Works Progress Administration

Works Progress Administration, named after a Franklin Roosevelt program to put people to work during the Great Depression, is something of a sideman supergroup that developed out of the interactions of musicians at the Los Angeles club Largo. Its founding members were former <a href="spotify:artist:4j7EVY3kuDwLPfD2jfC7LC">Toad the Wet Sprocket</a> singer/guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:7pbZAYKypiqCp97hiE8YmN">Glen Phillips</a>, singer/guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:45K759axQK0aohwSjbkgpy">Sean Watkins</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:3bcLBxvaI7GsBzGp3WHnwQ">Nickel Creek</a>, and champion fiddle player <a href="spotify:artist:1W7WjJvJi9ImyI8jcoWUxj">Luke Bulla</a>. They added pedal steel guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:5OslOE4iegsG2uqyOZJ2OU">Greg Leisz</a>; <a href="spotify:artist:45K759axQK0aohwSjbkgpy">Watkins</a>' sister <a href="spotify:artist:1FDE7zZ6jmP8HHb9ej3mek">Sara Watkins</a>, also of <a href="spotify:artist:3bcLBxvaI7GsBzGp3WHnwQ">Nickel Creek</a>; keyboard player <a href="spotify:artist:64BpBvN4VY7JdhV9GaEbiV">Benmont Tench</a> of <a href="spotify:artist:2UZMlIwnkgAEDBsw1Rejkn">Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers</a>; and the rhythm section from <a href="spotify:artist:2BGRfQgtzikz1pzAD0kaEn">Elvis Costello</a>'s backing band the Imposters, bassist Davey Faragher and drummer Pete Thomas. This septet then went into a recording studio and made an album, before having signed a record contract or even settled on a group name. Ultimately, the album was self-titled and issued by WPA Records/Umami Music when it appeared on September 15, 2009. (Bassist Sebastian Steinberg of <a href="spotify:artist:5TOosZsVbwb5O1BOFdcLmw">Soul Coughing</a> joined the band as a touring member when they hit the road to promote the album.) ~ William Ruhlmann