The Wildbirds are a 5-piece rock 'n' roll band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Formation

The original line-up was formed by Nicholas Stuart, Matthew Reetz, Michael Ziemann, and Jon Jon Fries in 2006 in Appleton, Wisconsin. Each had previously been a part of 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.

Golden Daze

Their debut album Golden Daze, released on Universal Republic in 2007, was written in Matthew Reetz's hunting cabin in north woods Wisconsin. It was produced by Greg Fidelman

Greg Fidelman

Greg Fidelman is an American music engineer, producer and mix engineer. He has worked with many renowned and highly regarded bands in various genres, many in the heavier rock or metal genres, including Metallica, Slayer, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bush, Audio Slave, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, and...

 (U2, Tom Petty, Johnny Cash) & engineered by Greg Gordon (Oasis, JET, Hot Hot Heat). The album was reviewed by David Fricke

David Fricke

David Fricke is a senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly on rock music. In the 1990s, he was managing editor before stepping down.-Background:David Fricke is a graduate of Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania...

 in the January 24, 2008, issue of Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

 

Hiatus

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.

Reformation

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", will be released on July 22, 2010.

Publicity

Their song "Suzanna" was featured on Little Steven's Underground Garage 'The Coolest Songs in the World Vol. 6'.

"421 (Everybody Loves You)" was played on national television when Brett Favre

Brett Favre

Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...

 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

X Games

The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....

 in Aspen, Colorado. The song "421 (Everybody Loves You)" was featured in ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

's commercials leading up to the event, and "Hard on Me" was played during a feature on Levi LaVallee

Levi LaVallee

Levi LaVallee is an American snowmobile racer.He won the Winter X Games VIII HillCross gold medal in 2004....

.