New Music Video From Sara Watkins and Nickel Creek - "Blue Shadows on the Trail"

Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins To Release Solo Album Under the Pepper Tree On March 26

Artist: Sara Watkins

Album: Under the Pepper Tree

Label: New West Records

Release date: March 26, 2021

Sara Watkins of the Grammy-winning groups Nickel Creek and I'm With Her, as well as The Watkins Family Hour, will release a family-friendly album of soothing songs called Under the Pepper Tree on March 26th via New West Records. 

The album reunites her Nickel Creek and I'm With Her bandmates & features guest appearances by Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes, David Garza, and Watkins' three-year-old daughter.

Created with families in mind, the personal project encompasses songs Sara embraced as a child herself and brings storytelling, solace, and encouragement to the listener, no matter the age. In addition to two stunning original songs, the album includes Sara's renditions of "Pure Imagination" from the 1971 film Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, The Beatles' "Good Night," "Moon River" (originally sung by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's), and more. Under the Pepper Tree also reunites Sara's Nickel Creek bandmates Chris Thile and her brother Sean on "Blue Shadows on the Trail" (from the 1986 comedy The Three Amigos), Sara's I'm With Her bandmates Sarah Jarosz & Aoife O'Donovan on "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" (originally performed by Roy Rogers & Sons of the Pioneers), Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes on Harry Nilsson's "Blanket for a Sail," David Garza on Roy Orbison's "Beautiful Dreamer," and Sara's now three-year old daughter on her immensely sweet rendition of The Sound of Music's "Edelweiss."

New Music Video From Sara Watkins - "Say So"

New Music Video From Sara Watkins - "The Holidays With You"

New Music Video From Sara Watkins - "Without a Word"

New Music Video From Sara Watkins- "Young In All The Wrong Ways"

New Music Video From Sara Watkins - "Move Me"

Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins Readies New Solo Album For Release In March

Artist: Sean Watkins (of Nickel Creek)
Album: What To Fear
Artist: Thirty Tigers
Release date: March 18, 2016

Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sean Watkins has long been known for his work as one-third of the Grammy Award-winning trio Nickel Creek and, more recently, for helming the itinerant and genre-hopping ensemble Watkins Family Hour with his sister Sara. However, in the last year he has taken on the role of solo artist. On March 18, Sean will release his new album What To Fear via Thirty Tigers, a follow-up to 2014's All I Do Is Lie, which had been his first solo record in nearly a decade.

"Ever since I was a kid, I always thought it was so funny when some news anchor would say something like 'Are the shoes you're wearing giving you cancer? Stay tuned for the answer right after this!' and then an ad comes on which they get paid for. It's a pretty simple and genius plan," said Watkins. "Where we get our information from is very important. Fear can keep us safe, but it can also cause us to make harsh reactionary decisions that we regret later."

From the press release:

"Watkins deftly juggles the observational and the autobiographical, convincingly taking on the personalities of others - a stalker, a preacher, a cynical newscaster - and then juxtaposing them with a voice that is clearly his own. Watkins' singing unites disparate narrative threads; he's disarmingly honest and sympathetic, no matter whom the character he is channeling might be. Similarly, he has managed to combine the work of his acoustic collaborators - the gifted young Northern Californian trio Bee Eaters - with the robust bass and drums combo of Matt Chamberlain and Mike Elizondo."

What To Fear includes guest-star turns from Sara as well as pianist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and bassist Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing).

Track List:

 

01) What To Fear

02) Last Time For Everything

03) I Am What You Want

04) Keep Your Promises II

05) Everything

06) Where You Were Living

07) Too Little Too Late

08) Local Honey

09) Tribulations

10) Back On My Feet

New Music Video From Watkins Family Hour- "Steal Your Heart Away"

New Music Video From Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz & Aoife O'Donovan - "Be My Husband"

Sara Watkins & Sean Watkins To Release Watkins Family Hour Project On July 24

For singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalists Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins, the Watkins Family Hour has long been an oasis from the rigors of the road, a laboratory where they can try out new material or master beloved cover songs. This revival of sorts has resulted in WFH in releasing their debut album out July 24th, 2015 on Family Hour Records / Thirty Tigers.

Their monthly show at L.A.’s famed venue Largo has been hailed as a convivial, communal event where they welcome an impressive array of musician friends old and new. While it’s true that fans who aren’t lucky enough to be in L.A. and score a coveted ticket can check out the proceedings via youtube or on the podcasts the Watkins siblings have created, the fun of these evenings is really in being there as the unscripted show unfolds. The Watkins Family Hour is always full of surprises, unexpected guests, one-of-a-kind match-ups; serendipity plays as much of a role as virtuosity. Fiona Apple often joins them, and recent guests have included Dawes, Jackson Browne, Nikka Costa, Booker T. and actor-singer John C. Reilly, as well as comedians Paul F. Tompkins, Nick Kroll and Pete Holmes.

Now Sara and Sean have decided to take their Family Hour format on the road -- a kind of musical pop-up shop, if you will -- to clubs and concert halls around the country. And to mark this undertaking, this summer they are releasing the first-ever Watkins Family Hour LP on their own Family Hour Records imprint. The album, recorded live over three days in the studio of their friend and producer-engineer Sheldon Gomberg, beautifully captures the freewheeling spirit of the shows. It features Apple and the stellar players who have become a de facto house band: drummer Don Heffington, pedal steel and dobro player Greg Leisz, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, and keyboardist Benmont Tench, each of whom take a vocal turn at the mic. The Watkins Family Hour is an all-covers affair; tracks include Sara doing Lindsey Buckingham’s “Steal Your Heart Away,” Sean essaying Roger Miller’s wistful “Not In Nottingham,” from Disney’s 1973 animated Robin Hood, and Apple singing “Where I Ought To Be,” originally performed by Skeeter Davis.

On tour, the Watkinses plan to make every venue they visit a home away from home. In each town, they’ll extend an invitation to the many artists they’ve befriended over the years -- through their touring in Nickel Creek, as solo artists, and as frequent collaborators with other like-minded musicians from the worlds of bluegrass, folk, country and rock.

“Taking the Watkins Family Hour on tour and releasing this record feels like the right next step,” says Sara. “The show is about a community of players and that community stretches across the country. If we can’t get everyone to L.A. to do our show, we’ll come to them.”

“The Family Hour has always been something we’ve really loved,” echoes Sean. “It’s been an amazing outlet for us for so many years. Until recently we had thought of it as just an L.A. thing at Largo. But now we feel it’s time to take the show out to more people.”

New Music Video From Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz & Aoife O'Donovan - "Crossing Muddy Waters"

The Boxmasters and Watkins/Jarosz/O'Donovan Each Plan New Releases

Somewhere Down The Road, the brand new album from Billy Bob Thorton's band The Boxmasters, is set for release on April 7. Featuring 22 brand new songs in a 2-disc set, Somewhere Down The Road is "an accumulation of all of the life stories, all of the musical influences, and all of The Boxmasters' history together - delivered in their signature Modbilly sound."
Source

On May 8, Sara Watkins, Sarah Jarosz and Aoife O'Donovan will be releasing a 7" vinyl two-track EP that includes "Crossing Muddy Waters" as well as a cover of Andy Stroud's "Be My Husband." From Bluegrass Today, "The three young women, known for their previous work in groups like Nickel Creek and Crooked Still, and as headlining solo artists, have come together this year to record and tour as a unit."
Source

Hear It Here- New Nickel Creek Song "Destination"

Nickel Creek performs "Destination," off their forthcoming album. View upcoming tour dates and sign up for updates at http://nickelcreek.com

Bluegrass Trio Nickel Creek Set Reunite To Record Upcoming 2014 Album Release

Billboard Magazine announced in a column yesterday that the critically acclaimed trio of Sara Watkins, Chris Thile and Sean Watkins- known as Nickel Creek- have reunited in the studio and recorded a new project that will be released on Warner Music's Nonesuch Records label.

The band was founded in 1989 and released six albums between 1993 and 2006, winning a 2003 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Nickel Creek disbanded in 2007 and each of the members have worked on solo projects and other collaborations since then.

"One insider says there will be a half-dozen Nickel Creek performances surrounding the release though exactly when and where is yet to be determined.A Nonesuch spokeswoman said plans are too preliminary to discuss Nickel Creek, a bluegrass trio of then-teens that formed in Southern California in 1990 and found unprecedented success in the genre. Their self-titled debut from 2000 has sold 1.1 million copies, according to SoundScan and their last album, 2005's "Why Should the Fire Die?" hit No. 17 on the Billboard 200.  When asked what her upcoming recording plans were, Sarah Watkins chose to pretty much not answer the question, smiling and coyly saying, "We'll see."

While we're waiting for a definitive answer to when the project will be released, take a look and listen to one of That Nashville Sound's favorite modern bluegrass songs, "The Lighthouse's Tale."
 

New Music Video From Sara Watkins- "When It Pleases You"

CD Review- Sara Watkins- Sara Watkins

The Background
Sara Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of the progressive bluegrass group, Nickel Creek, which consists of herself and her elder brother, Sean, as well as mandolinist Chris Thile. As a band, they are notable for three wide-released albums: Nickel Creek, This Side, and Why Should the Fire Die?. Aside from singing and fiddling, she can play the ukulele and the guitar. With Nickel Creek, she has released five studio albums, one compilation album, and seven singles. Nickel Creek are currently on hiatus to branch off into new projects, and Sara is pursuing a solo career, having released her debut, Sara Watkins, on Nonesuch Records on April 7, 2009

The Review
Could it be that a bluegrass-country album full of songs fit for the back porch of a small town general store could both harken back to another era and be more relevant and stylish because of it? Produced by Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones (who had performed with Watkins in the band Mutual Admiration Society), the album is filled with rich instrumentalization and a guest list of major bluegrass players. It’s diverse in style, covering classic country, modern country, bluegrass, folk and Americana without boundaries. “In terms of song selection,” Watkins explains, “I didn’t have a goal of making this a country record or a folk record. I didn’t want to avoid anything- except faking it. This was a chance to make a record that doesn’t represent anyone else but me.” Whether it’s the sparse orchestrations without ever feeling empty on “All This Time”, the surprise falsetto and rocking drum tempo on “Long Hot Summer Days”, the haunting dobro on “My Friend”, Watkins master fiddle-playing on Frieiderick, the album Sara Watkins has a surprise on nearly every song. She channels her inner Jeannie Seely and Jean Shepard playing the classic country tune “Any Old Time” and has a modern day western campfire song on my favorite tune, “Pony.” Outside of National Public Radio, this is an album, today’s country music radio will largely ignore. It’s a shame- like those back porch general store jams, it’s a loss of a musical realness & richness for the masses.

Sounds Like
Alison Krauss & Jewel

Track Highlights (suggested iPod adds):
Lord Won’t You Help Me
Long Hot Summer Days
Pony

The Verdict:
Four Stars Out Of Five

Nickel Creek's Sara Watkins To Release Solo Album in April 09'

Hailing from the bluegrass band Nickel Creek, songwriter/fiddler Sara Watkins has signed a record deal with Nonesuch Records and will release a new self-titled solo album on April 7, 2009. The album is a who's who of industry veterans with producer John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), drummer Pete Thomas (Elvis Costello), keyboardist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty) and her Nickel Creek bandmates Chris Tile and Sean Watkins.

Watkins has written 8 of the 14 tracks on the album and is including covers of Tom Waits (Pony), Jon Brion (Same Mistakes), and Jimmie Rodgers (Any Old Time).

For those non-bluegrass afficianados, Nickel Creek produced some of the best music released in the late 90's and early 2000's decade. One of the best tracks they ever released was The Lighthouse's Tale- it's as beautiful as it is haunting. See Sara Watkins and her bandmates here or watch it below...