Sean Watkins
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| Sean Watkins | |
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 Sean Watkins at Manchester Students Union in July 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sean Charles Watkins |
| Born | February 18, 1977 |
| Origin | Vista, California, United States |
| Genre(s) | Progressive bluegrass Folk Country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician Songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar Piano Mandolin Ukelele Bouzouki |
| Years active | 1994 - Present |
| Label(s) | Sugar Hill Records |
| Associated acts | Nickel Creek The Real SeanJon Mutual Admiration Society Sara Watkins |
| Website | seanwatkins.com |
Sean Charles Watkins [1] (born February 18, 1977), a guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter, is one third of the contemporary folk band Nickel Creek.
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[edit] Career
[edit] Nickel Creek
Sean Watkins began his tenure with Nickel Creek playing mandolin, but later switched to guitar. The band has released three albums and won a Grammy for This Side -- a coveted trophy that Watkins reportedly put on top of his toilet at home. Explaining the somewhat odd situation, Watkins said that "it seems like a humble place. I didn't want to put it out in plain view of my house. I didn't feel like displaying it right when you walk in. It's a nice crown for the porcelain." [2] In addition to playing with Nickel Creek, Watkins has released 3 solo albums and appeared on several others. Of this experience, Watkins has said, "I've learned now to look back to music that has lasted through the years and to appreciate the timeless value that it has."
His sister Sara Watkins, also a member of Nickel Creek, plays violin and sings background vocals on the two latest of his three solo albums. Nickel Creek recently participated in a project dubbed Mutual Admiration Society, a collaboration with former Toad The Wet Sprocket singer Glen Phillips. As a solo musician, his early material was contemporary bluegrass, but he has since incorporated other influences into his music (especially indie rock). Watkins' solo music career seems to reflect Nickel Creek's; turning from traditional bluegrass songs to indie rock with bluegrass instrumentation. He is the oldest member of Nickel Creek. Sean qualified for the National Flatpicking Championship in 1993 at age 16, and "My first instrument was the piano when I was six", Sean recalls. "I took classic instruction for seven years, but three years into that I discovered bluegrass music, through my piano teacher's son, who had a bluegrass band that played every Saturday night at a pizza place in Carlsbad. I really got into it, and when Sara Watkins and I met Chris [Thile], we started playing with him on Saturday nights too."
Sean and his sister Sara Watkins are also part of the 2007 soundtrack for the psychological thriller Bug with the track "No Way to Live".
[edit] Current projects
In 2006, Sean and Switchfoot member Jon Foreman started a collaborating duo called "The Real SeanJon".[3] A full length LP, titled Betrayal, will be released in 2008.[4] In March 2008, the duo announced that the had changed their band name to "Fiction Family". In a recent interview, Jon Foreman said that the album will have a summer 2008 release and may be distributed by Starbucks.[5]
In January 2008, it was reported by Billboard that a new supergroup octet tentatively named The Scrolls had formed. The octet is comprised of Watkins, his sister Sara Watkins (fiddle), Glen Phillips (guitar, vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Greg Leisz (various), Pete Thomas (drums), and Davey Faragher (bass). The group plans to have an album out by fall of this year.[6]
In addition, Watkins plans to release what he calls "15 minutes of noise" as a digital download on his website. He said that the final product was "very strange",[4] and that there would "be some cool art to go with it".[7]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Solo
| Statistics | Singles |
|---|---|
| Let It Fall | Singles Released
None |
| Statistics | Singles |
| 26 Miles | Singles Released
None |
| Statistics | Singles |
| Blinders On | Singles Released
None |
[edit] Nickel Creek
[edit] The Real SeanJon
[edit] References
- ^ Sean Charles Watkins Writing Credits at ASCAP.com
- ^ Million-selling trio Nickel Creek gives bluegrass a facelift
- ^ Nickel Creek Official Website
- ^ a b Watkins, Sean. "a very long blog about what i'm up to". MySpace. January 5, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
- ^ "Switchfoot – 02.24.08". Mammoth Press. March 19, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008.
- ^ Graff, Gary. "Heartbreakers, Imposters, Nickel Creekers Make The Scrolls" Billboard January 18, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
- ^ Watkins, Sean. "about the "15 minutes of noise" and my string quartet.". MySpace. January 5, 2008. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
[edit] External links
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