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All Music Guide:
Loose-knit folk-noir confederation the Willard Grant Conspiracy was formed in Boston in 1995 by singer Robert Fisher and guitarist Paul Austin, longtime collaborators who previously teamed in the noise-rock outfit the Flower Tamers. Asked to test-drive a friend's new home recording studio, the duo recruited guitarist Sean O'Brien and within days completed work on the debut Willard Grant Conspiracy record, 3 AM Sunday at Fortune Otto's, issued on Fisher's own Dahlia Records imprint in 1996. From there the group evolved into an ever-changing collective of some 20 local musicians, gathering in various numbers each week for informal jam sessions; guitarist James Apt, violist David Michael Curry, mandolinist Erich Groat and bassist Matt Griffin joined the core trio of Fisher, Austin and O'Brien to record the WGC's 1998 Rykodisc/Slow River debut, Flying Low. The live Weevils in the Captain's Biscuit and the demo collection Radio Free WGC preceded the 1999 release of the superb Mojave. Everything's Fine surfaced two years later.
Wikipedia:
Willard Grant Conspiracy (WGC) is an alt-country band currently based near Palmdale, California, USA.
Originally formed by Robert Fisher and Paul Austin in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts, the band operates as a collective, with vocalist Fisher the only permanent member. Up to thirty other musicians occasionally contribute to the band, both in the studio and during live performances. WGC is currently signed to the independent Glitterhouse Records label, having previously released on Rykodisc and Kimchee Records.
The band toured extensively in 2005 and 2006 visiting twenty-three countries, including a showcase at the South by Southwest music festival.
Fisher's voice and Americana style have been compared to both John Cale and Johnny Cash, with most songs being acoustic.
The band's 2003 release Regard The End, featuring Kristin Hersh as well as Chris Eckman of The Walkabouts, received critical acclaim with Uncut magazine naming it album of the month.
In 2002, Paul Austin started to play in The Transmissionary Six with Terri Moeller of The Walkabouts, and in 2011 he became a member of The Walkabouts.
