Beautiful music

Tonight, I traveled to Bloomington, IN to see one of my favorite bands, Nickel Creek. They played at the Indiana University Auditorium on campus, and were sharing a double bill with Howie Day, an artist I didn't really know much about. A guy named Patrick Davis opened the show. Both he and Howie Day played solo acoustic, and both did some interesting things with looping pedals. Basically, they would record a backing track by drumming on their guitars, playing a bass line or melody line, or strumming some basic chords. They could then activate these different loops by pressing pedals with their feet, which left their hands free to play their guitars. It was a pretty interesting way to create the effect of a band without having to drag all those extra people and instruments around with you.

Both of those guys were talented, but the highlight of the night for me was Nickel Creek. I had seen them four years ago in New York when they were touring in support of their first album. What a difference four years makes. In that time, they released a second record and toured extensively, collaborated with a wide variety of artists, and Chris Thile and Sean Watkins have even found time to release two solo albums a piece. All of that experience made for a much-improved live show. The first time I saw them, they played their songs pretty much note-for-note from the album. Tonight, they messed with arrangements, debuted some new songs, jammed older songs out to double their normal length, and even worked a few clever covers into a medley. Part of the appeal of this band for me has always been their ability to mix different genres, but it's still pretty amazing to hear them go from traditional bluegrass to jazz-pop to an Irish fiddle tune to a spot-on cover of Beck's "Where It's At" without noticeably switching gears. And once again, I was reminded of why I think Sara Watkins is one of the world's most beautiful singers. I could listen to her voice for hours on end. I'm anxiously awaiting her first solo album. The trip to Bloomington took about an hour, but it was worth it. After this show, I'd drive a lot farther to see Nickel Creek again.