story by Jacob S. Knabb
photo by Danny Clinch
Maybe you've heard of Nickel Creek. Perhaps "The Smoothie Song"
came over the airwaves and you nodded your head along too. Hell, it's
okay. After all, Nickel Creek is a tight outfit. I mean those kids
can play. And talk about technical virtuosity. How about their mandolin
player, Chris Thile? Here's a kid who, at age 9, was playing bluegrass
in the pizza parlors of San Diego. Had national acclaim in the bluegrass
circuit by 13. Two solo releases under his belt at 16. Two Grammy
nominations at 19. "Mandolin Player of the Year" at 20.
But fame can be a strange thing. After all, this kind of success
breeds a whole lot of expectation. And child prodigies are afforded
far fewer mistakes once they come of age - and are supposed to have
written through all their juvenilia. Call it the "Kenny Wayne
Shepherd Principle," if you will. Thile garnered nearly immaculate
critical reception to his last solo effort, 2001's Not All Who Wander
Are Lost. Pick your favorite appellative: brilliant stylist, compositional
genius, major talent. Chris Thile has already achieved plaudits that
bluegrass pioneers like Ralph Stanley still haven't seen written about
them. And, as though bluegrass knighthood weren't enough, Thile and
Co. have also branched into jazz, soul, and most definitely pop.
So does Thile's new album, Deceiver, deliver? Thile decidedly continues
his progression away from bluegrass and into the pixie stick arms
of pop on his latest album. And this works relatively well on some
tracks. "The Wrong Idea" makes really compelling claims
for Thile's stylistic growth, shifting smoothly through several challenging
musical phrases, and establishing a wonderful counterpoint between
the bubblegum feel of the song and the prickly subject matter. Not
since "She's Only 17" has a pop song about sex with tenth
grade girls been so listenable. And, as Thile is quick to add, "keep
in mind, I was 19." And that was true. But now he's 23.
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THILE'S INNER VIEW
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"We have a love for pushing yourself
to the brink. Seldom is there a comfortable moment for
me, or the listener."
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Deceiver is also Thile's first solo release to feature vocals, and
this is the biggest risk of all since he is not known as a vocal prodigy.
But there's the problem of expectations. His mandolin skills have
heightened everyone's awareness, and listeners find a vulnerable target
in Thile's vocals. He can sing; that's not the problem. But can he
sing like he can play? Well, to put it quite simply, no. Thile evokes
Justin Timberlake more than Andrew Bird, and the inherent smooth gloss
of boy band pining. This bogs down tracks like "Empire Falls,"
a headier take on the New York Times best-selling novel. And it downright
destroys "On Ice" and "The Believer." Unfortunately
the end result is mixed, which a talent like Thile can't afford.
Interestingly enough, Thile isn't touring Deceiver right now. Instead,
he's hitting the road with bass god Edgar Meyer, playing concert halls
and avoiding vocals like the plague (perhaps not a bad idea really).
But if his progression into popped-out bliss is all too evident in
his solo work of late, it's markedly absent from this upcoming live
set. So what can be expected from Thile this time out? And just what
was he thinking trying to accomplish so much? A phone call later,
things are much clearer - about Ryne Sandberg, about Nickel Creek,
and about Deceiver. But what about Chris Thile?
Chicago Innerview: So what's the deal with Ryne Sandberg?
Christ Thile: Baseball is the most musical sport. I love the gameplay
and pace. There's a purity that, for me, is lacking in other sports.
With the Cubs there's such a rich tradition. During the summers of
my childhood in Southern California, we'd watch WGN. It seemed like
every time we'd watch a game, Ryne Sandberg would do something amazing
to help the team. Making a great catch or hitting a homerun. Sandberg
was just so fricking classy out there. So at 16 I had precious little
to write about when it came to sadness. And that happened to be the
year Sandberg retired. So that became my inspiration for sadness.
CI: It must have been difficult to get many things across given the
physical ability you possessed. How did you channel your artistic
abilities through such raw talent?
CT: Playing was just what I did. Writing music was a very happy thing.
You don't have to deal with words. And you can kind of hide lyrical
shortcomings. I spent my time working on realizing harmonic and melodic
development.
CI: How has the success and knowledge that you gained working with
Nickel Creek fed into your solo work?
CT: Everything is permeated with Nickel Creek. It's tough to put
it into words. We have a love for pushing yourself to the brink. Seldom
is there a comfortable moment for me, or the listener. That involves
pounding yourself to be better each show. It's not an easy thing,
but it's very rewarding.
CI: Do you think it's risky leading off an album with a song about
hooking up with a 16-year-old?
CT: You have to remember I was 19. So the song is more about the
naiveté of the singer. It's derived from experience, but of
course I expanded on it. 'The Wrong Idea' is a story lyric. Leading
the record off with it was logical. It's my first record with lyrics.
The listener starts to get self-conscious because the song is all
over the place.
CI: Is it mind-boggling knowing you're performing every night of
this tour alongside a talent like Edgar Meyer?
CT: Yes. It's been wonderful working with Edgar. He and I challenge
each other constantly. I remember when I first heard his album with
Strength in Numbers, I was maybe 13, and it made a huge impression
on me. It was sort of unreal the first time I played with him. And
he's probably been one of my major musical influences.
CI: How do you think your audiences will respond? What can Chicago
expect?
CT: My audience will be well prepared. I've done acoustic tours before.
Edgar and I really wanted to get this together. We'll be playing all
concert halls, venues like that, so I don't think it will come as
a shock to anyone. They're coming for his bass. I am too. It should
be amazing. Our audiences should expect lots of acoustic music: some
Bach, a lot of bluegrass. It's very difficult playing with Edgar because
he challenges me, and if I had to sing I'd be split. I don't want
to be divided. So, no vocals this time around. We're not going to
be playing anything off of Deceiver.
Chris Thile :: with Edgar Meyer :: Dominican University's Lund Auditorium
:: January 29.