Jennifer Lynn Wasner (born April 16, 1986) is an American musician from

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Wasner is best known as one of the founding members of the band Wye Oak, along with

Andy Stack Ann Rae Rule (''née'' Stackhouse; October 22, 1931 – July 26, 2015) was an American author of true crime books and articles. She is best known for '' The Stranger Beside Me'' (1980), about the serial killer Ted Bundy, with whom Rule worke ...

. They have performed on tour with notable bands such as The National and The Decemberists. Wasner has completed numerous other music projects as well, including a solo project entitled Flock of Dimes, and a collaboration called

Dungeonesse Dungeonesse is an American collaboration between songwriter and producer Jon Ehrens (White Life, Art Department) and singer Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak, Flock of Dimes) out of Baltimore, Maryland. The project was born through their mutual love for Top 4 ...

with Jon Ehrens of White Life and Art Department.

Early life

Wasner was born on April 16, 1986, in

. She began singing at an early age with her mother, and eventually started taking classical piano lessons at the around the age of five. At the age of twelve, her mother taught her how to play guitar, which led to the beginning of her songwriting career. By high school, Wasner had met

, and begun playing music with him. She continued to write music while away at college.

Music career

After college, Wasner moved to the Hampden neighborhood of

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Together with Stack, they formed a band under the name "Monarch", which was soon changed to Wye Oak after the state tree of Maryland. After the release of their highly regarded album ''

Civilian Civilians under international humanitarian law are "persons who are not members of the armed forces" and they are not " combatants if they carry arms openly and respect the laws and customs of war". It is slightly different from a non-combatan ...

'' in 2011, the group toured in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

and

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

. ''

'' was named the best album of 2011 by The A.V. Club, and was featured on television in the popular series '' The Walking Dead'' and in the film, ''

Safety Not Guaranteed ''Safety Not Guaranteed'' is a 2012 American science fiction romantic comedy film directed by Colin Trevorrow and starring Aubrey Plaza and Mark Duplass. The picture was screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Scr ...

''. She also appeared on

Titus Andronicus ''Titus Andronicus'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written between 1588 and 1593, probably in collaboration with George Peele. It is thought to be Shakespeare's first tragedy and is often seen as his attempt to emul ...

's 2010 album, " The Monitor" lending her vocals to the track, "To Old Friends and New". When Wasner returned to Maryland in 2012 after touring with

Dirty Projectors Dirty Projectors is an American indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002. The band is the project of singer-songwriter David Longstreth, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The ...

, she began work on the solo project, "Flock of Dimes" which experimented with new synths and electronic beats. The next year, she worked with Jon Ehrens of the Baltimore-pop group, White Life, on a new project labeled

. Stack and Wasner reunited to create the fifth major album '' Shriek'', released in April 2014. In 2016, Wasner was featured in a new concert series taking place at the

Baltimore–Washington International Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport , commonly referred to as BWI or BWI Marshall, is an international airport in the Eastern United States serving mainly Baltimore, Maryland and Washington, D.C. With Dulles Internat ...

, where she will perform at the baggage claim of the terminal. In 2019, it was announced that Wasner would join

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

, playing in the band for their autumn tour.

Discography

Dungeonesse

*''

'' – 2013

Flock of Dimes

Studio albums

*'' If You See Me, Say Yes'' – (2016, Partisan Records) *'' Like So Much Desire'' (EP) - (2020,

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are oft ...

) *'' Head of Roses'' – (2021,

) *'' Head of Roses: Phantom Limb'' – (2022,

)

Singles

Wye Oak

Studio albums

*''

If Children ''If Children'' is the debut studio album by Baltimore-based band Wye Oak. The album was originally released in 2007, but was re-released on April 8, 2008 by Merge Records. Critical reception Writing for ''Pitchfork'', Mike Powell gave ''If Child ...

'' (2007, self-released; 2008, Merge Records) *'' The Knot'' (2009, Merge Records) *''

'' (2011, Merge Records) *'' Shriek'' (2014, Merge Records) *''

Tween Preadolescence is a stage of human development following middle childhood and preceding adolescence.New Oxford American Dictionary. 2nd Edition. 2005. Oxford University Press. It commonly ends with the beginning of puberty. Preadolescence is ...

'' (2016, Merge Records) *'' The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs'' (2018, Merge Records) *''Cut All The Wires: 2009-2011'' (2021, Merge Records)

Singles and EPs

*''Destroyer / Wye Oak'' split 7-inch single with Destroyer (2008, Merge Records) *''My Neighbor / My Creator'' 12-inch/CD EP (2010, Merge Records) *"Strangers" 7-inch single (2011, Merge Records) *"Spiral" digital single (2011,

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

) *"Trigger Finger" 7-inch single (2015, Joyful Noise Recordings) *''No Horizon'' EP (2020, Merge Records)

Personal life

Wasner has lived in Durham, North Carolina since moving from her native city of Baltimore in 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wasner, Jenn Living people 1986 births Dirty Projectors members Musicians from Baltimore Singers from Maryland Musical groups from Baltimore People from Owings Mills, Maryland People from Baltimore People from Durham, North Carolina 21st-century American singers 21st-century American women singers