Atlanta rockers come to JJ’s Bohemia this Sunday
Originally, Wieuca was a Native American ceremony that involved dancing around a fire in attempts to connect with one’s spirit animal. Since its genesis in 2012, it’s also an Athens-based rock band with psychedelic beats mixed with hummable melodies and fuzz-heavy guitar.
Wieuca frontman Will Ingram tells Ampersand magazine, “I worked for three years at this art center in Atlanta...on West Wieuca. Basically, I wanted people to be scrolling through their phones, thinking it was a Wilco song and accidentally listening to us instead.” Ingram’s artistic background is evident in their album art and website, boasting bright collages and funky patterns.
Ingram is joined by Sam Kempe, Robert Smith, and Jack O’Reilly, but little information is given on the band themselves. Instead, on Facebook, their “about” section is the biography of Potter Christ. It’s evident that no one in the band takes themselves too seriously.
Don’t mistake that playfulness for laziness, however; in the same interview with Ampersand Ingram spoke about how much time the band will spend perfecting every song. This dedication, plus the band’s interest in studio experimentation, becomes obvious upon first hearing their newest single, “Pressure Head.”
The track includes an overlap of vastly different sounds, providing an Animal Collective-like sense of sensory overload that’s nevertheless melodic and welcoming. Their second EP has the same distorted studio experimentation, once again overlaying oddly cheerful melodies.
Wieuca has shared the stage with Elf Power and Kishi Bashi. Next up is JJ’s Bohemia, with Big Morgan and i can japan. And maybe someday, as their website predicts, Burning Man.