The Band

The Players

Pat O'Brien: vocals, guitar

Jim White: vocals, percussion

Jane Cooper: vocals, percussion

Krista Crandall: vocals, percussion

Stu Grimes: drums, percussionist extraordinaire

Tommy Hughes: vocals, bass, mandolin, banjo, guitar

Bob Wengert: sound engineer

        On October 21, 1999, Pat O'Brien, Jim White and Jane Cooper came together at Breakers in Richmond, Virginia's West End to debut as "The Wrest"; however, none of them are newcomers to the local music scene. They have been playing together since March 1997, and their musical fan base continues to grow.

        "The Wrest", a vocal acoustic trio, plays at different local venues and performs cover tunes from the 60's to the 90's, a familiar genre of music that is sure to please any crowd. Over the past two years Pat, accompanied by Jim and Jane, have drawn quite a following with their energetic stage performance and obvious passion for what they do. You'll never walk into a club where they are playing and see an empty dance floor or the crowd not singing along with the trio. The fans are constantly displaying their appreciation of "The Wrest", and those who hear them once, usually come back.

        Pat O'Brien has had a lot of exposure in the Richmond area. He attributes his start in the music business to Kyle Davis with whom he performed for several weeks in a local club, launching Pat into a solo career. "Playing with Davis just gave me the bug, " said Pat who later teamed up with "Sketch" for the next nine years, playing as a house band at clubs such as The Bus Stop, Renegades and Mulligans in the West End.

        Pat met Jane and Jim during the time he was gigging at local venues. Jane and Jim, both patrons, took a chance at singing harmony with Pat. "I could hear Jim singing from the audience and knew he had a good voice. He would occasionally get up and sing a song impromptu." "One night Jane came up and asked me if she could sing harmony to "Southern Cross". I really admired her for facing her fears because I knew she was nervous, "said Pat. Shortly thereafter, the three started practicing together and realized that they had a good sound and that their voices and personalities meshed. "It's a good niche for all of us, and the crowd always seems to respond well to the trio", said Jane.

        The name, "The Wrest", originated from the typical growing pains that any musical group may have. It was sometimes a struggle for the trio to agree on certain songs or harmonies; they "wrestled" to find common ground. They were also looking for a good catch phrase that had multiple meanings.

        "The Wrest" would eventually like to compose some original songs and see what they are capable of accomplishing in the studio, however they are currently more interested in "establishing a loyal fan base with enthusiastic supporters." They want to showcase harmony and are searching for songs with harmony throughout. "It's good to have a vocally oriented group," said Pat. "We've got three people that are fully capable of singing lead."

        Pat, Jim and Jane have all been involved in music since they were very young, whether it was singing in choirs, garage bands or voice lessons. "For the love of being a musician, I'll do it forever if I can, "says Jim. For now, however, they are all doing what they love to do and are doing it well. As for the "wrest" of us, we'll sit back, take it all in and enjoy the music.

by Jenni Scarth