Local Music Spotlight: Wren

This Saturday, local band, Wren, will perform at Bethel Road Pub around midnight. I sat down with three members of the group over drinks to discuss the concept of this new band and most importantly what they sound like.

Briana: So if there were any bands to compare yourselves to, who would it be?

Paul: Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, Foo Fighters, Death Cab….

Jeremy: If all of those bands had an orgy, that’d be Wren.

Although this eclectic mix of comparisons to what Wren sounds like, listening to the song “Suffer” somehow has qualities of all of those bands, including my personal favorite, a heavy bass line. Paul says that “being a bass player, the most satisfying bass lines are funk and R&B.” Playing in metal bands, Paul notes, in between sips of his Long Island, that he “didn’t want to scare my friends anymore, and play something they’d enjoy”.

The lineup played a game of roulette while the band tried out musicians until solidifying their current lineup. Jeremy knew Paul, who became the bass player in Wren, and Paul knew of a friend, Adam, who is the drummer.

Tim Cowan writes lyrics and for the most part leaves it to the band to put their own musical interpretation to it. “For a singer-songwriter,” says Jeremy, “Tim gives us complete freedom. He wants us to add our own personality”. All members note that bass player, Paul, and drummer, Adam, add a little aggression because of their humble metal backgrounds.

Tim’s goal playing live is to “make it an interesting experience”, while Jeremy cites their opening as “intriguing”. Their high-energy show incorporates music that is “happy and poppy, while putting something dark in it either through love or loss”, says Tim.

The band, competing for a spot on Warped Tour in Cleveland, also landed a gig at the Volatillity Festival here in Columbus. You can check out their show, with The Smith Bros. this Saturday at the Bethel Rd. Pub. Admission is a mere $3.

Band photo by Steve Thompson.