Wisteria Cassette Demo

Wisteria is a female fronted Pittsburgh post-punk band. A limited first release of 100 professionally printed and mastered cassette tapes. Only 10 available online. Get them while they last!

Vocals: Elyse Hoffman
Guitar: Matt Schor
Bass: Aaron Grey
Drums: Stephen Bucklin

Recorded by Matt Schor @ The War Room
Mastering by Dan Randall @ Mammoth Sound Mastering
Artwork by Dylan Garrett Smith

Photo by: Beckie-Ann Galentine

Alternative Rock Demo

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"The urgency of the drums and the sharp, searing lead guitar really set the scene for something special. That comes in part from the vocals and lyrics of Elyse Hoffman, which lend the song a rock edge sometimes missing in post-punk. It gives the track occasional rock and New Wave tones, with early Blondie and classic Edenbridge coming to mind. Very different bands for sure, but ones that, on Wormhole, marry strong vocalists with knowledgeable and creative musicians to serve up a taut, yet open sound." - Mark Buckley from AnalogueTrash

Pittsburgh Bands: 11 to Watch in 2019 - Made in PGH

Pittsburgh post-punk band Wisteria is finally here with recorded tracks. Matt Schor on guitar, Aaron Grey on bass, and of course Elyse Hoffman on vocals started the band in June of 2017. The quartet's final line-up came together when they added drummer Stephen Bucklin in July of 2017. This demo is a great diverse sampling of their early tracks. It's got a range of dynamic goodness, effect-laden guitar licks matched by equally emotional but exquisitely executed lyrics.

Matt Schor, the guitarist for Wisteria, recorded the demo in the War Room, a recording studio which has also brought to life other local Pittsburgh records by bands like The Gotobeds, Icon Gallery, and The Karl Hendricks Trio. The War Room is the practice space that Wisteria calls home. The group records just about everything, so they can always be improving and iterating along the way. They're fueled by a love of all things post-punk and "fizzy water."

Elyse's lyrics are deeply personal and tell a story that you quickly get drawn into. Wormhole is the first track released from the demo and clearly illustrates precisely what I mean.

Worm-hole

When I break the surface
When black earth erupts
There’s no going back
The collapse so abrupt
Searching for an entrance
Longing to return
That pathway is wrecked
There is no return

What is a life?
What makes a death?
Illusion of connection
The slow disintegration
Wondering what it is to be truly alive
Into the harsh world I arrive

Coming up for air but the air is so dry
The force of this atmosphere
The pressure of forced smiles
Why did I leave that earthly womb
Up here it all ends much too soon

A flooded pathway
Unfeeling landscape
A severed doorway
Reluctant survey
The rain that drowned tranquility
The storm that came and drove me

What ends a life?
Defines a death?
Forgotten intersection
Where all roads end
Who decides what it is to be alive
Into the harsh world I arrive

Falling through the door
Hearing it slam shut
You rest in peace
And I slowly rot

In their handful of shows, Wisteria has been fortunate to have opened for groups such as Skeletal Family, Actors, Bootblacks, and Wind Atlas. They draw inspiration from nature and want to raise awareness for wildlife conservation. They look forward to writing, playing more shows with others in the post-punk community, and hopefully releasing their debut LP sometime before the end of 2019.

Sometimes compared to even alternative rock, not just post-punk, Wisteria don't fit in any one genre. Not that they have their roots in garage rock, but they tap into punk rock and even college rock at times. This allows them to skirt and play in several different genres at once.

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