The LA Power Pop Band Behind Brian Wilson’s Masterpiece

Brian Wilson has always been one of the most fascinating figures in popular music. As the creative force behind the Beach Boys, he helped shape the sound of the 1960s with lush harmonies, emotional songwriting, and studio experimentation that changed what pop music could be. Yet despite the brilliance of albums like Pet Sounds, Wilson himself often remained distant from the spotlight.

Part of that mystery came from the pressure he faced at a young age. Being labeled a genius in the mid-1960s came with enormous expectations, and the intense environment of the music industry eventually pushed Wilson into long stretches of withdrawal from public life. While his influence remained enormous, the man behind the music became increasingly elusive.

By the late 1970s and early 1980s, it seemed as if the cultural moment that once celebrated the Beach Boys had faded. Rock music had grown heavier, louder, and more aggressive. But deep within Los Angeles’ music community, a group of devoted fans and musicians were quietly keeping Wilson’s legacy alive—and they would soon play an unexpected role in reviving one of his greatest unfinished works.

The Mystery of Smile

Few lost albums have inspired as much fascination as Brian Wilson’s abandoned 1960s project Smile. Originally intended as the follow-up to Pet Sounds, the album became legendary after recording sessions collapsed in 1967. For decades, only fragments and rumors circulated among devoted fans.

Among the most passionate of those fans was music historian Domenic Priore. In 1984, Priore connected with two young musicians, Darian Sahanaja and Nick Walusko, who shared a deep obsession with the Beach Boys’ most ambitious era. Together, they began studying every scrap of information they could find about Smile.

At a time when few people were interested in revisiting Wilson’s abandoned masterpiece, the trio treated the album like a puzzle waiting to be solved. They gathered session tapes, traded bootlegs, and combed through fanzines and archival material. Their goal was simple but ambitious: reconstruct what Smile might have looked like if it had been completed in the 1960s.

From Fans to Musicians

While their research was focused on Brian Wilson’s work, something else was happening along the way. As Sahanaja and Walusko spent more time collaborating, they realized they had a strong musical chemistry of their own. That partnership eventually led to the formation of a Los Angeles power pop band called the Wondermints.

The Wondermints drew heavily from the melodic traditions that Wilson helped pioneer. Their music embraced bright harmonies, inventive arrangements, and a deep respect for classic pop craftsmanship. In many ways, their sound reflected the same musical curiosity that had drawn them to Smile in the first place.

Although the group remained somewhat underground, they quickly developed a reputation within LA’s tight-knit music circles. Their knowledge of Wilson’s catalog—and their ability to faithfully recreate its complex arrangements—set them apart from most contemporary bands. That expertise would soon put them on a path directly toward the man they admired.

Joining Brian Wilson’s Inner Circle

The connection between the Wondermints and Brian Wilson eventually became more than just admiration. In 1999, members of the band joined Wilson’s touring ensemble, helping him bring his intricate music back to the stage. For musicians who had once studied his work like detectives, the moment was surreal.

Darian Sahanaja in particular became a key collaborator in Wilson’s later career. His understanding of the unfinished Smile project helped shape the structure of Brian Wilson Presents Smile, the long-awaited live debut of the material at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 2004. Remarkably, the sequence they had pieced together years earlier closely resembled Wilson’s own vision.

The Wondermints would remain a vital part of Wilson’s backing band for more than two decades, staying with him until his retirement in 2022. What began as a small group of devoted fans trying to decode a lost album ultimately turned into a lasting musical partnership—one that helped bring Brian Wilson’s most mythical work to life.