W.P.A. Makes Progress in Ann Arbor...

Introducing Works Progress Administration


A Letter from Glen Phillips about W.P.A.:

Good People -

Many years of friendship and musical collaboration have finally jelled into what I consider to be the most exciting project I've ever been involved with. Works Progress Administration (WPA) is the new band, and we'll be releasing our debut album in stores on September 15 (with some digital content available earlier).

We play our first out of town shows this week, beginning on Thursday, June 18 in San Diego at Anthology. This weekend we play the Telluride festival, and much more is to come.

WPA is an expandable collective. At our smallest core, the band is Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek), Luke Bulla (Jerry Douglas Band, Lyle Lovett) and myself. The other five members are Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers), Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams), Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) and Davey Faragher (The Imposters, Cracker). We will also be being joined on tour by bassists Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing, Neil Finn) and Byron House (Emmylou Harris, Nickel Creek). We will play as much as possible as an octet, but will often be on the road as a quartet.

I'm deeply in love with this project. The quality of songwriting, exquisite musicianship and pure love of music that the other seven players bring in is something that I would be perfectly content to absorb as a fly on the wall. To actually be playing and singing with them is humbling, inspiring, and generally completely freaking awesome.

So. Please: Come to shows! Talk about us on the interwebs! Sign up for the mailing list (street team, too) and help spread the word! This is an independent release, a labor of love put together by friends without a label or other well-funded sugar daddy, so you are our greatest resource. We hope you'll enjoy being a part of this as much as we do.

Be well,
-glen phillips

W.P.A. will be at The Ark in Ann Arbor on December 5th.