| Chris Thile | |
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 Chris Thile performing at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2007.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Scott Thile [1] |
| Born | February 20, 1981 in Oceanside, California [1] |
| Origin |  United States |
| Genre(s) | Bluegrass Progressive bluegrass Folk Country Classical Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Mandolin Bouzouki Mandola Banjo Guitar Tenor Guitar Drums |
| Years active | 1994 - Present |
| Label(s) | Sugar Hill Records Nonesuch Records |
| Associated acts |
Nickel Creek Punch Brothers Mutual Admiration Society Mike Marshall Edgar Meyer |
| Website | christhile.com |
Chris Thile (IPA: /ˈθiːlɪ/) (February 20, 1981) is an American musician, best known as mandolinist and vocalist for the progressive acoustic trio, Nickel Creek. He has also recorded five albums as a solo artist, debuting with Leading Off in 1994. Chris Thile has collaborated with various artists such as Mike Marshall, Béla Fleck, Glen Phillips, and Edgar Meyer. The three members of Nickel Creek met in Carlsbad, California at That Pizza Place in 1989, whilst listening to weekly bluegrass shows with their parents. Soon they were taking lessons from the same instructor, playing festivals, and even recording albums. Their first, Little Cowpoke, was released in 1994. Nickel Creek has gone on to record several more albums, including their self-titled debut album and This Side, which went platinum and won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 2005, Nickel Creek released Why Should the Fire Die?, which received massive critical acclaim and sold 250,000 units. Thile has released other solo albums, including the intricate Not All Who Wander Are Lost', released in 2001, and Deceiver in 2004 (in which he wrote, composed, sang, and played every part). Thile's most recent studio album was 2006's How to Grow a Woman from the Ground. In 2008, Thile will release a collaboration album with bassist Edgar Meyer, and also plans to release a collaborative album with Hilary Hahn. [2][3]
Contents |
History
1981-1999: Early life and career
Thile was born in Oceanside, California in 1981. His earliest memories of music are listening to Stan Getz's "The Girl from Ipanema" before he even turned one year old. When he was two, his family started going to That Pizza Place, where he listened to John Moore's band Bluegrass Etc. When Thile was four, his family moved to Idyllwild, California. Thile began playing the mandolin at the age of five, taking occasional lessons from John Moore. At age eight, Chris' family and the Watkins family formed Nickel Creek. The band performed at many California bluegrass festivals, and as a result Chris had to be home-schooled. At age twelve, he won the prestigious national mandolin championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. That same year, 1993, Thile made a demo tape and sent it to the Sugar Hill and Rounder record labels. Both labels showed interest, but the Thiles went with Sugar Hill.[4] The next year Chris Thile released his first solo album, Leading Off, featuring mostly original compositions. In 1997, Chris released Stealing Second and Nickel Creek released Here to There.
2000-2005: Wander and Deceiver
Following the major success and platinum accreditation of the album Nickel Creek, Thile released Not All Who Wander Are Lost in 2001. The album featured guest appearances from several well-known instrumentalists such as Stuart Duncan, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Bryan Sutton. In 2003, Thile teamed up with mandolinist Mike Marshall for the duet album Into the Cauldron, which included original pieces as well as pieces by Charlie Parker and J. S. Bach. In 2004, Thile released Deceiver, an experimental album on which he recorded every track himself. This included electric guitar, piano, drums, violin, viola, cello, and bass. Deceiver demonstrated some pop/rock songwriting in addition to "newgrass."
2006-Present: Punch Brothers
In August 2006, Nickel Creek announced via Billboard Magazine and their official website that at the end of the year they would no longer be recording together as a group, and their tour scheduled through 2007 would be their last for an indefinite period of time. This opened the way for Chris Thile to pursue new projects. In 2006, Thile formed the How to Grow a Band, with whom he recorded How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, Thile's fifth album. In an interview with the Nashville City Paper, Thile described the formation of the band:
| “ | "We got together one night just to drop a ton of money, drink too much wine, eat steaks, and commiserate about our failed relationships. We had gotten to play together a few days before and we had said that we needed to do something musical together. With our hearts smashed to pieces, it became more urgent — our lives had gone the same way for so long. I knew I wanted to have a band with Gabe [Witcher], but I didn’t know if it would be a rock ensemble, an ambitious acoustic classical thing or a bluegrass group. We played, and there was a serious, instantaneous connection. Then I knew I wanted to put together a bluegrass band — one with a lot of range, but aesthetically a bluegrass band." [5] | ” |
The band consists of Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Greg Garrison (bass), and Noam Pikelny (banjo). Bryan Sutton has also filled in on guitar when necessary. In 2007, the band officially changed its name first to "The Tensions Mountain Boys" and then "Punch Brothers." On March 17, 2007, this group debuted Thile's most ambitious work to date at Carnegie Hall: "The Blind Leaving the Blind", a forty minute suite in four movements. Thile says the piece was written in part to deal with his divorce of 2004. Punch Brothers will soon be releasing an album on Nonesuch Records, slated for release on February 26, 2008. The album will feature Thile's suite "The Blind Leaving the Blind", as well as other original songs. [6] In December 2007, the title of the debut album was announced: Punch.
Side projects
Thile's career has been successful, especially for one so young. He is also featured in the documentary Bluegrass Journey, along with the rest of Nickel Creek, and still maintains an active touring schedule. An in-demand studio musician, he has also appeared on a number of other artists' recordings, including Béla Fleck's Perpetual Motion, playing arrangements of Baroque music with Fleck and Edgar Meyer, the Dixie Chicks' Home, and Dolly Parton's Little Sparrow. He can frequently be seen playing in New York City, NY at The Baggot Inn and Parkside Lounge's bluegrass jams alongside Tony Trischka, Greg Garring and Michael Daves.
Awards and nominations
- 2001 - IBMA award for Mandolinist of the Year
- 2005 - Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for Deceiver
- 2006 - Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance for "The Eleventh Reel"
- 2007 - BBC's Folk Musician of the Year
- 2007 - Nominated for IBMA Mandolinist of the Year
Discography
Solo
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Collaborations
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Nickel Creek
References
- ^ Chris Thile: Covering the Bases. iBluegrass.com (1999-05-20). Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Tensions Mountain Boys at Carnegie Hall. Carnegie Hall (2007-03-17). Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Nonesuch Records Signs Singer/Composer/Mandolinist Chris Thile and His New Band, Punch Brothers. All About Jazz (2007-10-09). Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
- ^ Chris Thile: Covering the Bases. iBluegrass.com (1999-05-20). Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
- ^ Nickel Creek’s Thile ‘grows’ a new band. Nashville City Paper (2006-08-23). Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
- ^ Nonesuch Records Signs Singer/Composer/Mandolinist Chris Thile and His New Band, Punch Brothers. All About Jazz (2007-10-09). Retrieved on 2007-10-10.
External links
- www.christhile.com
- Nickel Creek's website
- Nickel Creek at MySpace
- Punch Brothers at MySpace
- The Tensions Mountain Boys at MySpace
- How to Grow A Band at MySpace
- Unofficial Fansite
- How to Grow A Woman from the Ground Review on JamBase.com
- Chris Thile Interview and Feature Article
- 10 Questions For Chris Thile Interview
| Chris Thile |
|---|
| Discography |
| Solo Albums: Leading Off • Stealing Second • Not All Who Wander Are Lost Deceiver • How to Grow a Woman from the Ground • Untitled |
| Nickel Creek: Little Cowpoke • Here to There • Nickel Creek This Side • Why Should the Fire Die? • Reasons Why: The Very Best |
| Chris Thile & Mike Marshall: Into the Cauldron • Live: Duets |
| Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer: Untitled |
| Related articles |
| Nickel Creek • Mutual Admiration Society |
| Nickel Creek |
|---|
| Chris Thile • Sara Watkins • Sean Watkins |
| Discography |
| Albums: Little Cowpoke • Here to There • Nickel Creek This Side • Why Should the Fire Die? • Reasons Why: The Very Best |
| Singles: When You Come Back Down • The Lighthouse's Tale • Reasons Why This Side • Speak • Smoothie Song • When In Rome |
| Related articles |
| The Real SeanJon • Mutual Admiration Society |
