| Chris Thile | |
|---|---|
 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] (Pronounced “Theé-lee”, like “really.”)[2] |
| Born | February 20, 1981 Oceanside, California, United States[3][4] |
| Origin | United States |
| Genres | Bluegrass, progressive bluegrass, folk, country, classical, jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Mandolin, bouzouki, mandola, banjo, guitar, tenor guitar, drums, piano, violin, viola, bass |
| Years active | 1994 - Present |
| Labels | Sugar Hill
(1994–2007) Nonesuch (2007–Present) |
| Associated acts | Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers, Mutual Admiration Society, Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer |
| Website | christhile.com |
| Notable instruments | |
| Gibson Lloyd Loar F5 Mandolin (serial number 75316)[5], Lynn Dudenbostel F5 Mandolin #5 and #14,[6] Lawrence Smart mandola,[6] Flatiron bouzouki[6] | |
Chris Thile (pronounced /ˈθiːliː/)[7] (born February 20, 1981) is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and vocalist for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers and his most recent album is Punch. He has also recorded five albums as a solo artist, debuting with Leading Off in 1994. Chris Thile has collaborated with many artists such as Mike Marshall, Béla Fleck, Glen Phillips, and Edgar Meyer. Thile is a great-great-grandson of Baseball Hall of Famer Sam Thompson.
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). In 2008, Thile released a collaboration album with bassist Edgar Meyer, and also plans to release a collaborative album with Hilary Hahn.[8][9]
Contents |
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.[10] The next year Chris Thile released his first solo album, Leading Off, featuring mostly original compositions.
In 1995, the Thile family moved to Murray, Kentucky where Chris' father Scott Thile accepted a position at Murray State University as a musical instrument technician.[11][12] In 1997, Chris released Stealing Second and Nickel Creek released Here to There. Chris went on to attend Murray State University for a few semesters, where he was a music major.[13]
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."
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.
Thile was also a judge for the 5th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[14]
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." [15] | ” |
The band consists of Chris Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle/violin), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (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 released their first album, Punch, February 26, 2008 on Nonesuch Records. The album featured Thile's suite "The Blind Leaving the Blind", as well as other original songs.[9]
To promote Punch, Thile and Punch Brothers planned a year-long tour in 2008, as well as a February 29 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.[16]
In August 2008, Thile and bassist Edgar Meyer announced the release date of the duo's planned debut album. The album was released on Thile's label Nonesuch Records on September 23, 2008.[17] Commenting on the collaboration, Thile said "Edgar is one of the biggest influences on my musical life, and now I’m in a duo with him and writing songs with him. This was my dream. I always wondered what it would be like to be playing music this hard."[18] The Punch Brothers are currently on tour in the United States."[19]
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, Kate Rusby's Awkward Annie, 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.
In 2009 Thile completed a mandolin concerto entitled Ad astra per alas porci. The work was commmisioned by a consortium of orchestras including the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Oregon Symphony, Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Winston-Salem Symphony, Delaware Symphony Orchestra, Portland Symphony Orchestra, and Interlochen Center for the Arts. Thile performed the world premiere of the first movement with the Interlochen Arts Camp World Youth Symphony Orchestra under director Jung-Ho Pak, and premiered his entire concerto with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra on Sept. 17, 2009.[20][21][22][23]
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Bluegrass | US Country | US Indie | US Heat | ||
| 1994 | Leading Off | ||||
| 1997 | Stealing Second | ||||
| 2001 | Not All Who Wander Are Lost | 13 | |||
| 2003 | Into the Cauldron (with Mike Marshall) | 6 | |||
| 2004 | Deceiver | 3 | |||
| 2006 | Live: Duets (with Mike Marshall) | 6 | |||
| How to Grow a Woman from the Ground | 2 | 46 | 27 | 28 | |
| 2008 | Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile (with Edgar Meyer) | 3 | |||
Little Cowpoke• Here to There•
Nickel Creek• This Side• Why Should the Fire Die?•
Reasons Why: The Very Best
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| Chris Thile | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Christopher Scott Thile [1] |
| Born | February 20, 1981 in Oceanside, California[2] |
| Genres | Bluegrass, Progressive bluegrass, Folk, Country, Classical, Jazz |
| Occupations | Musician, Songwriter, Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Mandolin, Bouzouki, Mandola, Banjo, Guitar, Tenor Guitar, drums |
| Years active | 1994 - Present |
| Labels | Sugar Hill Records (1994–2007) Nonesuch Records (2007–) |
| Associated acts | Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers, Mutual Admiration Society, Mike Marshall, Edgar Meyer, Hilary Hahn |
| Website | christhile.com |
Chris Thile (IPA: /ˈθiːlɪ/) (born February 20, 1981) is an American musician, best known as a member of acoustic band Nickel Creek. He has made six albums as a solo artist and with his band, Punch Brothers. His first, Leading Off, was released in 1994 when Thile was 13. Thile has also played and recorded with artists like Mike Marshall, Béla Fleck, Glen Phillips, and Edgar Meyer.
Thile's third album, Not All Who Wander Are Lost, was released in 2001. His fourth, Deceiver had all songs written and performed by Thile alone. His most recent solo work was 2006's How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, and Thile released Punch in 2008 with the band Punch Brothers. Also in 2008, Thile will make an album with Edgar Meyer, which will come out in the fall.[3][4]
Contents |
Thile was born in Oceanside, California in 1981. 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.
He started playing mandolin at the age of five. He took lessons from John Moore. When Thile was eight, Nickel Creek was formed. After playing many music festivals with Nickel Creek, he won the national mandolin contest at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas at age twelve.
In 1993, Thile was signed to the bluegrass record label Sugar Hill. The next year, he released his first album, Leading Off, and most of the songs were written by Thile. In 1997, Thile released Stealing Second and Nickel Creek released Here to There.
After Nickel Creek sold 500,000 copies, Thile released Not All Who Wander Are Lost in 2001. The name of the album comes from a quote in J. R. R. Tolkien's book The Lord of the Rings. The album had guest appearances from his Nickel Creek bandmates as well as Stuart Duncan, Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer, Jerry Douglas, and Bryan Sutton.
In 2003, Thile and mandolinist Mike Marshall made a duet album called Into the Cauldron, which had covers by artists from Charlie Parker to Bach. The next year, Thile released Deceiver, a pop album on which he played and wrote every song himself. He mainly played his mandolin on the album, but also played electric guitar, piano, drums, violin, viola, cello, and bass.
In August 2006, Nickel Creek announced in Billboard and on their official website that they would take an indefinite hiatus, which means a break for an unknown amount of time.
Just before this, Thile formed the How to Grow a Band. He made How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, with them. This was Thile's fifth album. In an interview with the Nashville City Paper, Thile talked about the band's start:
| “ | "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's members are Thile (mandolin), Gabe Witcher (fiddle), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Greg Garrison (bass), and Noam Pikelny (banjo). Bryan Sutton also played guitar for the band when Chris Eldridge could not. In 2007, the band changed its name twice: first to "The Tensions Mountain Boys" and then "Punch Brothers."
Punch Brothers released their first album, Punch, on the Nonesuch Records on February 26, 2008. The album has Thile's four piece song "The Blind Leaving the Blind", along with other original songs.[6]
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 |
| How to Grow a Woman from the Ground |
   | Nickel Creek's website - Nickel Creek - Home Page |
| | How to Grow A Woman from the Ground Review on JamBase.com - CHRIS THILE: HOW TO GROW A WOMAN... on JamBase |
| | www.christhile.com - Chris Thile->Punch Brothers |
| | Tensions Mountain Boys at Carnegie Hall - Carnegie Hall -- File Not Found |
| | Chris Thile Interview and Feature Article - After Nickel Creek, Thile Continues to Grow | The Cornell Daily Sun |
| | Chris Thile: Covering the Bases - Bluegrass: We ARE Bluegrass Music |
| | 10 Questions For Chris Thile Interview - Mandolin 10 Questions - Chris Thile - Interview |
| | "Hit-making Nickel Creek tries to catch its breath" - Hit-making Nickel Creek tries to catch its breath | Oakland Tribune | Find Articles at BNET |
| | Show Calendar: Week of February 25 - February 29 - NBC.com < The Tonight Show with Jay Leno - Calendar |
| | "AETN Presents: Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile" - AETN Presents: Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile |
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