Chris Thile of Nickel Creek & Friends, Living Room

J Heartonastick keeps raving about Chris Thile and band, so I asked if he would do a guest post. Here it is.....

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Chris Thile is a musician's musician with a music fan's sense of fun.

The mandolinist for hit alt-bluegrass group Nickel Creek recently moved to New York and has started a side project with four other accomplished musicians (on guitar, banjo, bass, fiddle - a pair of them from southern jammers Leftover Salmon). Privately, they're putting together a serious, multi-part suite; publicly, they're having a lot of fun. The group played its first show ever at The Living Room last month to a packed-to-overflowing room, mixing originals, standards, and inspired covers (Radiohead's "Morning Bell," Wilco's "Poor Places"). I personally don't know blue from grass, but thought the show was amazing; the room's collective jaw was on the floor.

Hopefully, this will turn into a monthly residency. They're back again tonight (Dec 22, 2005) with two shows (10PM and 11:15PM). Tix are $12 and are here.

Listen to Thile's "other band": Music Cherry posted Nickel Creek's cover of Britney Spears' Toxic, and here's their Grammy-nominated instrumental Scotch & Chocolate (mp3)