Pitchfork

The "W" on Greg Whelan's guitar probably just stands for, well, Whelan-- and perhaps applies to the Wrens too-- but it might as well also stand for weekend warriors, which the New Jersey quartet have certainly fashioned themselves into in recent years. Greg and the gang made Monday morning feel a million miles away as they closed out the BAM! (Belmont Arts & Music) Festival in Chicago last night, part of a handful of weekend Wrens dates this summer.

The band relied on tried-and-true tricks-- passing out drumsticks and inviting kids onstage to tap out rhythm, inciting clap-alongs-- to keep the audience's adrenaline levels as high as theirs. They also played with the youthful spontaneity we've come to expect from these guys, the sort that suggested they still very much love what they do. And who caught Kevin Whelan sneaking a lick on Charles Bissell's face when the two were harmonizing, or Jerry MacDonald mischievously tossing debris at Kevin?

In the spirit of baseball season, one more W for you: win.

















Wrens:

07-20 Denton, TX - Hailey's *
07-21 Austin, TX - Emo's *

* with Get Him Eat Him