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Alternative bluegrass darlings Nickel Creek played at the First Act Guitar Studio in July 2005. They poured their hearts out for a deliciously generous helping of a set. Their new album Why Should the Fire Die? has just been released to fervent critical acclaim.
We sat down backstage with Sara and Sean Watkins backstage:
FA: Any advice for budding musicians?
SEAN: You definitely have to stick with it for a couple of years. Don't quit before you make it over the hump. Always practice with a metronome no matter what style of music you're playing.
FA: Do you find that you still have humps to get over?
SEAN: Oh, yeah. Hopefully if you're always getting better, you always have new challenges.
FA: What's the biggest challenge of being a musician?
SEAN: It depends on what phase you're at. For me, the hardest part is traveling on planes and not sleeping that much. You generally struggle for a long time before you make money, but hopefully you have so much fun that it doesn’t matter.
FA: What's something you love about playing music?
SEAN: I love seeing new places and doing what we do in a new environment. And getting to play with musicians that I really love and respect. Getting to make and record new music that hasn't been in the world before... it's really fun.
FA: What was your first band?
SEAN: This band! We started when I was eight.
FA: How's it different being in a bluegrass band from other bands?
SARA: The beauty of being in an acoustic band is you can play anywhere. You don't have to have amps. We can just pull our instruments from the cases and play anywhere... so we're completely self-reliant.
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FA: When did you start playing?
SARA: I began when I was six. Which is kind of old for Suzuki. I took Suzuki lessons for two years. I wanted to play fiddle but I couldn't find anyone to teach me. Then the man that made me want to play fiddle - Dennis Kaplinger - agreed to give me lessons when he wasn't on tour.
FA: Do you have any advice for a young player?
SARA: What made a big difference to me was to have goals. In fiddling, there are a lot of contests, so I would practice for those. And then with the band, there were certain songs, so I would practice for gigs.
I would encourage people to find other people they can play with. Camaraderie is crucial.
FA: What 's challenging about being a musician?
It's important to keep yourself challenged all the time. There will always be things to keep you aware of your shortcomings. You can never become the total master of your instrument. You will always be able to learn more. It’s like trying to be a good person. You’re never going to be the best person you can be, it’s an ongoing process.
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