Only area appearance | With Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett), Sean Watkins
(Nickel Creek) and Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) at its core, WPA is
an unassuming supergroup with a sound and spirit reminiscent of those
legendary “more than the sum of their parts” groups like Fleetwood Mac, The
Band and CSNY.
Of their self-released debut, Pop Dose writes, “In the ‘70s, good country
rock albums like this were prevalent, coming from sometimes forgotten bands
like American Flyer, Pure Prairie League, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Souther, Hillman and Furay. Their trademark was strong songwriting and
outstanding vocal harmonies. This album put me in mind of those days, and
it’s one of the more refreshing albums I’ve heard this year.”
Named after Works Progress Administration —
FDR’s 1939 New Deal initiative that put millions to work
making buildings, bridges, theater, art and music —
the band was born out of the musical community surrounding
the legendary LA club, Largo.
Band members had known and admired each other for years, and found
themselves with a batch of unrecorded songs, a little downtime and a
collective feeling that it might be a good idea to put something on tape.
The new album was recorded with additional members Sara Watkins (Nickel
Creek), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Bill
Frisell, Joni Mitchell), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) and
Davey Faragher (Cracker, the Imposters).
After a chance meeting between Sean and Grammy-winning recording engineer
Jim Scott, the group found itself in Scott’s studio, Plyrz, recording 17
songs live in five days. With an album mixed and mastered, the band hadn’t
even chosen a name or secured management. In an era where the expectation is
that a group of this experience and caliber would be something conceived by
business executives, WPA came out of an authentic and vibrant musical
community, and the album is a beautiful reflection of its origins.
The instant classic “Always Have My Love,” penned and sung by Glen Phillips,
starts the album with a powerful dose of dual fiddles, pedal steel and
piano, revealing the band’s palette from the first bar. The album continues
with five more Phillips songs, plaintive and introspective tunes from Sean
Watkins (“Not Sure,” “Paralyzed” and “You’re Already Gone”), commanding
vocals performed by Luke Bulla on “Who’s Gonna Cry For You” and “Remember
Well,” and the haunting voice of Sara Watkins on Benmont Tench’s “The Price”
and the Ray Davies classic “I Go To Sleep.”
Despite having four lead singers and a high level of instrumental prowess,
the band keeps its focus in service to the song and creates a sound that is
both timeless and unique.
While the complete band is the ideal, the logistics of getting everybody
together in the same place at the same time are fairly mind boggling, so
they usually appear as a five-piece. WPA is as much of a treat live as on
record, “bursting with sincerity and authenticity.” Joel Okida, of Acoustic
Americana Music Guide, called it “one of the best shows of the year.”
Tue Dec 1 | 7 pm
CSPS | 1103 Third St SE | Cedar Rapids
$20 + fee in advance | $25 at the door
