Eli Wise

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Eli Wise  is a composer, story teller, multi-instrumentalist, and educator. Eli Wise creates songs that search for the existential wonder hidden in our everyday lives. ​​ He is a compelling performer who captivates audiences with his melodic guitar playing, finely crafted lyrics, and crisp tenor voice. Expect connection, vulnerability, and humor in these vignettes of transformation wrapped in tuneful indie pop.  Eli has an MA in music composition from Mills, a BA in the same subject from Wesleyan.​​ He is a queer transgender man and the parent of two young children. Themes of transformation, hidden natures, and imagined realities saturate his work. He performs solo and with his three piece band.

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About Ghosts and Logic

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“Ghosts and Logic” was born out of angst that had been building while Eli Wise was rediscovering his voice

as a trans man. A musician from a very young age, Wise had always felt in control of his music. He wrote

songs, played in bands, and self-released CDs of his music for his friends. When he transitioned, every-

thing changed, and he had to re-learn his own voice. He stepped away from music and turned to focus on

raising his children and his career as an educator. During that time, he was comissioned by Chapter 510 to co-create an original musical, received a grant from Arts for Oakland Kids, and received his teaching credential. 

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Finding small bursts of time in the little hours of the night to write music, Wise composed these three

songs that sing of inflection points, changes, and a driving desire to keep creating in a busy world. From

“Everyone Goes Through Something Like This, But That Doesn’t Help,” a modern odyssey of losing all of

one’s written work when a computer crashes, to “Out In The Cold,” a driving Star Wars-esque epic of polit-

ical infighting and “I Had To Choose,” an anthem about coming into oneself and one’s voice, Wise tackles

existential questions with refreshing lightness. “Ghosts and Logic” asks us to set aside the ghosts of our

past and stop trying to force our brains into logic. Instead, be here in the present moment, embrace tran-

sitions, and most importantly, be your authentic self.

 

For collaboration, bookings, or other inquiries please write to eliwiseband@gmail.com. 

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Pre-release reviews:

From HailTunes  about "Everyone Goes Through Something Like This, But That Doesn't Help"

 "The song has an easy melodic charm, but underneath it is a songwriter wrestling with the unpredictability of life and trying to laugh at it rather than let it win."

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