Feature

On June 15, the Saenger Theater will set the stage for an eclectic acoustic evening with California’s own Nickel Creek. The band formed in 1989 with siblings Sean Watkins (guitar), Sara Watkins (fiddle), Chris Thile (mandolin/banjo/bouzouki), and his father Scott (string bass).

Barely teenagers, the Watkins and the Thiles created Nickel Creek and slowly made their way up the ladder to fame. Scott Thile became weary with the road and stepped out of the band, but the three youngsters continued their rise.

They made their way throughout the festival circuit. Along the way, Alison Krauss’ ears were perked by their unique sound, prompting her to take them under her wing. With Krauss in their corner, their rise to stardom increased to the speed of light. They turned out records left and right and played impressive festivals such as Bonnaroo.

They also inspired the critics to proclaim a new musical genre, which has been called everything from urban bluegrass to newgrass, which is a mixture of jazz, bluegrass and folk. Whatever you want to call it, droves of people flock to the stores to buy their CDs.

Sara Watkins recently took time out of her hectic schedule to chat with me on the phone about home, the road and life in Nickel Creek.

SC: You claim Southern California as your home, which is not considered to be an area known for bluegrass. What lead you into that musical genre?

SW: It was just something we were so into. There were little pockets of it everywhere. We grew up seeing local bands play every Sunday night, and to us being so young, it seemed very normal. We didn’t know any better.

SC: I’ve heard the critics label your music “urban bluegrass” or “newgrass” instead of just plain, old bluegrass. What do you think about labels like that?

SW :We don’t really like anything like that. We play our instruments, which are closely associated with bluegrass. The stuff we play isn’t at all in that category in terms of the arrangements, the chorus and the melodies and the subject matter. We understand why some people say that with the festivals…and because we’ve spent a lot of time around that scene. We’ve never really been big bluegrass fans, and I think that most bluegrass fans get tired of hearing the word “bluegrass band” because they know better.

SC: Chris’ father used to be an active member of Nickel Creek, and then he stepped out of the spotlight. Does he have any plans of picking up the bass again or playing with Nickel Creek in the future?

SW: I don’t think so. I think he still plays. He works at home and stays with his family. We travel too much for anyone to have any sort of family life. So, he decided to stay back with his other two children and his wife in Kentucky.

SC: What goes through your mind when you play a big festival like Bonnaroo?

SW:Oh! It’s thrilling; it’s very exciting.

SC: The guys in the band seem to spend their free time working on various musical projects. How do you spend your free time? Do you have any side projects?

SW: Yeah, we had two weeks off for writing, and I went off with Daron Anger and the Republic of Strings. I toured with them, and I got back the night before last. That was a really great time, and I learned a lot.

SC: Your video for “When in Rome” just won an award at the Nashville Film Festival…

SW: Did it really? Oh, wow!

SC: What was it like making this video?

SW: It was a really fun video to make. It was one of my favorites, actually. Videos are really strange things. This was a great experience, and we really loved that.

SC: What kind of contributions did you make to the video? Did you go to him with a concept or was it vice-versa?

SW: Mostly, it was him and his concepts. We were given a lot of freedom in terms of what all we did. Like Chris laying down in the puddle, that was all his idea. He was very good at making sure we were very comfortable with the clothes that we were wearing and how we presented ourselves. There’s not really a whole lot of story to the video, which is nice. It was just kinda shot out in East L.A.

SC: I understand that you recorded this album in old school analog instead of digital. What made you decide to go with analog?

SW: We used both. We tracked on analog, and we did a few other things on the computer. There were several reasons. Analog isn’t superior in every situation, but it was really good for us. It put us in a different mindset. There’s a certain tangibility that happens when you’re dealing with tape and making a record that way. It sets apart from all the other little recordings that you’ve done where you put things into a hard drive. All of a sudden, you sit there in the room, and the tape is rolling. You can hear it start, and you can smell it. It’s different, and it makes you play differently. It makes you want to step up, and it makes you sound better in terms of what we wanted to get out of these instruments and what we wanted for this record. It’s just different.

SC: What’s the next step for Nickel Creek?

SW: I think we’re going to keep touring through the summer and make another record in the fall.

Stephen Centanni is Lagniappe music editor. Contact him at scentanni@lagniappemobile.com.

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