Patrick Anthony "Pat" Sansone (born June 21, 1969) is an American multi-instrumentalist in the rock bands Wilco and The Autumn Defense.

Early bands

Sansone was born in

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Merid ...

. Upon entering college at

The University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

, Sansone found two musical kindred souls in Will Martin and Eddie Bo McRaney and started Beagle Voyage, a

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quart ...

influenced by

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

, Hüsker Dü,

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

, and Rush. Sansone played guitar for Beagle Voyage and then Stretch Armstrong, a rock band influenced by

Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. They are often cited as pioneers of heavy metal music. The band helped def ...

and the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

. Soon after, Sansone formed the band Birdy, which included fellow Mississippians Tray Batson, Ike Marr and Glen Graham, who went on to play drums for Blind Melon. In 2000 he joined Rogers Stevens (formerly of Blind Melon) to play the bass in the band Extra Virgin.

The Autumn Defense

Sansone's own project The Autumn Defense was formed in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

in 1999 with friend John Stirratt of Wilco. The band has released five full-length albums: ''The Green Hour'' in 2000, '' Circles'' in 2003, the self-titled ''The Autumn Defense'' in 2006, ''Once Around'' in 2010, and "Fifth" in 2014.

Wilco

In 2004, Sansone joined Wilco before a tour in support of their album '' A Ghost Is Born'', following the departure of multi-instrumentalist

Leroy Bach LeRoy Fredrick Bach is an American musician, composer, and music producer. He has hosted musical gatherings, fostered musical collaborations, and led bands in Chicago since 1990. Bach is perhaps best known for his work as a multi-instrumentalist i ...

. On tour, Sansone plays guitar, keyboard, maracas, and several other instruments, as well as singing backup vocals. He was also involved in the writing and recording of Wilco's 2007 release ''

Sky Blue Sky ''Sky Blue Sky'' is the sixth studio album by American rock band Wilco, released on May 15, 2007 by Nonesuch Records. Originally announced on January 17, 2007 at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was the band's first studio album with guitarist N ...

'', 2009's '' Wilco'', and '' The Whole Love'' in 2011. Pat Sansone received a co-production credit for his work on ''The Whole Love''. He also received credit for arranging strings for the track "Black Moon".

Other projects

Sansone has lived in New Orleans,

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and th ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, and

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

working as a producer and studio musician. He has contributed to albums by Joseph Arthur, Andrew Bird,

Josh Rouse Josh Rouse (born March 9, 1972) is an American folk/roots pop singer-songwriter. Originally from Nebraska, Rouse began his recording career in Nashville in 1998 and later relocated to Spain. In 2014, Rouse won a Spanish Goya Film Award in the c ...

Mavis Staples Mavis Staples (born July 10, 1939) is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress, and civil rights activist. She rose to fame as a member of her family's band The Staple Singers (she is the last surviving member of that band). Duri ...

Swan Dive Swan Dive is an American bossa nova/pop musical duo composed of Bill DeMain and Molly Felder. Founded in 1995, Swan Dive is best known for its album ''Circle'', released in 1998. Swan Dive has appeared on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'', and o ...

, Jenifer Jackson,

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams lef ...

, The Clientele,

The Milk Carton Kids The Milk Carton Kids are an American indie folk duo from Eagle Rock, California, United States, consisting of singers and guitarists Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan, who began making music together in early 2011. The band has recorded and rele ...

Karen Elson Karen Jill Elson (born 15 January 1979) is an English model and singer-songwriter. Early life and education Elson was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and attended North Chadderton School as a child. She has a fraternal twin sister, film ...

, Jonathan Wilson and others. In 2009, Sansone made a guest appearance on Dawes's album ''North Hills''. In 2010 he appeared on the albums ''Familial'' by

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass ...

drummer Phil Selway, ''Compass'' by Jamie Lidell, and ''You Are Not Alone'' by

. In 2010, Sansone released a book of photography called ''100 Polaroids''. The book is a collection of

Polaroid Polaroid may refer to: * Polaroid Corporation, an American company known for its instant film and cameras * Polaroid camera, a brand of instant camera formerly produced by Polaroid Corporation * Polaroid film, instant film, and photographs * Polar ...

photographs taken with an SX70 camera. Sansone began photographing with the SX70 in 2006, and shot extensively over the next several years while traveling with Wilco and The Autumn Defense. The book is self-published by his own Sansonica Books. Prints of his works can be found at NAVA Contemporary and Citizen Parlor. In 2011, Sansone produced the album "Korp Sole Roller" by Chicago-based artist

Liam Hayes Liam Hayes, professionally known as Plush since 1992, is an American songwriter and performer, originally from Chicago, Illinois, United States. His discography includes three critically acclaimed records: '' More You Becomes You'' (1998), ''F ...

. The album was released in 2014 on the Japanese label After Hours, and then received a vinyl LP reissue in 2019 on the UK label Be With Records. In April 2012, Sansone and Josh Shapera co-produced an EP, ''Weird Weather'', for the Chicago-based band Future Monarchs. In 2014, Sansone and Shapera produced the album ''Deserters'' for Future Monarchs. In 2013, Sansone contributed string arrangements for the album ''Fanfare'' by Jonathan Wilson. In 2015, Sansone and Shapera produced the album ''Ocean of Birds'' for duo Max Hatt/Edda Glass. In 2017, Sansone and

Fernando Perdomo Fernando Jose Perdomo (born August 17, 1980) is an American musician best known for his work as a producer and session bassist and guitarist. Career Fernando started his career as a session guitar player after playing in Miami Bands, Avenging ...

co-produced the third album for artist Linda Perhacs, ''I'm A Harmony''. A single was self-released in 2016 called "The Dancer" which features Sansone on

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. ...

and backing vocals. In 2018, Sansone mixed two singles for Nashville-based band Sun Seeker, "Night's Alright" and "Good Year." He produced a full-length album for Sun Seeker which is yet to be released. Also in 2018, Sansone produced the album "Primetime Illusion" for Wisconsin-based songwriter Trapper Schoepp. In 2019, Sansone appeared on a single released by Robyn Hitchcock featuring the songs "Take Off Your Bandages" and "Sunday Never Comes." Sansone was featured on bass, keyboards, and backing vocals. Pat Sansone co-produced the 2020 released album "Dixie Blur" by Jonathan Wilson and contributed on bass, acoustic guitar, Mellotron, synth, vibes and background vocals. Sansone produced and played multiple instruments on

Emma Swift Emma Swift (born 15 December 1981) is an Australian singer-songwriter. Before becoming a musician, she was a radio broadcaster, hosting Americana music show ''In the Pines'' on FBi Radio and ''Revelator'' on Double J at Australian Broadcastin ...

's album of

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

covers, ''

Blonde on the Tracks ''Blonde on the Tracks'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Emma Swift and was released August 14, 2020 by Tiny Ghost Records. The album consists of Bob Dylan covers and recorded between 2017 and 2020 in Nashville, Tennes ...

'', recorded between 2017 and 2020 in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

and also featuring Robyn Hitchcock.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sansone, Pat 1969 births Living people American multi-instrumentalists American rock guitarists American male guitarists American rock singers Wilco members 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists