Young veteran Watkins claims her ‘Rite’ to solo

Sara Watkins

Sara Watkins has been in the bluegrass and acoustic music spotlight since childhood. She was all of 8 years old when she and her older brother Sean became mainstays in the group Nickel Creek. The band issued a string of critically acclaimed releases, particularly Why Should the Fire Die and This Side before going on hiatus.

Now Watkins is focusing on her solo career. Her self-titled Nonesuch debut disc was released April 7, and she’s currently on tour. Watkins will appear Saturday afternoon as part of Vanderbilt University’s 2009 Rites of Spring musical festival.

The entire lineup includes T.I., Q-Tip, Okkervil River, Santigold, K’Naan, Pico vs. Island Trees, Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Erick Baker, Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, Grand Ole Party, N.E.R.D., Flaming Lips, Run with Bulls and Blueskyreality.

Watkins cites two major things that are quite different from the way things were during her time in Nickel Creek.

“With Nickel Creek, I was in an ensemble, and your thinking always goes along the lines of what works best for the group,” Watkins said. “There were certain situations and songs where I didn’t even think about doing anything beyond harmony singing and playing the fiddle because that’s what my main job was within the group.

“My brother Sean has always been telling me to sing more, but it wasn’t something that I thought about that much. Now I’ve been using my voice a lot more, doing more things, trying it in situations where before there wouldn’t have been any thought about doing vocals.”

Watkins also has her hands in the business aspect of her music, she said, dealing with everything from venues and tickets to transportation.

“It keeps you very busy, and then you’re also trying to keep your musical focus as well. I really enjoy playing in a different setting. The songs that we do now and also the ones on the CD, some of them I’d had for a long time but hadn’t really done anything with them,” she said. “Plus I’m branching out musically, trying some different styles, so it’s a very good change for me.”

Sara Watkins features some strong guest contributions from the tandem of David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, plus Soul Coughing bassist Sebastian Steinberg, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench and Elvis Costello drummer Pete Thomas. The familiar faces of Nickel Creek comrade Chris Thile on mandolin and her brother Sean on guitar also are on board.

Besides her usual array of explosive and masterful fiddle solos and accompaniment, Watkins plays a little guitar and quite a bit of ukulele, an instrument that she’s enjoying more lately.

“I kind of picked up the ukulele as another instrument I could use to write songs,” Watkins confessed. “I don’t really consider myself a guitarist, especially when you compare me to my brother. But the ukulele is small and light, and there are some very interesting things you can do with it in terms of chord structure. I can take my three chords and kind of mix and match them.”

Besides her solo career, Watkins is also juggling another commitment. The octet Works Progress Administration AKA WPA includes both Watkins siblings, plus guitarist/vocalist Glen Phillips, fiddler Luke Bulla, bassist Davey Faragher, plus Thomas and Tench on drums and keyboards, and multi-instrumentalist Greg Leisz.

“We’ve had a little delay in getting our first disc completed and released, but we’re definitely going to get it out there soon,” Watkins said. “Right now I’m concentrating on my own thing, but WPA will definitely be happening at some point in the near future.”

But one thing that no one should be anticipating, at least not anytime soon, is a Nickel Creek reunion.

“We’re all still friends, but the reason that we decided to go on a hiatus was that we all felt it was better to stop while things were still going pretty well rather than keep on until they turned bad. Right now everyone’s doing something else and enjoying what they do, so I wouldn’t look for a Nickel Creek reunion for a while. But I won’t say that we’ll never play together again either.”

Friday’s opening day lineup at the Rites of Spring includes Electrik Red, Run with Bulls, Blueskyreality, K’Naan, Okkervil River, Santigold, Q-Tip and T.I.

What: Fiddler, singer, songwriter Sara Watkins as part of Vanderbilt University’s 2009 Rites of Spring music festival
When: 3 p.m. Saturday
Where: Vanderbilt University, Alumni Hall
Cost: $20 (Vanderbilt students, one ticket per student), $40 (each day), $45 (weekend pass in advance), $55 (weekend pass on day of show)
Info: 255-9600, ritesofspring.com