Eugene indie rock quartet ExWife will play their most high-profile local concert Saturday, August 23, at Market Fest, the Eugene Market District’s annual street fair celebration. Together in one form or another since 2020, ExWife released their debut album, Blow, this year. Singer, guitarist and primary songwriter Alexandria Bonanno says her band will premiere new music at the show, along with other surprises like a synthesizer interlude and their first cover. Eugene musician Nicholas Kauffman plays guitar in the group, Josh Mahurin-Chavez plays drums and Kadin Monegan plays bass. Bonanno says she grew up in what she calls a “fundamentalist Christian cult” near Prineville. While music and writing songs were a part of her life, after leaving the cult behind, she only discovered the grunge and indie-rock influenced music her band plays around the same time she got divorced about three years ago. “I was in a relationship that was also church-centered,” Bonanno tells Eugene Weekly. “It wasn’t until after my divorce that I was able to pick up an electric guitar and express myself in a way that I’ve always wanted to, but haven’t been able to,” she says. Leaning on fuzzy guitars and garage rock production, ExWife recalls ’90s bands like Sleater-Kinney and Hole. The project is centered around Bonnano’s strong, cathartic singing voice, capable of punk rock abandon while never forgetting hooks and melody. Since Blow was released, ExWife has pushed their music on social media, primarily TikTok, which Bonanno calls the best way to reach new listeners. Bonanno also keeps fans up to date on the band’s Substack, ThisisExWife.Substack.com.
ExWife plays 8 pm to 10 pm Saturday, August 23, on Market Fest’s WaFd Bank Community Stage in the parking lot on the corner of 5th Avenue and Pearl Street, in the Eugene Market District. The concert is free and all-ages. Market Fest is 5 pm to 10 pm Friday, August 22, 10 am to 10 pm Saturday, August 23, and 11 am to 4 pm Sunday, August 24. For more information and a full schedule of free music and other events, go to EugeneMarketFest.com.