Fenway Punk-How a Boston Indie Label Scored Big on Baseball’s Greatest Rivalry by Bridge Nine Records/Sully’s Brand founder Chris Wrenn has a little bit of everything. Chronicling the rise of Bridge Nine Records (And later, Sully’s Brand), which was intrinsically intertwined with one of the greatest rivalries ever in professional sports (Which eventually led to the monumental World Series 2004 “W” by the Boston Red Sox), Wrenn’s tale is wild and vibrant with statistics galore along with a phenomenal storytelling prowess. As avid readers AND lovers of music and Boston Sports, we couldn’t put it down.
Forget Fever Pitch, Fenway Punk is the only account you need for that now historic Red Sox season! Furthermore, if Guy Ritchie is hard up for a new story to adapt then might we suggest Fenway Punk? The tales alone play out like something out of the director’s oeuvre already (Think Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch especially) with a cast of characters within sporting monikers ready-made for their eventual close-ups (“Tiger”! “Worm”! “The Bouncer”! “Max Powers”!). Then you get youthful hijinx, run-in’s with the law and turf wars between rival merch peddlers with names like “Codee’s”, “21er’s”, “Suckers”, and “I-ties” with the historic Fenway Park as a backdrop! Can we please option this book now???
Anyway!
As a lifelong Massachusetts resident, having lived in and around the Boston area for the better part of 30 years now and just recently (Within the last 5 years, give or take) descending into the madness that is being a Boston Sports fan, Wrenn’s writings are practically poetry when talking about the city’s deep relationship with sports (“Cemeteries in Massachusetts filled with fans who went to their graves never having seen the Red Sox go all the way.”), music (Describing the “pop art museum for music” Tower Records to the uninitiated: “They were a mega- store, absolute temples to music, and this location had three floors and more than twenty-five thousand square feet of CDs, books, and videos. You could get lost in there for hours, and I would often.”) and often a combination of all of it (“Ten Yard Fight released multiple records, toured all over the United States and Europe, and did more than they ever expected in the time it took for the average Boston University student to earn a degree.”)
In Fenway Punk, not only do you get the inside scoop of how Bridge Nine Records (Championing bands like Have Heart, American Nightmare, Ten Yard Fight and Death Before Dishonor to name just a few) came to be but also how it correlated with the rise of other local labels/brands (’47, Hydra Head Records and Deathwish Inc with Jacob Bannon and Converge bandmate Kurt Ballou also playing significant roles early in Bridge Nine lore) through hard work, determination, wherewithal and a penchant for catchy slogans (While “Believe In Boston” is the most known, and trademarked by Wrenn in 2004, Wrenn was also responsible “Damon is my Homeboy”, “Killin’ With Schillin’, “Posada is a Little Bitch” and “Joe Kelly Fight Club” among others).
One minute you’ll be reading about Wrenn’s latest acquisition to the Bridge Nine roster or a Fight Club-like night out for some extra cash while in the next Wrenn will rattle off a complete rundown of the 2001 Red Sox season like a seasoned analyst/commentator. If you’re a fan of Boston sports, Masshole culture, Independent Music, supporting the arts and a strong DIY aesthetic then we can’t recommend Fenway Punk enough! And even if you’re not from the area at all, Fenway Punk is a compelling piece of writing chronicling how perseverance and ingenuity led to one of the most unlikeliest success stories.
Fenway Punk: How a Boston Indie Label Scored Big on Baseball’s Greatest Rivalry by Chris Wrenn is out now through Running Press/Hatchette Book Group and you can get your copy from a variety of retailers by heading here. Due to our most recent bout of weather up North and parking ban-related ish, the book release party originally scheduled for February 7th has been moved to this Friday the 13th (2.13), is now expanded into a full Section 10 podcast with Jarred Carrabis (And former Bridge Nine employee!) and you can keep up on all that and more by heading here. In addition, Wrenn will be out promoting the book across MA and CT with in-store appearances currently scheduled on March 3rd (Brookline Booksmith, 7pm), March 14th (Glatonbury, CT, Barnes & Noble from 12-2pm), April 9th (Harvard Book Store, 7pm) and May 2nd (lala books, 7pm). For more details on that as well as what’s new with Chris Wrenn, Bridge Nine Records and Sully’s Brand, head to Wrenn’s website here with all the links you need to stay in touch.