~ Kommentary by Kritter ~

Utterly Amazing

There are barely words to describe the Nickel Creek concert last night. It was truly THE BEST performance I have ever seen. Speechless. The talent that oozes out of these three individuals (well four really as I will soon explain) is utterly amazing. I could hardly tear my eyes from their flying fingers, each often taking turns to highlight their individual talents- Sarah Watkins on the fiddle, her brother Sean Watkins on the guitar and Chris Thile on the mandolin. The ridiculous thing about their obscene talent is their youth. Sean is 26 and both Chris and Sarah are only 22. The mind can scarcely register how they have nearly mastered their instruments at that age. Of course, Chris Thile is a bona fide prodigy. And if you don’t want to hear more about how I am now in love with Chris, I suggest you don’t click to continue reading this review.

The mildly dorky Chris Thile is surely my one true love. Well, all right, maybe not, but he is definitely my new super crush. After being introduced to the band several months ago, I was immediately enamored of the young man who I thought must be a prodigy. Little did I understand at the time, that he truly IS a prodigy, having put out two CDs in prepubescent years, one in 1994, at age 12, and one in 1997, at age 15. He’s also put out an 85-minute mandolin instruction DVD and two additional CDs, a solo project in 2001 and one with fellow mandolin man Mike Marshall in 2003.

Watching Chris, one suddenly wonders why the “little guitar” isn’t the biggest thing out there. The tiny, 8-string, 4-note instrument has undeniably been overlooked. Sean’s acoustic guitar unexpectedly looks oversized and cumbersome, as Chris dances around with Hendrix-like moves, making music like few musicians can even comprehend on a practically ignored instrument.

But Chris’s talent goes beyond his crazy finger work. It’s hard to claim who the most talented singer is among these three, but a strong argument could be made for the taller, non-blood related member. And his songwriting ability has more dimensions than finger-flying, mind-numbing solos. “Beauty and the Mess” on the Nickel Creek album This Side is clearly about his experiences and struggles as a young star. The chorus sings, “All they get out of you is the show. The rest is mine I guess, the beauty and mess to hide.” He just seems like a cool guy that I would nearly die to hang out with.

The whole group emanates that feeling, actually. Their stilted and humorous banter, reminds an audience member that they are just regular people. Well, um sort of regular, as far as wildly talented human beings go.

I would be remiss after my Chris Thile diatribe to not mention that Sean Watkins also has two solo CDs released in 2001 and 2003 with excellent tunes on them. And as I mentioned earlier, there’s a fourth background member to this band. Mark Schatz not only plucks an amazing stand-up bass line, but he also bows it like a pro. Then, he picks up a banjo in several songs and even jumps on a piece of plywood and starts clogging during a rousing instrumental. What can you say about such talented back up?

One of the great and encouraging aspects of the band is how they are using their fame to practically create a new genre of music. Progressive blue grass just doesn’t seem to encapsulate their efforts. The band started by mixing stylized traditional tunes with a few of their own songs. Now, as they have their feet firmly planted in the spotlight, they are coming into their own. I have never been so enthralled while listening to new songs at a concert. New songs are always sort of nice when you are really into a band. An inkling of what is to come. But honestly, sometimes they are just annoying because you want to hear the stuff you already know. But at their St. Louis blowout, I was just as excited about their new songs as their old ones. Again, watching them stretch a genre into a new era was like watching history being made. Say I am exaggerating. I don’t mind.

My one true sadness is that the rest of the band’s tour is out of reasonable driving distance. But then, I hardly feel reasonable about my desire to see them perform again. They have catapulted themselves to the top of my charts, and I hope to see them chart-top every other intelligent, music-loving life form as well.