ABOUT

Seattle based singer, songwriter and guitarist Sheryl Wiser crafts a compelling style of music, combining elements of Americana, roots, blues, jazz, folk and rock. With her signature red Parker Fly guitar, she plays a dynamic range of rhythmic textures that are sinewy and soothing, yet soulful and edgy.  Wiser’s vibrant voice conveys emotion with grit and grace, showing the influences of both her early years and into her maturity as a vocalist.  

A self-described "Jersey girl” and proud of it, Wiser got her earliest musical influences from her father’s big band, jazz and swing 78's, plus a heady collection of Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin and other soul classics of the 60s and 70s. Coming of age in Boston and Denver, she played the rounds of the folk coffee house scene including the legendary Mercury Cafe.  Years later in Seattle, her band Somebody’s Daughter gained notoriety with their unique alt-folk/alt-country sound, despite the surging popularity of grunge at the time.  Their powerful acoustic-driven story-songs prompted Musician Magazine to select the group as a finalist in their “Best Unsigned Band” contest in 1994.

Shortly after, Wiser left the band to explore life as a solo artist; she gracefully made her way through the Northwest and New York music scene, playing at legendary venues like The Bitter End and Sin-é. She also appeared as an opening act for many touring artists including Tori Amos, Luka Bloom, Crash Test Dummies, Peter Himmelman, Dan Fogelberg, Jill Sobule and Patty Larkin.

In 1996 while working on her debut CD "Month of Saints", Wiser was diagnosed with extensive repetitive strain injury to her arms, wrists and upper body from years of guitar and computer work. After two years of physical and occupational therapy, she returned to performing with a new guitar and sound, switching from bulky acoustic guitars to her beloved four-pound Parker Fly. The change resulted in "a punchier sound, especially when combined with her vocal confidence," noted the Seattle Weekly.

Wiser continued to perform with her trio at festivals like Bumbershoot and Folklife, as well as concerts, colleges, showcases and clubs throughout the Northwest. However, in 2002 she found herself in a place of musical dormancy that lasted for nearly a decade.

In 2011, she began performing at Cafe Racer in Seattle's Roosevelt district; she attributes this inclusive and supportive artistic community for re-connecting her with her passion.  The deadly shootings at the cafe on May 30, 2012 only strengthened her resolve to return to music; shortly after she formed the blues/roots duo, The Beautiful Strangers which performed throughout the Northwest until 2015.

The election of 2016 proved to be another turning point.  Performing solo at a Seattle house concert alongside noted singer-songwriter Christy McWilson, the two friends shared vocal harmonies on a haunting version of “This Land is Your Land.” As Wiser recollects, the shift in the room was palpable – people were either in tears, had bowed heads or had hands over their hearts. It was then she decided that “living rooms were powerful places.”

In 2017, Wiser launched the Pie + Persistence House Concert series, performing in living rooms, backyards and barns from Boston to Seattle. To date, she has raised over $85,000 for local, regional and national organizations including the ACLU of Washington, Alliance for Gun Responsibility, Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights, Eat With Muslims, Natural Resource Defense Council, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Washington Farmland Trust, Planned Parenthood, The Black Farmers Collective, Washington Farmland Trust, The Migrant Clinicians Network and many more. 

In addition to her work as writer, community activist and career in sustainable agriculture, Sheryl continues her journey of connection and joy through her amplified, soul-stirring blend of finely crafted Americana, roots and blues.