Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
founded in 2007.
History
The original line-up was formed by Nicholas Stuart, Matthew Reetz, Michael Ziemann, and Jon Jon Fries in 2006 in
Appleton
Appleton may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Appleton (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Appleton family, an American political, religious and mercantile family
* Appleton P. Clark Jr. (1865–1955), Am ...
, Wisconsin. Each had previously been a part of the indie-rock band Number One Fan. Shortly after the recording of their debut album, Michael Ziemann left the band and was replaced by Hugh Masterson.
Their debut album Golden Daze, released on
Universal Republic
Republic Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Based in New York City, it was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially ...
in 2007, was written in Matthew Reetz's hunting cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. It was produced by
Greg Fidelman
Greg Fidelman (born September 4, 1965) is an American record mixer, engineer and record producer. He is a frequent collaborator of producer Rick Rubin, and has worked with many bands in various genres, including Metallica, Black Sabbath, Slipkno ...
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
,
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
) and engineered by Greg Gordon (
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentJET,
Hot Hot Heat
Hot Hot Heat was a Canadian indie rock band from Victoria, British Columbia, formed in 1999. The band was signed to Seattle label Sub Pop in 2001 and Warner Records throughout the majority of their career.
The band has released five full-lengt ...
). The album was reviewed by
David Fricke
David Fricke (born ) is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 ye ...
in the January 24, 2008 issue of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
''.
The Wildbirds spent only 6 months on tour before taking an undefined hiatus in early 2008. Stuart relocated to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and then to Portland, Oregon. Fries moved to Woodstock, Illinois, where he pursued other musical interests. Reetz settled back in Appleton, Wisconsin, with his wife, Emily. Masterson spent time traveling between New York, Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, and Wisconsin.
In February 2010, singer Nicholas Stuart announced The Wildbirds were once again active with an entirely new line-up. Stuart had reconnected with Masterson and moved to Milwaukee to begin writing music. The result, a 6-song EP entitled "Sunshine Blues", was released on July 22, 2010.
On January 26, 2012, an official Facebook post from the band read, "We're writing, don't you worry!" However, the Wildbirds released no further music.
On October 11, 2019, the Wildbirds reunited at The Cooperage in Milwaukee for the Flannel Fest Pre-Party.
Publicity
Their song "Suzanna" was featured on Little Steven's Underground Garage 'The Coolest Songs in the World Vol. 6'. The song "421 (Everybody Loves You)" was played on national television when
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre ( ; born October 10, 1969) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Favre had 321 cons ...
threw his record-breaking 421st touchdown pass on October 1, 2007. The band cites this number was a mere coincidence. The band performed at the 2008 Winter
X Games
The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and aired on ESPN networks and ABC. In late 2022, ESPN sold the long-running property to MSP Sports Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jahm Najafi and Jeff Mo ...
in Aspen, Colorado. The song "421 (Everybody Loves You)" was featured in
ESPN
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's commercials leading up to the event, and "Hard on Me" was played during a feature on
Levi LaVallee
Levi LaVallee (born August 31, 1982) is an American snowmobile racer.
He won the Winter X Games VIII HillCross gold medal in 2004.
At Winter X Games XII in 2008, LaVallee won gold in the Snowmobile Speed and Style event.Willoughby, Scott. "La ...
. Their song "Like a Cigarette" was featured on the show ''The Secret Circle'', during the episode "
Crystal
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
".
Discography
* Suzanna EP (2007)
* PRC (Pat's Record Co)
* Golden Daze (2007)
* Sunshine Blues EP (2010)
Compilations
* Little Steven's Underground Garage 'The Coolest Songs in the World Vol. 6' (2008)