Winged Wheel is a collective of figures from the U.S. music underground who bring several lifetimes of experience and abstract practice to their collaborative sound. The six-piece, multi-location band is made up of Whitney Johnson (Matchess, Circuit des Yeux), Cory Plump (Spray Paint, co-owner of the venue Tubby’s), Matthew J. Rolin (solo guitar wizard and half of the Powers/Rolin Duo), Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), Lonnie Slack, and Fred Thomas (Idle Ray, Tyvek). Their sound melts together hypnotic kosmische, dual guitar exploration, viola freakouts, Throbbing Gristle-style vocal assaults, and extended technique lap steel, all connected with a web of dubby production . They’ve played shows with Neil Young, Guided By Voices, Phish, Bob Mould, Eric Copeland, and will be performing at Big Ears festival in the spring of 26.

Their third album Desert So Green is out January 9, 2026 via 12XU, just in time for their first tour of Europe.