Sugar Hill Records to Release Nickel Creek Titles on Vinyl in Celebration of Record Store Day

Nashville, TN (February 8th, 2011) – Sugar Hill Records is excited to announce that they will be releasing a trio of Nickel Creek titles on deluxe vinyl - exclusively for Record Store Day, Saturday April 16th. The titles include Nickel Creek’s now Platinum certified debut, Nickel Creek, the GRAMMY award winning This Side, and their final Sugar Hill release, Why Should The Fire Die?. All titles are deluxe two-album sets featuring digitally remastered audio. A mandolin autographed by the members of Nickel Creek will be given away online as part of a Record Store Day promotion as well.



Nickel Creek, who began their relationship with Sugar Hill Records in 2000, were named “music innovators for the New Millennium” by Time Magazine. Their self-titled debut Nickel Creek received widespread critical acclaim, garnering multiple award nominations, and has sold over one million albums to date. The 2002 release, This Side, captured the Grammy for “Best Contemporary Folk Album.” Their third album Why Should The Fire Die? continued their folk-pop innovations, and debuted at Number One on the Independent Album chart when it was released in 2005. The band parted ways in 2007 after their Farewell (For Now) Tour.



In its fifth year, Record Store Day is an occasion for all independently owned record stores to come together in celebration of the art of music. Limited edition vinyl and cd releases are made available exclusively for the day, and hundreds of musicians across the country perform at various events. For more information about the Nickel Creek mandolin give-away, and events in your area, please visit: http://www.recordstoreday.com/



For more information on the Nickel Creek vinyl re-issues, Sugar Hill Records, or Record Store Day, please contact: Donica Christensen / Sugar Hill Records – P: 615-297-6890 or E: Donicac@sugarhillrecords.com

Former Nickel Creek member tours solo

By Jennifer Popiel • For Go! Magazine •


EASTON — Sara Watkins, former band member of Grammy award-winning acoustic trio Nickel Creek, is debuting her new self-titled album now through June and will be in concert at the Nightcat in Easton on Monday.
The 27-year-old singer-songwriter has flirted with the idea of working on solo projects for quite a while. Former Led Zepplin bassist John Paul Jones first encouraged Watkins to make a record of her own when they met on tour in 2004; he continued to be persistent with her and told her that if he did not allow her to produce an album for her, he would never speak to her again
Flattered that Jones was so excited to work with her, the moment to produce an album finally came to fruition when Nickel Creek went on an “indefinite” hiatus.
The timing was perfect because Watkins was ready to begin working on solo projects, and Jones made the transition so much easier for her she said in alleviating the search for a good producer.
Transitioning solo has been a change of pace with more ups than downs, according to Watkins.
“At first I was a little nervous about it, especially having to make a lot of my own decisions, whereas before I could rely heavily on my bandmates,” she said.
Watkins is gracious for being able to brainstorm ideas with other players she is acquainted with in the community. Full story...

A mandolin maestro, heading to the stars

THE FORMER NICKEL CREEK MUSICIAN COMES TO TOWN TO PERFORM HIS SYMPHONY WITH THE DSO

Chris Thile, the extraordinarily talented mandolin player, picked up the instrument for the first time when he was 5 years old.

He played with the band Nickel Creek for more than 15 years and won a Grammy in 2002. He's released solo albums, collaborated with artists like the Dixie Chicks, Bela Fleck and Dolly Parton, and now plays with The Punch Brothers, whom he affectionately refers to as "the boys."
His music defies genre classifications, which is just the way he likes it. There are flavors of bluegrass, jazz, rock, pop and folk running through his music. And now we can add classical to that recipe, because Chris has written a concerto for mandolin and orchestra.
He'll be performing the three-movement concerto, called "Ad astra per alas porci" or "To the stars on the wings of a pig" with seven different symphonies across the country. Chris and his mandolin will be here in Wilmington on Friday and Saturday night, performing with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra at The Grand.
We chatted with Chris about his music, the concerto and what it's like going from being a member of a band to playing with a full orchestra.
Q: Throughout your career, you've played with bands and other musicians. Does playing with the symphony have a more formal feel than just playing a show with your band?
A: I see what you're saying, that maybe it is more formal or something, but I don't think it has to be that way. I don't think that one has to be more relaxed than the other. Or that this is necessarily formal, and that was informal. To me those kinds of distinctions aren't necessary. I'm trying to approach these performances the way that I would approach anything that I do.
Playing the concerto, it presents a lot of the same kinds of difficulties that playing a three or four minute pop song presents. I'm desperately trying to conceive, compose and perform good music, regardless of whether it's playing it with Punch Brothers, or playing by myself or with an orchestra. My goal for the thing is to make good music. More...

A mandolin maestro, heading to the stars

Chris Thile, the extraordinarily talented mandolin player, picked up the instrument for the first time when he was 5 years old.

He played with the band Nickel Creek for more than 15 years and won a Grammy in 2002. He's released solo albums, collaborated with artists like the Dixie Chicks, Bela Fleck and Dolly Parton, and now plays with The Punch Brothers, whom he affectionately refers to as "the boys."
His music defies genre classifications, which is just the way he likes it. There are flavors of bluegrass, jazz, rock, pop and folk running through his music. And now we can add classical to that recipe, because Chris has written a concerto for mandolin and orchestra.
He'll be performing the three-movement concerto, called "Ad astra per alas porci" or "To the stars on the wings of a pig" with seven different symphonies across the country. Chris and his mandolin will be here in Wilmington on Friday and Saturday night, performing with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra at The Grand.
We chatted with Chris about his music, the concerto and what it's like going from being a member of a band to playing with a full orchestra.
Q: Throughout your career, you've played with bands and other musicians. Does playing with the symphony have a more formal feel than just playing a show with your band?
A: I see what you're saying, that maybe it is more formal or something, but I don't think it has to be that way. I don't think that one has to be more relaxed than the other. Or that this is necessarily formal, and that was informal. To me those kinds of distinctions aren't necessary. I'm trying to approach these performances the way that I would approach anything that I do.
Playing the concerto, it presents a lot of the same kinds of difficulties that playing a three or four minute pop song presents. I'm desperately trying to conceive, compose and perform good music, regardless of whether it's playing it with Punch Brothers, or playing by myself or with an orchestra. My goal for the thing is to make good music.