our origin story
Brian Sussman (Vocals, guitar)
I’d just seen Wilco play three amazing shows in Mexico. A week later I was at The Roseland watching Dark Star Orchestra pay tribute to The Dead. That's when it hit me. I googled Wilco tribute band as soon as I got home. There were no results.
Mike Team (Bass, backup vocals)- Mike showed up with beer. I liked him already. This was May of 2020, perhaps not the best time to start a band, so we set up outside. We opened a couple. It sounded good. We opened a couple more. Even better.
Michael Backus (Lead guitar, backup vocals)- We tried to stick to the one-Mike-per-band limit, but when Michael plugged in, we knew we'd have to make an exception. He was fearless. A chameleon who could change styles on a dime and juggle three parts without even breaking a sweat.
Brock "B-Rock" Nunn (Drums)- He even knew a drummer. His old bandmate Brock was still new to Wilco, but his instincts were perfect, and he quickly became the band's secret weapon. And he was such a nice guy, he didn't even mind boring discussions about chord progressions.
Rich Landar (Keyboards, backup vocals)- We managed to play without a keyboardist for two years. Then Mike’s buddy Rich showed up. A long-time Wilco fan, Rich knew exactly what we were missing, and instantly took our sound to a new level. Plus he could somehow hit the high harmonies.
Aber Miller (Keyboards)- Then by some miracle, we were invited to Wilco's home town of Chicago to play a festival show. Rich couldn't make it, so we asked our buddy Aber to fill in. He was such a good fit and good guy that we officially grew to six. The very same size as Wilco itself.
The friendly faces of Wilcommunity- We've learned a lot over the years. First, that Wilco's music is even better zoomed in. The songs are more inventive, the playing more impressive. The same goes for the fans. They show up to celebrate Wilco, but bring a personality all their own.
My blurry photo of Wilco in Mexico (Jan 2020)- Wilco's been the soundtrack to such a large part of my life. Those shows in Mexico reminded me of that, and sent me home feeling totally inspired. I just needed to figure out a way to share that feeling with others. Wilclone was the way.
- Thank you for bringing joy to every one of our 52 shows (and counting)