MIDDLETOWN: THE WAG MOVE INDOORS
Powerpop powerhouse the Wag comes in from the great outdoors with a free Wednesday evening concert at the township library.
They’ve proven themselves to be hardy perennials on the year-round local music scene, but for fans of the Wag, there’s no denying that the season of outdoor concerts and sun-kissed festivals is the natural habitat for the Middletown-based band that can often be found free-ranging it in settings from the Fair Haven Municipal Dock and Little Silver Gazebo to the sidewalks and storefronts of downtown Red Bank and the great lawn at Lincroft’s Brookdale Community College.
It’s in that latter setting that co-frontperson Brian Ostering has emerged in recent seasons as music director for the annual Clearwater Festival and the Monmouth County SPCA Dog Walk — two events (keyed to two passionate causes) at which Ostering and partner Alicia Van Sant have made themselves at home for years.
When the season turns inexorably to autumn, however, Ostering and Van Sant can scarcely be expected to hibernate caveside, as the group (a flexible three- to-five-piece that’s augmented regularly by singer-songwriter Don Lee) keeps itself in the loop via appearances at clubs, coffeehouses, and — as with this Wednesday evening — community rooms.
Armed with an ever-growing catalogue of brightly energetic original pop-rock tunes, the Wag visits Middletown Public Library for a free 7 p.m. concert Wednesday in a quartet configuration that further features percussionist Arielle Strauss. Expect a mix of material from the band’s six smartly produced indie releases (well, maybe not anything from the Christmas record) — and a vibe designed to send the listener out into the chillier nights of the pumpkin-spice with an upbeat bounce.
Take it here to redbankgreen‘s Calendar for more info on Wednesday’s event — and don’t batten down the hatches on the outdoor-music season just yet, as the Wag extend the concept into October with an open-air appearance at the annual Red Bank CROP Hunger Walk on October 15.
