Nels Cline
(born in Los Angeles in 1956) is an American guitarist and composer, currently the lead guitarist of alternative rock band Wilco and has been described as "one of the best guitarists in any genre." [1]
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NELS CLINE TICKETS
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Career
Cline began to play
guitar at age 12 when his twin brother,
Alex Cline took up the
drums. The pair developed musically together, playing in a youth rock band they dubbed "Homogenized Goo"
[2] and both graduated from
University High School (Los Angeles, California).
Cline is known for his improvisational work and for the diversity of his musical projects, as well as his use of
effects pedals and
looping devices which give his music a distinct sound. He has played with
jazz musicians
Charlie Haden,
Gregg Bendian,
Wadada Leo Smith,
Tim Berne,
Vinny Golia and the late bassist
Eric Von Essen, a longtime musical companion in the L.A. jazz group
Quartet Music.
Cline has also performed and recorded with
punk rock bassist
Mike Watt in his touring bands
The Crew of the Flying Saucer and
The Black Gang, as well as with members of
Sonic Youth and
country music legend
Willie Nelson, and in the jazz/punk/improv band
Banyan with Watt and ex-
Jane's Addiction drummer
Stephen Perkins. He frequently participates in jazz projects with his twin brother, Alex, however their first actual duo together was in
Culver City,
California, at their 50th
birthday show.
Cline's first appearance on an album was on Vinny Golia's 1978 record,
Openhearted
, and his first work as a
bandleader was 1988's
Angelica.
In the late 1980s, Cline formed the
Nels Cline Trio, which featured his guitar playing complemented by
Mark London Sims at
bass and
Michael Preussner at
drums. The trio released several
7 inch demos and one
album, before replacing Sims with
Bob Mair at bass. This new trio released three albums before splitting up, featuring some of Cline's most
melodic works, before he ventured into a freer and more
minimalist territory in the decade to come. Shortly before the end of the trio, Nels recorded two albums,
In-Store
, and
Pillow Wand
, with
Sonic Youth frontman and guitarist,
Thurston Moore.
Nels was also a member of the
Geraldine Fibbers with then-partner
Carla Bozulich.
In 1999, Cline paired up with jazz
drummer Gregg Bendian to record a modern rendition of
John Coltrane's 1967 album,
Interstellar Space.
On
Interstellar Space Revisited: The Music of John Coltrane
, Bendian and Cline reinterpret Coltrane's piece using their own distinctive approaches. He also participated in
ROVA's
Electric Ascension
(2005), a performance of Coltrane's landmark large-ensemble recording
Ascension
(1965).
Cline's current outfit is the improv/free jazz ensemble The Nels Cline Singers, with which he has recorded three albums,
Instrumentals
,
The Giant Pin
and
Draw Breath
, his most recent work as a leader. The Nels Cline Singers are currently signed with
Cryptogramophone Records.
Another important project of Cline's has been the Acoustic Guitar Trio, a free-improvisation group with
Jim McAuley and the late
Rod Poole that specialized in
microtonal improvisation.
Cline has performed on over 150 albums in the jazz, pop, rock,
country, and
experimental pop music genres. He continues to expand his audience as a member of the
Grammy-winning rock band
Wilco, which he joined in early 2004. He was later featured in the cover story of
Guitar Player Magazine for his collaboration with the band.
[3] Cline appears on Wilco's albums
Sky Blue Sky
and
Wilco (The Album)
, as well as the live album "
Kicking Television: Live in Chicago," and tours with the band.
In February, 2007, Cline was chosen by
Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Top 20 New Guitar Gods, and given the title "The Avant Romantic".
Currently, Cline is using the Schroeder DB7 red amplifier built for him by Tim Schroeder of Schroeder Guitar & Amp Repair in
Chicago, IL.
[4]
Notable discography
- Elegies
(1980) (w. Eric Von Essen)
- Quartet Music
(1981) (w. Quartet Music)
- Dressed for the Apocalypse
(1984) (w. Rhythm Plague)
- Ocean Park
(1984) (w. Quartet Music)
- Window on the Lake
(1986) (w. Quartet Music)
- Angelica
(1988)
- Summer Night
(1989) (w. Quartet Music)
- In the Free Zone
(1991) (w. Bloc)
- Silencer
(1992) (w. Nels Cline Trio)
- Ball-hog or Tugboat?
(1995) (w. Mike Watt)
- Ground
(1995) (w. Nels Cline Trio)
- Chest
(1996) (w. Nels Cline Trio)
- Banyan
(1997) (w. Banyan)
- Butch
(1997) (w. Geraldine Fibbers)
- Contemplating the Engine Room
(1997) (w. Mike Watt)
- In-Store
(1997) (w. Thurston Moore)
- Pillow Wand
(1997) (w. Thurston Moore)
- Sad
(1998) (w. Nels Cline Trio)
- Scarnella
(1998) (w. Carla Bozulich)
- Rise Pumpkin Rise
(1998) (w. Devin Sarno)
- Edible Flowers
(1998) (w. Devin Sarno)
- Anytime at All
(1999) (w. Banyan)
- Interstellar Space Revisited: The Music of John Coltrane
(1999) (w. Gregg Bendian)
- The Inkling
(2000)
- Live at Easthampton Town Hall
(2001) (w. Zeena Parkins & Thurston Moore)
- Destroy All Nels Cline
(2001)
- Acoustic Guitar Trio
(2001) (w. Acoustic Guitar Trio)
- The Allure of Roadside Curios
(w. L. Stinkbug)
- Instrumentals
(2002) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)
- Buried on Bunker Hill
(2004) (w. Devin Sarno)
- The Entire Time
(2004) (w. Vinny Golia)
- Graduation
(2004) (w. Chris Corsano & Carlos Giffoni)
- The Giant Pin
(2004) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)
- Out Trios Series, Volume 3: Ash and Tabula
(2004) (w. Andrea Parkins & Tom Rainey)
- Immolation/Immertion
(2005) (w. Wally Shoup & Chris Corsano)
- Banning + Center
(2005) (w. Jeremy Drake)
- Season Finale
(2005) (w. Solo Career)
- Distressed
(2006) (w. Damsel)
- Four Guitars Live
(2006) (w. Lee Ranaldo, Carlos Giffoni & Thurston Moore)
- New Monastery: A View Into The Music of Andrew Hill
(2006)
- Downpour
(2007) (w. Andrea Parkins & Tom Rainey)
- Sky Blue Sky
(2007) (w. Wilco)
- Draw Breath
(2007) (w. The Nels Cline Singers)
- Duo Milano
(2007) (w. Elliott Sharp)
- Suite: Bittersweet
(2007) (w. Wally Shoup & Greg Campbell)
- Nothing Makes Any Sense
(2007) (w. Carlos Giffoni, Alan Licht & Lee Ranaldo)
- Coward
(2009)
- Vignes
(2009) (w. Acoustic Guitar Trio)
- Wilco (the Album)
(2009) (w. Wilco)
[5]
References
- Torture-Free but Still a Rock Star
- Nels Cline on Masturbation, Thurston Moore, and Wilco's New Record
- *"Steadfast Inclinations". Barry Cleveland. ''Guitar Player Magazine''. March 2005.
- www.schroederguitarrepair.com
- As noted before, Nels Cline has participated in numerous projects and other bands. The albums listed above are a selection of notable releases from Nels' personal projects, bands, and collaborations. For a complete and comprehensive list of Cline's participation on various recordings, see ''Nels Cline Discography''.