Pitchfork

Dictionary.com's definition of "wound up": "Brought to a state of great tension." Short, sweet... and appropriate. For years, indie rock statesmen the Wrens have been grappling with Wind-Up Records and its president Alan Meltzer over the rights to two albums they recorded on Meltzer's dime way back in the 1990s, when the label was known as Grass Records. Particularly since the band received a groundswell of attention and acclaim (not to mention a whole new generation of fans) upon the release of 2003's The Meadowlands, their audience has clamored for the albums-- which include their 1994 debut Silver and 1996's classic Secaucus-- to see release. Unfortunately, all bids to Wind-Up over the years for the rights to the LPs have been declined.

Last week, Cory Brown, the founder of San Francisco-based indie Absolutely Kosher which the Wrens presently record for, reached the end of his patience with Wind-Up when the multi-million dollar super-indie responsible for the success of Creed and Evanescence declined his final offer of $100,000 to purchase the albums outright. According to a press release sent by Absolutely Kosher late last week, two previous attempts to simply license the records were met with insistance from Wind-Up that an advance the label had given to the Wrens in 1996 be repaid before they would even be open to negotiating. "When it became clear that the history between Wind-Up and the Wrens was dictating that label's business decisions," the release states, "Absolutely Kosher was left with no choice but to try and buy the albums outright."

Wrens frontman Charles Bissell discussed his relationship with Meltzer by telephone last week, insisting that their negotiations with Wind-Up have very little-- if anything-- to do with money. "It's very much a personal thing. There are other bands who he's given back masters to and let out of contracts," he said, noting that Commander Venus was let out of their contract with Wind-Up upon simply asking Meltzer to come to terms with them. The same approach, however, didn't go as well for the Wrens. Apparently, complications arose almost instantly, leading the band to believe that Meltzer's refusals stem from a personal grudge that they say he still holds against them for neglecting to sign a million-dollar contract he proposed to them shortly after Secaucus' release.

Added Bissell, "It was definitely taken more personally than it should have been. Ten years ago, even if age-wise we still weren't kids, certainly career-wise we were very naive and very idealistic. We just thought it was the most awesome thing that could have ever happened. We signed to this little label, and by total luck of the draw this multi-millionare comes in and says, 'We're gonna make this happen.' But because we didn't agree with a lot of the things that [Grass was] doing... ultimately he felt, 'Hey I'm offering you a lot of money to sign,' and we didn't, so he felt like it was a personal slap in the face. It's a weird gray area, though. It's not like he's this evil ogre, but he does have this personal thing with us that isn't reflected in his other dealings with most of the other bands that have been on [the label]."

When offers to license the records were initially offered by Absolutely Kosher, Wind-Up allegedly requested $75,000 from the label, supposedly the amount they had spent promoting Secaucus, before they would even discuss the possibility. However, the band claims that figure is grotesquely exaggerated, citing that the label only sold 5,000 copies. Said Bissell, "It would have been cheaper to promote it by shipping each copy with a 50 dollar bill."

Meltzer has, as yet, been unavailable for comment regarding these concerns, but a spokesperson for Wind-Up Records commented, "Mr. Meltzer has always been a huge fan of the Wrens and congratulates both The Wrens and Absolutely Kosher Records on the remarkable success of The Meadowlands album. Wind-Up is currently considering re-releasing several titles from the Grass catalogue in the very near future, including the two Wrens albums, Secaucus and Silver. We wish the band continued success." The obvious question here is yet to be answered: If Wind-Up does decide to reissue the albums, will the band see any of those profits?

For now, the band is back on the road in their usual style: Holding down jobs during the work week, and throwing shows in cities across the country on the weekends. Dates:

08-13 Brooklyn, NY - Lions & Virgins (Charles Bissell solo)
08-14 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber Pass (Charles Bissel solo)
08-19 Cambridge, MA - The Middle East *#
08-25 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat *$
08-26 Austin, TX - Emo's *%
08-27 Denton, TX - Hailey's
09-09 Washington, DC - Black Cat
09-10 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite Ballroom @
09-15 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge, Absolutely Kosher CMJ Showcase *@&
09-23 Asbury Park, Ny - Asbury Lanes
09-24 Bryn Mawr, PA - Bryn Mawr College
09-30 Bennington, VT - Downcaf
12-01 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
12-02 San Francisco, CA - Slim's
12-03 Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour

* with Jim Yoshii Pile-Up
# with Audible
$ with Thane Matcek and his Band
% with Centro-matic
@ with the Dudley Corporation
& with Goblin Cock

* The Wrens: