We drove down to San Antonio (actually, the tiny nearby town of Helotes, TX) to see Nickel Creek on the Farewell Tour. Very bittersweet, they are our favorite band. They made their first record together when the youngest two were just 8 years old, and have been touring and recording as a band for ~18 years. It's easy to understand why they need to move on in order to grow. They are like an old married couple whose brother has always lived with them. Their stage banter was definitely unhinged with hilarious, joking jabs at each other... in fun, but the underlying tension was there and for this tour they are not hiding it on stage. [POSTSCRIPT: I should add that nobody in the band has ever been married to, or romantically linked to any other band member. The Watkinses are brother and sister. The "old married couple" analogy just refers to relationships of people who have been together for a long, long time.]Their audience is predominately very young, and very devoted... will a few sprinkles of us older, parent or grandparent-aged very devoted folks. Seems like most of them are players, and many were inspired to play by this very band. I have to say that this is the first concert I've ever attended where I didn't notice anyone being drunk or otherwise inebriated... but everyone had a fantastic time. Yes, I know lots of them were too young to drink... that doesn't explain it... it's just that the crowd was not there for the PURPOSE of drinking. It was all about the adoration of the band and their music.
Links: [Nickel Creek Website] and better for listening: [Creek on MySpace] [Chris Thile on MySpace] [Sara Watkins on MySpace] [Sean Watkins on MySpace]
Tags: Music - Nickel Creek - mandolin - fiddle - guitar
5 comments:
I gots to tell ya, you and Mando Mama get me all countrified with some of the coolish music y'all post. "Traditionally" I'm much more of a Metal Head, or hard, progressive rock at any rate. Electronic's been my passion lately, but this song, and a few things I've got from FtLoB have been wonderful li'l breaks from the tech music.
Thanks!
That is one of my favorite tunes from an incredibly talented bunch of young people. I'm sorry they're moving on but you're right, when it's time, it's time. They essentially grew up together and already have had quite a career when most folks are just getting their careers underway. Makes my head spin. They're coming through NE Ohio in July and we'll be there.
Thanks for sharing!!
MB: it's all good.
MM: Lucky you! Chris promised that he would bring his new band to Austin, so I am looking forward to that yet unscheduled show. He is calling this new project "The Tensions Mountain Boys". Clever! Not sure when we'll see the Watkinses again. :-(
Nice music there blueberry! Ever since I have discovered the Dixie Chicks, music that has fiddle in it has appealed to me more and more. Being a Texan I naturally gravitate towards it anyway ;) (Disco had a lot of strings in it and i am a HUGE disco bunni!)
thanks for sharing! gonna be looking up more of their works.
Gotta love the fiddle if you're in Texas! Not to mention guitar... and accordions are well-respected too... (unlike other places), but young Mr. Thile has given me a mandolin fixation! Nickel Creek is named after a tiny place in west Texas that has 2 residents (now THAT'S tiny), but they aren't Texan.
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