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About Us
Wren & Shark Record Collective is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) record label. All proceeds go directly to the artist. No percentage of sales are paid to distributors, aggregators, or labels. However, all Wren & Shark releases are available on over 150 major retailers and streaming radio services worldwide, including iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon.
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Recent News
MARC FERRINO (Black Before Red, Low Line Caller) is arguably one of the finest pop vocalists in Austin. He brings his "infectious" tenor (think James Mercer of the Shins) and "meticulously crafted" songwriting to a solo debut EP to be released in the first half 2019. Stay tuned for release dates, preorder info, and the first single, "Like a Spark."
SCOTT BRACKETT (of Metaphysical Club, Okkervil River, Murder By Death, and others) was asked by the folks at Yamaha Synths to create a workflow video. In classic form, Scott brings the goods. And his VHS. Follow Scott @thebrackett on Instagram and check out Yamaha's 2-part interview on Scott here.
Thanks for your patience with the recent hiatus. Wren & Shark is back at it. Stay tuned for details on an upcoming solo record from the to-die-for vocals of Marc Ferrino, line upon line percussion's "Concert on the Creek" on Waller Creek after they return from several Australia dates, a Black Before Red reunion at the Goldthwaite Festival in Oct, and a Wren & Shark showcase in November. New artist announcements and more coming at you this fall. More soon!
2 from Justin Sherburn on Vimeo. MONTOPOLIS to perform "The Legend of Big Bend" at Stateside Theater at the Paramount July 20th. "By highlighting instruments not typically associated with contemporary classical music, Sherburn and his collective have created a perfect soundtrack for the movie playing out your car window on any drive west of San Angelo." - Texas Monthly
More on "The Legend of Big Bend" here. 
GOOD FIELD is featured on KUTX 98.9 as the Artist of the Month for the first month of 2018. Their third release, Surface Tension, is out February 1st. A rare, early version of the title track was featured on our Wren & Shark & Friends, Vol. 1, which is available for just 2 more weeks! If you don't have a copy, get yours at wsfriends.org. Good music. Doing good.
And check out the latest video from Good Field! 
W&S is very excited to welcome LINE UPON LINE percussion, "the premier new music ensemble in Texas and the South" (The Austinist.) Their upcoming release, CONTEXT, is out December 1st. It features fascinating works from Matthew Shlomowitz, Andrew Greenwald, and Thomas Meadowcroft. The Austin American-Statesman calls LINE UPON LINE "a riveting, always-surprising, and delightful trio." Tickets are now available for album release shows Dec 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at 8pm at Big Medium.
The new album from MONTOPOLIS has influences ranging from Bob Wills to Arvo Part. String trio, pedal steel guitar, and piano are accompanied by Rip Shaub’s landscape photography and the legends of Enchanted Rock. The record features Justin Sherburn performing with Leigh Mahoney and Sara Nelson (Tosca String Quartet), Alejandro Duque (Austin Symphony), and Bob Hoffnar (Liminal Sound Series). "Music for Enchanted Rock" is out November 2017 on Wren & Shark. The release show is Nov 12th at The North Door. Montopolis performances at The North Door have sold out in the past. Get your tickets now here.
Through Sept 30th, 100% of Wren & Shark T-Shirt sales will benefit the www.houstonfoodbank.orgHouston Food Bank. Get yours here: www.wsfriends.org/store
W&S is excited to welcome award-winning pianist and artistic director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, MICHELLE SCHUMANN, to our roster of artists. Late Show, Schumann's newest recording, features one of Beethoven's late sonatas, Opus 109, as well as a contrasting, companion piece composed for piano and effects by GRAHAM REYNOLDS. Heard throughout the world in films, on TV, on stage, and on radio, from HBO to Showtime, Cannes Film Festival to the Kennedy Center, and BBC to NPR, Reynold's scored HBO’s “The Diplomat”, “Before Midnight” with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, “Bernie” featuring Jack Black, the Rooster Teeth TV series “Day 5”, and many more. His score to the Robert Downey, Jr. feature “A Scanner Darkly” was named Best Soundtrack of the Decade by Cinema Retro magazine. Late Show will be available everywhere digital music is sold beginning June 15, 2017.
GOOD FIELD with Tamaron this Saturday, May 6th, at ABGB. Grab a pizza, beer, music at 9pm. No cover. More info here.
WILL COURTNEY debuts new video for "Most Of My Life" directed by Mike Angelo Torres. Watch it here.
Mark your calendars for Friday, March 10th! Wren & Shark is pleased to announce our SXSW Kickoff Party at Stubb's Indoors with THE EASTERN SEA, GOOD FIELD, and BRIAN S. CASSIDY.
Tickets available here: fgtix.to/2kkCH7i 
WILL COURTNEY will be on tour with Cordovas in Scandinavia in Feb and March.
2017-02-25 people to rock, Malmö 2017-02-26 Houseconcert, Eksjö 2017-02-27 Emma's barn, redruth 2017-02-28 Immanuel Church, halmstad 2017-03-01 mail, odense 2017-03-02 Pavilion, grenå 2017-03-03 Sönderborgshus, söndersborg 2017-03-04 Tobacco, esbjerg 2017-03-05 Pustervik, Gothenburg 2017-03-07 hotels hulingen, bisley 2017-03-08 Kulturkvarteret, kristianstad 2017-03-09 TBA 2017-03-10 Scandic Grand, Örebro 2017-03-11 Kulturakademin, motala 2017-03-13 Anchor, Melbourne 2017-03-14 Katalin, Uppsala 2017-03-15 people's houses, strömsund 2017-03-16 E-Street, Sundsvall 2017-03-17 Courthouse, nyland 2017-03-18 Bjurfors Hotell & konferens avesta 2017-03-19 Buckley's, Oslo 2017-03-21 Pantry Syd, halden 2017-03-22 TBA 2017-03-23Plan B, Tranås 2017-03-24 Tryckhallen, falkenberg 2017-03-25 Best Wester - Broken Dreams, Borlänge 2017-03-26 right, Stockholm 
If you're like me, you woke up on November 9th with a profound desire to take action, to do something, anything. As the founder of Wren & Shark, I decided to put together a compilation album where 100% of profits would go to environmental causes. I've been absolutely overwhelmed by the generosity of so many people to make this record happen, and I can't wait to share it with you on Inauguration Day 2017. The record contains rare or previously unreleased songs from WILL JOHNSON, S. CAREY, JONATHAN MEIBURG (of SHEARWATER,) LOWLAND HUM, WILL COURTNEY, THE EASTERN SEA, MIKAELA DAVIS, GOOD FIELD, BLACK BEFORE RED, and more. It's called Wren & Shark & Friends, Vol. 1.
GET IT HERE: wsfriends.org (Commission free. That is, no iTunes or Amazon 30% commission charges.) 100% of your $ will go directly to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) when you purchase at wsfriends.org. -Brian Disclaimer as required by NRDC guidelines: "Wren & Shark Record Collective is not affiliated in any manner with the Natural Resources Defense Council or any of its programs, projects, or websites. For more information about environmental protection, please go to www.nrdc.org and find out how to get involved." 
We're extremely proud to announce the addition to the Wren & Shark roster, two of our favorites, Good Field and The Eastern Sea. After the 2012 release of their LP Plague, THE EASTERN SEA (Austin, TX) took no time getting used to high praise. Popmatters called the band “way ahead of the bell curve,” while Paste referred to the their album’s sound (somewhere between Explosions in the Sky and Death Cab for Cutie) as “a pretty cool place to be for a band this young.” Their latest LP is called The Witness. The Eastern Sea will have a new release in 2017 on Wren & Shark.
Since its creation, GOOD FIELD has toured extensively and performed at festivals such as SXSW, CMJ, and Fun Fun Fun Fest. They’ve reached #69 on the CMJ Top 200 list, and shared stages with national acts such as The Heartless Bastards, Angel Olsen, Sarah Jaffe, Max Frost, Cayucas, Akron Family and Yellow Ostrich. Keep your ears out for a new release from Good Field in 2017 on Wren & Shark.
In support of the official European re-release of his solo debut Alpine Seas (Nov. 4 on Microcultures/Differ-Ant,) BRIAN S. CASSIDY has released an official video for "I'm An Ocean." It's directed by notable French filmmaker and director, Hatim Elmrini.
WILL COURTNEY and the Wild Bunch to support Bloodshot recording artist, Lydia Loveless on tour in the Midwest this September and October. Find all the tour dates here. Check out Lydia Loveless on NPR's first listen here.
09/08 Kansas City at miniBar *** 09/09 Indianapolis IN at The Hi-Fi 09/10 Madison WI at The Frequency 09/11 Milwaukee WI at Colectivo Coffee 09/13 Chicago IL at The Empty Bottle *** 09/14 Champaign IL at The Accord 09/15 St. Louis MO at Blueberry Hill Duck Room 09/16 Louisville KY at Zanzabar 09/17 Cleveland Heights OH at Grog Shop 10/18 Austin TX at Antone's 10/19 Houston TX at The Continental Club, Houston, TX ***Lydia Loveless not on the bill 
BELL MONKS wrote a series of 14 short, quiet tunes for guitar and Rhodes in spring 2012 to perform at an art opening in Milwaukee. After recording the tracks later that year, they invited friends Ben Willis (contrabass) and Matt Sintchak (saxophone) to play on top of them. After adding a few more layers to flesh them out, they had a finished album, though it seemed incomplete. They invited Gregory Taylor to help out, and he did, brilliantly transforming each of the individual tunes using custom computer processing techniques on the various instrumental stems. From what had grown to more than 100 minutes of material, Lars Graugaard from clang helped to cull a selection for an album that reflects the spirit and tone of the original Bell Monks tracks, while slanting the sonic imprint more to Taylor's re-imagined versions. Brocades + Palimpsests is available August 19th, 2016 through Denmark-based clang.
Back to Punching Trees, Again is the brand new record from KID INVINCIBLE. Kid Invincible (Scott Brackett) is a former side player in Okkervil River, Shearwater, and Murder By Death. Now he's a front player in several unconventional projects. Kid Invincible is mostly sound track music that draws from a huge variety of inspirations from pop, to experimental. This is an outlet for Scott's favorite and most fulfilling work, that doesn't have a place in a typical band setting.
Here's a brand new video from Will Courtney for his song, "The Pain (Song For Dennis Wilson.) It debuts on CMT today, and it was directed by Mike Angelo Torres (Lady Gaga, Okkervil River.) "The Pain" is available now on Will's new release, Planning Escapes.
MONTOPOLIS releases first of three EPs featuring Justin Sherburn's music for Enchanted Rock. Monolith Part 1, recorded and mixed by Danny Boyle at Church House, is now available on iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, and everywhere digital music is sold.
WILL COURTNEY will be a featured guest DJ on KUTX this Saturday evening (June 25th) at 6pm. Tune in live, or listen anytime here. His new record, "Planning Escapes" is out July 15, and the CD release show is July 1st at Hotel Vegas (1502 E. 6th.) Photo by Jorge Sanhueza-Lyon/KUTX
Come out and support the Wren & Shark Record Collective, which has been called "a refreshingly altruistic approach in the modern music industry." We'll have Wren & Shark merch for sale to benefit the non-profit collective. June 24th at the North Door.
135 years ago on July 15, 1881, outlaw Billy the Kid was buried in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. On July 15, 2016, WILL COURTNEY's new album, Planning Escapes, will be available to download directly from willcourtneymusic.com and all online retailers.
WILL COURTNEY's previous records with Brothers And Sisters received rave reviews from MOJO, PITCHFORK, and NO DEPRESSION, and were featured on several compilation records and FOX TV show, the O.C. Courtney has performed shows with Spoon, The Black Angels, Jeff Tweedy, Deadman, as well as US and Canadian tours with Trail of Dead. Planning Escapes sees Will getting back to his roots displaying everything from sad country ballads to loud atmospheric rock and folk. You'll hear the influence of Willie Nelson and Neil Young and Elliot Smith along side imagery of travels and heart break and the Old West. Two versions of the album will be available. Planning Escapes LP includes 10 brand new tracks and Deluxe Edition LP includes the 10 brand new tracks plus 10 BONUS tracks. These 10 bonus tracks were recorded live in the studio and feature Will singing and playing acoustic guitar and Ricky Ray Jackson (War On Drugs, Phosphorescent) on pedal steel. Available July 15, 2016. Both versions of "The Pain (Song for Dennis Wilson)" are available for free download NOW. 
THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB announces 3 shows this spring. All shows are entirely improvised and unrehearsed. Hand-picked players bring whatever instruments they feel like playing on the day of the show. THE METAPHYSICAL CLUB shows are curated by Scott Brackett (Okkervil River, Murder By Death) and are truly one of kind.
APRIL 11th @ Volstead APRIL 20th @ Spiderhouse MAY 17th @ Volstead (with Brian S. Cassidy & Joel Hobbs playing music of J.S. Bach on mandolin and mandocello.) 
We're thrilled to announce that WILL COURTNEY is the newest member of Wren & Shark Record Collective. NO DEPRESSION said of his last record: "It feels like a classic you already love. You can hear the warm reminders of our musical history, but they serve only as the canvas Courtney uses to paint his lyrical imagery on." We've had the great fortune of getting to hear his new record, which is due in late spring 2016 on W&S, and it is phenomenal. Stay tuned for the release date announcement, new videos, and tour info. More at willcourtneymusic.com.
A second show has been added of JUSTIN SHERBURN and MONTOPOLIS' Monolith, Music for Enchanted Rock. Saturday, March 5th at The North Door. Doors 7pm. Show 8pm.
The official debut of Justin Sherburn's suite Monolith is February 28th at The North Door. The music was inspired by the mystical Central Texas landmark known as Enchanted Rock and it features piano, effects, a string trio, and pedal steel. The performance also includes audio from interviews where people discuss their own personal experiences at Enchanted Rock, a projected photo essay from Leon Alesi, and a short lecture from hydrogeologist, Rebecca Smyth. You don't want to miss this. February 28th at The North Door. 501 Brushy St, Austin, TX 78702.
Dual album release show Saturday, Jan. 9th, 2016 with BELL MONKS, BRAIN GRIMMER, and NUDE HUMAN. $10 entry includes Bell Monks new EP, Big Bay. Doors 7pm. Show 8pm.
Audio for the Arts, 7 S Blair St., Madison, WI, 53703 
The new EP from Wisconsin-based, BELL MONKS, releases January 8th, 2016. Big Bay, which was written and recorded in a garage in Big Bay, MI on the shores of Lake Superior in the summer of 2013, reflects the open, expansive, and unpredictable nature of the lake itself. Pre-order available.
The debut solo LP from BRIAN S. CASSIDY is out NOW! Brian plays all the instruments, wrote, recorded, mixed and mastered the record at his home studio. The closing track "If I Could Write a Song" has been called, "utterly, utterly charming," and "The South" features overdubs of his 7-yr old daughter to make a "choir."
Madison, Wisconsin's BELL MONKS join Wren and Shark! We're super excited to have this great band on the collective. Their last effort landed on top 10 lists in the Madison scene, and the upcoming W&S release, Big Bay, is even better. Keep an eye out for updates and have a listen here. [On a side note, Bell Monks member Jeff Herriott is one of our favorite composers of new music. His music can be heard in the new film Bone Tomahawk starring Kurt Russell. More on his compositional work here.]
Come to ABGBs on Saturday night, Dec. 5th, to hear BRIAN S. CASSIDY play songs from his upcoming LP. W&S artists, BLACK BEFORE RED, are on the bill as well. Don't miss it! It's a great lineup featuring bands from the old label, I EAT RECORDS, and celebrating "Hot Tub" Callahan's birthday. Here's the line-up:
ABGBs (1305 W Oltorf St, Austin, TX 78704) 7:00pm: Wendy Mitchell (Casting Couch) 8:00pm: Will Courtney (Brothers and Sisters) 9:00pm: Ethan Azarian and Jeff Johnston (Orange Mothers) 10:00pm: BRIAN S. CASSIDY / BLACK BEFORE RED 11:00pm: Thor Harris 
If BRIAN S. CASSIDY learned one thing from his time with the band, Okkervil River, it was to write songs about rivers that are hard to pronounce. His new record which includes the single, UNCOMPAHGRE, whose namesake is a tributary which flows out of the San Juans, was inspired by some notable records made with just a pair of SM57 mics. The debut LP, ALPINE SEAS, will be available December 15.
W&S artist, JUSTIN SHERBURN, has released one of his original scores. YAKONA is a beautiful nature and art film with stunning cinematography that follows the San Marcos river from the Edwards Aquifer to the sea. Sherburn's score features a string trio, piano, percussion, vocals, and a wide array of synthesizers and field recordings. Visit his site montopolismusic.com for more.
BLACK BEFORE RED's new single is out. Recorded with Danny Reisch at Good Danny's (Shearwater, White Denim...,) "HUDDERSFIELD" is the jam. Listen here and buy on iTunes.
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