Glen Phillips ~ Life after Toad

Words and Photos by Joe Koch

Glen Phillips is best known for his work with alternative, rootsy-folk rockers Toad the Wet Sprocket. His vocals fronted the ‘90s band that produced such hits as “All I Want” and “Walk on the Ocean.” The songs gained them a cult-like following on the college circuit. In 1998, Toad disbanded, citing creative differences. About two years later, Glen pursued a solo career, shortly thereafter befriending the members of Nickel Creek, which ultimately led to the formation of Works Progress Administration — a band that has brought him back to a happy state of mind, musically and personally.

I normally cover acts that roll through western New York, but recently my travels brought me to Portland, Oregon, where I sat with Glen and talked about his new project. This is what he had to say.

Congratulations on your newest project, Works Progress Administration, also known as WPA. Can you tell us who was involved with the recording of the self-titled album?

Sure. Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek,) Luke Bulla (Lyle Lovett) and myself are the core members, but the expanded version includes Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek,) Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,) Greg Leisz (Bill Frisell and Joni Mitchell,) Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello and the Imposters) and Dave Faragher (Elvis Costello and the Imposters.)

Wow! That’s an impressive line-up. Can you explain the core line-up versus the expanded line-up?

Well, when we decided to do this, we just didn’t think about the complexity of touring — financially or logistically. But that’s why we did it the way we did it. There were no A & R people, there was nobody but musicians saying which songs we liked, what songs we thought were best, what we believed was authentic. There was no one there second guessing our decisions. It was awesome to make music with people of that level in an environment with no one telling you what to do. It was a wonderful experience.

So this project started with the understanding that the expanded players have their day jobs. For example, Benmont was supposed to play with us recently, but Tom Petty wanted to record, so Benmont had to go to his day job. With this approach, on any given night you may see us performing with the core three all the way up to eight members. It just depends on who is available. So this definitely makes the live show a unique experience.

What inspired this eclectic group of musicians to form WPA?

It’s a culmination of a lot of things. About 10 years ago, I met Sara and Sean when they opened for me at Largo, a club in L.A. They sat in on my set and we instantly hit it off.

This ultimately led to Flanny, the owner of the club, giving them their own show, called The Watkins Family Hour, every Thursday night. They’ve done that for six years. Benmont and Greg became fans of their show and shortly after started sitting in with them, forming the house band.

Pete Thomas had played on a solo record of mine. Sean and Sara had been playing with Luke since they were 12 years old, through the bluegrass circuit. So we’ve all known each other for a long time.

It was a show (Glen Phillips and Friends Evening) that we did in Santa Barbara that made us want to record an album. Sara and Sean brought Luke, Greg and Ben came up and Grant Lee Phillips was there. It sounded amazing.

Coincidentally, Sean ran into Jim Scott, who has engineered everyone from Tom Petty to the Rolling Stones and he agreed to work with us in his studio.

The whole thing came together naturally. Nothing was premeditated.

Is WPA a super-group?

We are not a super-group! I chafe at that. I don’t like that word. A super-group is a marketing thing for rock bands. After a show at Largo, we go back to Sean’s place and play for another four hours. I’m not going to name drop, but people just show up ‘cuz they want to play. The community of musicianship is just amazing. We’re all just good friends. Besides, we’re not all that super. A super-group is members of Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age and Led Zeppelin forming a band.

WPA is remaining an independent band on an independent label. How does that impact things?

It definitely makes touring harder, being it’s mine and Sean’s finances backing it. So we’re definitely considering looking for a sugar daddy.

We originally went back and forth on managements and whether or not to approach labels. But we’re happy with how we did it. I’m glad we did an actual proper release with the album. Knowing that I have people on my side and that I have my friends next to me in this band makes it a lot less scary to walk into again.

How does WPA compare to being in Toad the Wet Sprocket?

They are very similar. When Toad first started it was just getting together with a bunch of bros and making a record, not knowing what would happen, not really thinking about the future. The big difference now is that I have three kids and I really do have to think about the future.

But as far as music, I’m back to making music with people that I love and I’m excited about it. The caliber of talent is on a whole other level. We were just kids learning how to play and write songs in Toad, but that’s why those early albums had such a great vibe.

Being that a lot of WPA’s fans are probably Toad and Nickel Creek fans, what can they expect live?

We definitely throw in some fan favorites. There’s a part in the show where we break it down acoustically and you might hear a Toad song, NC song and maybe even something from my solo catalog. Luke and Sara do some bluegrass covers with their fiddles. It’s constantly changing as we’re always learning new stuff.

What do you like to do when you’re not playing music?

My main goal is to be home more. I have an incredible family. I have the most wonderful friends. I have a great life! I just never get to be there for it. I have a hard time finding a good balance.

For more information go to: http://www.glenphillips.com/