No More Nickel Creek?!
When I went to a mini bluegrass show over at Craig's RV Park earlier this summer with Tia and David, I stopped on the way out to check out the merch table. There's a small bluegrass association down here, and they sell t-shirts and hats and the like. They also rent out bluegrass tapes and books to members. On the top of the rental stack was a beginner's mandolin VHS. Some pudgy blond kid was on the cover in a ridiculous Western shirt, and he looked as if he couldn't be more than 12. I thought to myself, Is this a kid's instruction video? Couldn't they have gotten a better model? Then I looked a little closer. It was CHRIS THILE! Lemme just tell you that Nickel Creek's mandolinist has DEFINITELY lost that baby fat.
But anyway, the point of that story was to note that it looks like Nickel Creek is on an indefinite hiatus:
After seven years of extensive touring in support of three records (seventeen years as a band), we've decided to take a break of indefinite length at the end of 2007 to preserve the environment we've sought so hard to create and to pursue other interests.
This blogger thinks it's Chris Thile's doing, and I tend to agree. Son is WAY talented, only 25, a complete hottie, and he's been popping out solo albums for years. I have most of them. (I also wish he wasn't married, but that's another story...) It's unfortunate that NC is disbanding, since there's really no one else doing what they do right now. Nickel Creek made their name with a kind of americana-folk-bluegrass that was supremely easy on the ears - not in an easy listening manner - and accessible to fans of folk, country, alt.country, and traditional bluegrass, in addition to regular mainstream music listeners (obvs not the hippest band on the block, but hey, I like 'em).
Chris's new solo stuff is definitely of a different vein - think of the strangest Nickel Creek songs and stretch them farther - revolutionary bluegrass, fast-picking twang with atonal fringes and drawled, jerked, sly vocals. Man. Seriously, this guy has got it goin' on. Apparently he also covers The White Stripes' Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground on this album, which I'm excited to hear, especially after they did so well in covering Spit on a Stranger on This Side.
Chris Thile's new one is How to Grow a Woman From the Ground and you can hear some tracks on Chris's Myspace.
OH WAIT!
He isn't married anymore! Turns out the whole album is loosely about his recent divorce. Oh man.