Chris Thile

I can't believe I didn't blog about this guy yet! And you might not believe that I am blogging about a Mandolin player, but yes, I am.

The first time I heard about this guy was on CKUA when I heard the song "If the sea was whiskey" off of his "How to grow a woman..." album. The harmonies and dynamics really impressed me so I looked him up and found I greatly enjoyed the whole album. Some people call the genre "Newgrass" and I'd agree. Bluegrass plus something that makes it relevant today - I haven't yet figured out what exactly that thing is. My favourite tracks are the title track, If the Sea... and Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground (White Stripes cover).


I never bothered looking up any of his other albums for a few months. But recently I started listening to the disc again and realized I really needed to look into his other stuff. So I downloaded "Not all who wander..." and "Deceiver". I haven't really touched Deceiver yet, but "Not all who wander.." is simply amazing. The layering of melodies is very intriguing. He wrote all the songs on the album, and I haven't found a single one I don't like. My favourites are "Club G.R.O.S.S." (funny reference to Calvin and Hobbes) and "Big Sam Thompson". Club G.R.O.S.S. is such a groovy jazz piece. And thinking he wrote that whole album when he was 20 just makes you shake your head.

I hope this guy doesn't let the fame get to him and stays away from the booze and drugs! :) I anticipate many good albums to come.

AllMusic Profile

Albums at Amazon.ca (including samples)
How to grow a woman from the ground
Not all who wander are lost (read the reviews!)

Here's an amazing cover of Fiona Apple's Fast As You Can. The recording is pretty bad though - you'd have to know it to appreciate it:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pBfr3mkiCjM