAGAZINE?(translated from Flemish by Inge Brems) - Rootstime Magazine, Freddy Celis


""With a folky charm, expect Sweet Wednesday to make a lot of new friends and fans with the release of their excellent offering Wherever You Go""

Sweet Wednesday is driven by the duo of Lisa Housman on vocals and guitar, and Dave Falk on vocals, guitar and harmonica. They share lead vocal responsibility from song to song while exhibiting a folky, Bob Dylan/Woody Guthrie edge to their delivery. Lisa Housman's vocals run the gamut from sweet and airy to cynical and sassy while Dave Falk's voice is melodic, concise and strong. Collectively they paint a colorful tapestry of mellow sounds filled with vivid imagery from track to track.

Guest musicians on Wherever You Go include the Swinging Steaks: Andy Plaisted, Paul Kochanski, Jim Gambino, Jamie Walker and Steve Sadler as well as Steve Mayone on guitar, lapsteel, mandolin and bass and the multi-talents of Seth Connelly on guitar, mandolin, bass, and percussion.

Beautifully produced, engineered and mixed by Rob Ignazio at Porter Square Studio in Somerville, Ignazio did a fine job of harnessing the subtleties of Sweet Wednesday's music. Seth Connelly also assisted with recording duties at his Humming Lake Studio in Brookline New Hampshire.

With a folky charm, expect Sweet Wednesday to make a lot of new friends and fans with the release of their excellent offering Wherever You Go. Good stuff. - Metronome Magazine, Douglas Sloan


""Poised to finish out the year in a state of karmic grace""

With the recent release of their debut album, Wherever You Go, and the accolades garnered on their equally recent European tour, Sweet Wednesday are poised to finish out the year in a state of karmic grace, propelled by the soulful storytelling that permeates their music.

METRONOME: You just got back from playing Europe. Can you tell me a little bit about setting that up?
Lisa: We were playing at a high school friend’s wedding, she has a lot of family there and it was important to her for us to sing at the wedding. we figured, if we’re going all the way to Europe, especially since I’d never been there before, we might as well set up some gigs.
METRONOME: You’ve played a couple of weddings; you played at a wedding for a couple whose first date was seeing Sweet Wednesday perform. Do you do all your won music or do they make cover requests? It seems like a cool alternative to the standard general business bands you typically see playing weddings. It creates a very personalized atmosphere.
Lisa: We do all of our original music, but they make requests too.
Dave: We wrote a song for that first wedding.
Lisa: We based the theme of the song on their relationship. It was very special.
METRONOME: I looked through some of the pictures of your travels/gigs in Europe on your site www.sweetwednesday.com. You toured through the British Isles, Belgium, and Amsterdam. When you started organizing the tour around traveling for the wedding, how did you book the clubs you were going to play?
Lisa: It was a combination of things. We found venues through the internet and just called them on the phone, and we also made some contacts through our MySpace page at www.myspace.com/sweetwednesday. Some places responded better to getting a physical press kit mailed to them, but others were fine with corresponding through email.
METRONOME: How was it logistically, traveling from place to place with equipment and setting it all up yourselves?
Lisa: It was pretty exhausting. i think that when we do it all again we’ll stay in one general area. It was cool though, we were a part of events and met people we wouldn’t have if we were just traveling as tourists.
METRONOME: What was the reception like in Europe, compared to your experience in the states?
Lisa: It was really cool, particularly in Belgium. They seem to be having a real roots rock/folk craze going on right now. Some of the places had a radio station announcing us and they made these great posters. We felt very special. It’s the same kind of thing when we play here in the subways and other public places. When visitors or tours come though it’s very exciting and different for them.
METRONOME: Are you going to continue to busk or are you moving to strictly performing in clubs and other venues now that the album is out and you’ve assembled a full band?
Lisa: We like to mix it up. Street performing is wonderful because it’s this wonderful piece of freedom where you can try out new stuff and not be nervous.
Dave: Plus, there’s a new crowd about every half hour, so we’re constantly seeing new people and it’s really a dynamic setting.
METRONOME: How did you get together to start writing and performing?
Lisa: We met at an open mic. When we first started collaborating, it was really informal. I would sing backup on his songs and he would do some cool guitar and harmonica on mine. We had separate, but then we started writing together, and then playing together – so we combined what were doing.
METRONOME: Dave, the second song on Wherever You Go is called “(Lisa, I’m Sorry I Brought You To) New York City.” How did that song develop and how did you present that to Lisa and then decide to work it into your set and onto the album?
Dave: Well, I wrote that one late at night on the trip that the song details.
Lisa: It’s funny because I was complaining a lot at first, but once Dave started writing the song I just got into all the misery and turned it around. It ended up being a great trip because that song came out of it.
METRONOME: You present a lot of imagery in the song, but I’m wondering what exactly happened in New York City?
Dave: It was a road trip gone crazy with everything going against us, including bad traffic, the car breaking down, running out of gas, and a lot of other crazy stuff. The song turned it into a fun trip in a comical kind of way.
METRONOME: With the kind of traveling roots/folk theme that is prevalent in your music, you must be constantly writing about experiences and observations. How did you boil it down to what’s on the album?
Lisa: Part of what goes into it for us is how the songs are going to relate to each other on the album. we thought that if we put all the songs about different places together, the listener would feel as though they were being taken on a journey.
METRONOME: The style of your music seems to fall within the roots rock/folk genre, but from the storytelling/literary aspe - Metronome Magazine (Cover Story), Shaun McNamara


""Rarely have I encountered such incredible talent""

"You've succeeded in pushing the song form to something wonderful and new..Rarely have I encountered such incredible talent.."
- Great American Song Contest, Judges


""'How Can I Know' you guys aren't really world-famous folksingers in disguise?""

"How Can I Know" you guys aren't really world-famous folksingers in disguise? This is great stuff! Terrific lyrics, mighty fine guitar playing, and exquisite singing - all mixed with a tremendous dose of confident attitude. ENCORE!
- Mixposure.com, Lex Z


""Brilliantly Original""

"Judges proclaimed her songwriting 'brilliantly original' and compared her to Dar Williams, Bob Dylan, Ani Difranco and Christine Lavin, for her story-telling style and her concern with social issues."
- Hall of fame, Great American Song Contest


""Sweet Wednesday tell the best stories""

Sweet Wednesday tell the best stories. In "(Lisa, I'm Sorry I Brought You to) New York City," we are regaled with a story about running out of gas while driving to New York from New Jersey. At one point, the drivers receive a parking ticket because they have stalled on the bridge without gas. Considering the man sings it and the female of the duet is named Lisa, it makes one wonder when they play live whether he sings to her.

If any of Max Barry's books actually get made into a movie like he swears they will, then the title track belongs on the soundtrack. Barry's books tend to have a certain style about them, and this song touches on it perfectly. - Agouti music, Joel Edleman


""Wherever You Go shows off very diverse displays of songwriting""

Lisa Housman and Dave Falk are, in essence, singing storytellers. Through travels, life lessons, childhood reflections, and songs of love, Wherever You Go takes listeners on a journey with two singer/songwriters who write about their own lives.

The opener, "Mid-Morning Rain," has an upbeat, tap-your-feet melody as Housman's voice sings in a matter-of-fact tone similar to Dar Williams. Her soprano notes sing a tender chorus of poetic lyrics. The traveling songs move from "Going Over Brooklyn," "Pacific Shores," "San Francisco," and back to "Winter Hill." The narrative lyrics range from comical statements: "My hair still looks like crap / From this morning when I didn't have time to brush it;" to heartfelt: "And I felt sand between my toes in San Francisco / And I touched the ocean and the ocean tasted me."

This folk-rock/alt-country duo writes straightforward tales in rhythm that grab the listener's attention... Wherever You Go shows off very diverse displays of songwriting. Housman and Falk are talented singer/songwriters who, without taking themselves too seriously, are simply writing through the natural wavering of human emotion. - Northeast Performer, Sasha Keeler


""They Do It Damned Well""

"Sweet Wednesday is a pair of singer-songwriters, Dave Falk and Lisa Housman, who play in what they call the “modern folk” vein, and they do it damn well."
- The Noise, Tim Emswiler


Discography

Escaping from the Pale Moonlight (2012)
14 songs

1. Days Grow Long
2. Southern Drawl
3. Hey My My
4. Ophelia
5. Desert Flowers on Route 66
6. Castle in the Sun
7. Million Dollar Smile
8. Curious Eyes
9. One Thing
10. Kimchi
11. My Life is Not My Own
12. I Still Love You
13. Open Up the Blind
14. Jimmy the Spoon's Grand Finale

Searched the Sky Over EP (2011)
Limited Edition EP
8 songs

1. Days Grow Long
2. February Snow (acoustic)
3. Silver Dagger
4. I Still Love You
5. Lakes of Ponchtrain
6. Follow You Back Once Again
7. Mid-Morning Rain (acoustic)
8. Million Dollar Smile

A Lighter Shade of Blue (2010)
Digital downloads to benefit the rural poor in Haiti

1. Almost Sixteen
2. A Lighter Shade of Blue
3. Haiti is Burning!

Wherever You Go (2006)
14 songs

1. Mid-Morning Rain
2. (Lisa, I'm Sorry I Brought You to) New York City
3. Going Over Brooklyn
4. Pacific Shores
5. How Can I Know?
6. Wherever You Go
7. Winter Hill
8. McDonald's
9. February Snow
10. Lost without a Clue
11. Crazy That It Rained Again
12. San Francisco
13. Grandma
14. Hold Me Close

Radio Stations currently playing tracks from "Wherever You Go", "Searched the Sky Over", and "A Lighter Shade of Blue" include:

CKUA Edmonton, Canada
KTOO Juneau, Alaska
KXCI Tucson, Arizona
KMUD Redway, California
KRCB Rohnert Park, California
KVMR Nevada City, California
KZYX Philo, California
Pandora Media Oakland, CA
KBUT Crested Butte, Colorado
KDNK Carbondale, Colorado
KHEN Salida, Colorado
KSUT Ignacio, Colorado
KVNF Paonia, Colorado
WPKN Bridgeport, Connecticut
WWUH West Hartford, Connecticut
FM Odyssey Merritt Island, Florida
WMNF Tampa, Florida
WBCG Port Charlotte, Florida
KUNI Cedar Falls, Iowa
WEFT Champaign, Illinois
WFHB Bloomington, Indiana
KANZ Garden City, Kansas
WHAY Whitley City, Kansas
HIGH PLAINS PUBLIC RADIO
WMKY Moorhead, Kentucky
WMMT Whiteburg, Kentucky
KRVS Lafayette, Louisiana
WMFO Medford, Massachusetts
WERS Boston, Massachusetts
WHFC Bel Air, Maryland
WERU Bangor, Maine
KAXE Grand Rapids, Minnesota
KFAI Minneapolis, Minnesota
KUMD Duluth, Minnesota
WTIP Grand Marais, Minnesota
KDHX St. Louis, Missouri
KOPN Columbia, Missouri
KZUM Lincoln, Nebraska
KTAO Taos, NM
WDVR Sargentsville, New Jersey
WFDU Teanexk, New Jersey
WAER Syracuse, New York
WJFF Jeffersonville, New York
WKZE Red Hook, New York
WOUB Athens, Ohio
WRUW Cleveland, Ohio
CKCU Ottawa, Canada
KBOO Portland, Oregon
KPUR Forest Way, Oregon
KRVM Eugene, Oregon
KSMF Ashland, Oregon
WDIY Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
WSYC Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
KPFT Houston, Texas
KRCL Salt Lake City, Utah
KZMU Moab, Utah
UPR Utah Public Radio
WYOU, Virginia Beach, Virginia
KSER Everett, Washington
WOJB Hayward, Wisconsin
WXPR Rhinelander, Wisconsin
WYOMING PUBLIC RADIO

Photos

Bio

The sailor and the dancer, the young girl stranded along Route 66 at dusk, the refugees who turn into ravens...Sweet Wednesday's songs spin tales that allow the listener to peek into the human soul in its most intimate and magical moments.

Singer/songwriters Dave Falk and Lisa Housman met in 2005, and immediately knew there was a songwriting, performing chemistry at work. Since then, performing as both an acoustic duo and with their full band adding bass, drums, violin, lead guitar, and mandolin, Sweet Wednesday has released four albums to critical acclaim, toured extensively, and been featured on radio and television programs throughout the U.S. and abroad.  

In addition to inspiring fans near and far, Sweet Wednesday has been the recipient of several songwriting awards, including First Place in the Great American Song Contest, First Place in the Dallas Songwriting Competition, and Runner-Up in the John Lennon Song Contest.

An accomplished multi instrumentalist, Dave brings his unique style to the guitar, mandolin, harmonica, banjo, and fiddle, while Lisa sings of long-distance friendships, having a hard day working as a clerk in a bakery in New York City, lost love, and those crazy mermaids you might encounter after being out on the ocean for several days. 

Sweet Wednesday's shows incorporate humor and comedy, as well as tragic and thought-provoking songs. Hilarious songs like "Lisa, I'm Sorry I Brought You to) New York City", "Grandma" and  "Cold Blood" are popular among fans, as are tender and touching songs like "Southern Drawl", and "Open Up the Blind".


"Think about the last time you received an unexpected and totally delightful gift. That’s just how I felt when I heard the music of Sweet Wednesday. You’ll forgive the gushing when you hear the alt-country, folk, roots sound of the Boston-based duo known individually as Dave Falk and Lisa Housman. I didn’t think musicians made music this addictive anymore."

  – Nancy Dunham, MTV Partner Ourstage



"Housman and Falk display an irresistible chemistry. Housman recalls Merchant in her 10,000 Maniacs prime, and her voice absolutely soars."

-Stacey Zering, No Depression


"Vital Roots Music of the very best kind!"


-Freddy Celis, Roots Time Magazine


Sweet Wednesday has lit up the stage at performance venues too numerous to list, but a partial list includes the Ozark Folk Festival, Minnesota Folk Festival, Wildflower Arts Festival, Club Passim (several sold out shows), West Yellowstone Outdoor Concert Series, Milwaukie Summer Concert Series, Living Desert Museum Full Moon Concert Series, Nic Fest, Johnson City Folk Festival, Moonlight on the Mountain, the Blue Door, Tulsa International May Fest, Tumbleweed Music Festival, Little Bear Saloon, Sierra Songwriters Festival, Salem Arts Fair and Festival, Hungry Mother State Park Music Series, First Night Worcester, the Radio Room, High Plains Public Radio sponsored Concert Series, Barnacle Under Moonlight Concert Series, the Cowgirl Hall of Fame, Nights at the Lights, Artscape Music and Art Festival, the Paradise Cafe, and many, many more...


 


Band Members