W.P.A. members thrive on variety

By John Benson

One look at indie rock act Works Progress Administration, which features Nickel Creek’s Sean Watkins, Toad the Wet Sprocket’s Glen Phillips and Lyle Lovett’s Luke Bulla, and it appears this outfit is nothing more than just another all-star side project for its notable members.

“There was real no idea behind it,” said Phillips, calling from the middle of Iowa. “We had all known each other in various capacities for a real long time, and I ended up playing a show in Santa Barbara where Sean and Sara [Sean’s sister and bandmate in Nickel Creek] were around. So they came up and sat in. And that was so much fun that we did a short California tour, and we decided we should do a record. So had we been thinking more strategically about it we probably would have pared it down a little.”

Phillips said the paring down factor revolves around the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.) and its self-titled debut album, which was recorded well over a year ago with a star-studded studio lineup featuring Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Benmont Tench (piano), Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ Pete Thomas (drums) and Cracker’s Davey Faragher (bass) joining Sean and Sara Watkins and Phillips. As for the album itself, Phillips believes the unique project is built around solid songwriting that strays into many worlds.

“We knew how it was going to turn out,” Phillips said. “It’s a group of players that I think are really capable of listening, more than just trying to fill space. It was kind of a maturity that everybody was able to bring into it that made it so we didn’t have to spend a lot of time carving out space or deciding who was going to do what. Everybody just applied themselves to the song, instead of thinking about genre and how they could stand out.

“Stylistically, it’s hard to say [what our sound is]. We have ‘End This Now,’ which is almost like a Sam Cooke-in-a-really-bad-mood type of song with shades of R&B. There’s ‘Not Sure,’ which on the record is as close to a country song as anything we do. It’s a pretty wide variety.”

That wide variety carries over to the live show, with W.P.A. — Watkins, Phillips, Bulla and a backing band — coming to Northeast Ohio for a Sunday gig at the Kent Stage. The set list includes plenty of material from the debut effort, as well as Toad the Wet Sprocket and Nickel Creek songs and covers ranging from Del McCoury and Bob Dylan to Radiohead.

Phillips admits the current issue with W.P.A. is getting the word out about the act, which he feels is not so much a supergroup as it is a super group of talented musicians.

“We’re just so darn good,” Phillips said. “It’s a cool band. I’m having a ton of fun being in it and listening to what everybody is bringing in every night. I love the collection of songs, and I love the stories everybody tells. It’s cool to go out and see a band that can play. So I highly recommend it. No Auto-Tune required.”