Eli Wise
BIO
Eli Wise writes about transitions, suburbia, distant planets, and current affairs, all shown through an emotional-personal lens. He shows the surreal in the ordinary, often pulling on mythic archetypes. He is a composer, performer, multi-instrumentalist, and educator.
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He brings a unique lens to his work as a queer transgender man who has feet in multiple worlds and perspectives. Themes of transformation, hidden natures, and imagined realities saturate his work. Influences include writers Joseph Campbell, Ben Bova, and Octavia Butler; musicians The Cure, The Shins, REM, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists, and The Indigo Girls.
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Eli performs as a soloist ( guitar, piano and vocals) and with his band. Current members include: Art Elliot on synthesizer and vocals and guest artists Josh Mellinger on drums, and Diana Strong on accordion.
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As an educator, Eli works with Oakland youth aged 4- 14, both as a general music teacher ( Orff and Kodaly) and as a private instructor in guitar and piano. He is expanding his work to adult students both privately and through the national program Guitars In The Classroom.
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He has worked as a guitarist with Custom Made Theatre and as a composer with Theatre of Yugen. He has performed at numerous Bay Area venues including: Z space, El Rio, Hotel Utah Saloon, 50 Mason Social Club, Smileys, and Neck of the Woods. He has self-produced three albums and is production for the fourth.
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