During the Great Depression, the New Deal program known as the Works Progress Administration put millions of people to work.

By those standards, the roots-rock supergroup also known as Works Progress Administration has fairly modest aims. The band gave temporary gainful employment to a measly eight musicians, including Glen Phillips of Toad the Wet Sprocket, Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and Sean and Sara Watkins, both on “extended hiatus” from the bluegrass trio Nickel Creek.

The musicians all knew each other through playing gigs at a Los Angeles music club called Largo, and thought they had enough musical chemistry that they decided to record an album together in just five days. The self-titled, self-released debut is in stores, and a five-piece version of the band (including Phillips on vocals and Sean Watkins on guitar) is on tour, playing at the High Noon Saloon on Thursday, Dec. 3.

Sean Watkins talked with 77 Square recently about his new band.

What is the magic about Largo? A lot of musicians seem to love playing there.

Basically, the guy Flanny who owns it. He’s just a renaissance man and he’s created an environment where people can be really creative and do new things and feel just fine about it. He doesn’t put pressure on you, it doesn’t matter if you bring in a lot of people or not. He’s changed my life musically in a big way. He’s introduced me to all the other people on the record. Basically, I (know them) through connections I made there. It’s an oasis in that city.

Did everyone bring their own songs to the sessions?

We had a big collection of songs. We had about 25 songs that we ran by people, and we kind of weeded them down over the course of two or three days of practice. And then we recorded 17 songs in 5 days. Those guys are just so good, and it was a great mixture of arranging and playing off of each other live. We all threw in our votes and tried to pick the best takes. It was a lot of songs in a few days, but it never felt rushed.

Do you like recording live like that, or do you like to fuss over tracks in the studio?

Every record dictates what it wants. It depends on the songs and the personnel. With this kind of personnel, these guys played so well and feed off of each other so well, you couldn’t recreate that no matter how much cutting and pasting you did.

When was it decided to call the band Works Progress Administration?

It was pretty late in the game. We probably had the record recorded for a year. It’s a big band, it’s a big project, and WPA had that sound to it. Also, there’s a bunch of great public domain (WPA) artwork that we were able to include in the record. Also, this record gave us something to do. This project put us to work.

What is it like launching a new band in this musical environment, 10 years after Nickel Creek?

Nickel Creek was my first jump into something new. Certainly we were naïve and didn’t really know what to expect. It’s hard to compare, I was in a different mental place there. We knew that post-Nickel Creek, everything was going to be a little bit toughter, a little bit more of a struggle. Ultimately, it’s something that needed to happen, something that we all needed to do. We learned a lot in that band and it’s kind of fun to take those tools and step out on your own.

Certainly it’s tough in this musical environment. But I still believe that if you’re playing good music and playing good shows and getting your music in front of as many people as possible, you can carve out a niche for yourself.

IF YOU GO

What: Works Progress Administration

When: Thursday, Dec. 3, 8 p.m.

Where: High Noon Saloon, 701 E. Washington Ave.

Tickets: $20 at the door

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