Wednesday Week

A smart and energetic pop band that lived along the edges of the Los Angeles paisley underground scene in the 1980s, Wednesday Week were the brainchild of guitarist, singer, and songwriter Kristi Callan and her sister Kelly Callan, who played drums and contributed backing vocals. The Callan sisters began making music together in 1979, forming a short-lived band called the Undeclared, which evolved into a trio known as Goat Deity in 1980 with the arrival of guitarist Steve Wynn. Wynn left the band when his other group, the Dream Syndicate, became a full-time concern, and in 1981 the arrival of bassist Kjehl Johansen (ex-Urinals) led to another name change, to Narrow Adventure. The group finally became Wednesday Week in 1983, when David Provost took over for Johansen on bass, though by the end of that year he left the band and Heidi Rodewald stepped in. The band made its recording debut in 1983, appearing on a pair of compilation albums, The Warf Rat Tales (which also featured the Rain Parade, the Leaving Trains, and the Last) and The Radio Tokyo Tapes (other acts included the Long Ryders, the Minutemen, the Three O'Clock, and the Bangles), as well as releasing a five-song EP, Betsy's House. In 1984, Wednesday Week became a four-piece when Tom Alford came on board as lead guitarist, and David Nolte took over for Alford in 1985. This lineup of Wednesday Week lasted for two years, and appeared on their first full-length album, What We Had, which was produced by Don Dixon and released by Enigma Records in 1987. The album was well received by critics, and two songs from the album appeared on the soundtrack of the horror film Slumber Party Massacre II (with Wednesday Week unwittingly providing the backing tracks for a group of teenage girls rehearsing for a battle of the...