Dedicated touring unit the Wildbirds started off in 2005 in a secluded hunting cabin in deepest Wisconsin. There, members Nicholas Stuart (lead vocals, guitar), Matthew Reetz (guitar), Hugh Masterson (bass), and Jon Jon Fries (drums) conjured up some freewheeling rock songs and sent the rough tracks out to labels, just to see if anyone would bite -- Universal Republic did, in 2006. Producer Greg Fidelman (U2, Green Day, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers) and engineer Greg Gordon (Oasis, Hot Hot Heat, Jet) were brought on board to put the polish on the Wildbirds' debut release, Golden Daze, and by 2007 the record was completed and out. Converting a short bus into a biodiesel-burning, rolling hotel, the lads set out on three massive tours of the U.S. and an East-to-West trek across Canada, with plans to head to the U.K. in 2008. ~ J. Scott McClintock