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Scott Plouf was best known prior to his Spilling days as a founding member of Chicago dream pop band the Spinanes. Along with guitarist/singer Rebecca Gates, he released Manos on Sub Pop in 1993. The following year he played drums on Beck's One Foot In the Grave and became a founding member of the queercore group Team Dresch, but he quit before the recording of their first album. After his departure from the Spinanes after their second album Strand he was introduced via Calvin Johnson to Doug. He survived through all three attempts to record Perfect From Now On and continues to represent the G-funk to this very day.

Brett Nelson (not Netson) first worked with Doug in a band with Andy Capps called Farm Days when they were in high school. He was the vocalist/bassist/main songwriter and (at far as I can tell) the only constant in the Boise punk band Butterfly Train, which put out two albums on Up Records. Brett (along with Doug and Andy) recorded the first three BtS singles with Calvin Johnson and There's Nothing Wrong With Love with Phil Ek. He left the fold for the Lollapalooza and Foo Fighter tours but returned in time for the recording of PFNO. Along with Doug and Scott, he has remained the core of the band ever since.

i recall a quote from doug years back saying he had originally envisioned BtS as a kind of solo project with whoever could be in the band whenever he needed them. In that spirit, there are quite a few people who have played in or with the band at some point. I've made an attempt here to sort through the mess and tell who played where.

Brett Netson (not Nelson) was only officially a member of the band during the earliest (i.e. UAW) era of the band. He time is principally consumed by the group Caustic Resin, where he plays guitar and sings. He also played guitar and sang "Shit Brown Eyes" on the Built to Spill/Caustic Resin EP as well as overdubbing on to Perfect From Now On to make it the masterpiece that it is. Doug has said many times that Brett is his favorite guitarist, so give the man some serious respect.

Phil Ek is the premier producer/engineer of the new Northwest rock scene. He first worked with our boys on their second album There's Nothing Wrong With Love when UAW producer Steve Fisk was unavailable and has recorded every album since. Other bands he has worked with are: Modest Mouse, Caustic Resin, Butterfly Train, the Delusions, Duster, Earth, Love As Laughter, Lync, J. Mascis & the Fog, Quasi, Red Stars Theory, 764-HERO, Duster, and a few others. He is very tall.

Calvin Johnson is one of the O.G.'s of the whole indie/college rock scene. The band he formed in 1982 (Beat Happening) has a become one of those seminal groups you hear lots of later bands citing as a an influence. He is currently in a band with Doug called the Halo Benders that has released three albums to this date, all on K Records, which Calvin founded, owns, and runs. Beat Happening is still going and he's also started a group called Dub Narcotic Sound System in 1994.

Throughout every form Built to Spill may take, the one man whose presence can be counted on is Boise native Doug Martsch. He sings. He writes the songs. He plays guitar. Oh god, does he play guitar. His first group of note was the high school band Farm Days, with Brett Nelson on bass and Andy Capps on the skins. His next venture was the punk group State of Confusion, which eventually morphed into the Treepeople. Both bands revolved around the core of Doug and Scott Schmaljohn (now of Stuntman) both playing guitar and singing. With Pat Brown on bass and Wayne Rhino Flower (Violent Green, Halo Benders) on drums they recorded their first album Guilt Regret and Embarassment. At some point, they moved to Seattle and released another album and several EPs before Doug left to begin Built to Spill. (Scott carried on for one more album, Actual Re-Enactment) All four of the albums released under the moniker so far have been subject to unianimous critical praise. He has also formed a band with Calvin Johnson called the Halo Benders that have put out three albums on Johnson's K Records. He has a wife and kid now, which probably takes up most his time, but he's managed to attract enough attention to earn a three-album contract with Warner Brothers. He has also reportedly recorded a solo album, but Warner wouldn't release it. As the upcoming album finishes his current deal with WB, we may be hearing more of that soon.