Nels Cline: "I had no desire to gyrate and hump my amplifier and set my guitar on fire – I wanted to take a modest path"

To many, Nels Cline is the warbling lead guitarist for the prolific Chicago-borne alternative rock band, Wilco. He’s held that position since 2004. But to know the musician and lead player in that sense is to only scratch the surface of Cline’s vast sonic resume. He is also a bandleader, experimental musician, improviser, songwriter, twin brother collaborator (with his identical sibling, Alex) and talent scout – as you’ll read below. 

Cline, who released his latest record, Share the Wealth, via his group, The Nels Cline Singers, in November, appreciates both brevity and elongation in his recordings. 

Some songs on the album clock in at a couple of minutes, while others extend well beyond double digits. But that’s just fine for Cline, who enjoys the vast array of possibilities that the artform allows. 

We caught up with Cline to ask him how he first came to music, which are his favorite guitars and pedals he’s played over the years, the origins of the 2020’s Share the Wealth and much more.