View Full Version : is that Thile playing his Loar on Sara Watkins new album?
I've been listening to Sara Watkins new album quite a bit (on Spotify, so I don't have the credits). There is one instrumental track that reminds me a lot of Nickle Creek, and the mandolin playing reminds me of Thile. Does anyone knows if it is Thile? And if it is, is he playing his Loar? I've never really been a huge fan of Thile (I don't dislike his playing, I enjoy it, it's just not my favourite sound), but I think the tone and sound on this particular track is better than I've heard from him before. If that is the Loar, I really think it has brought a new level of tone to his playing. If it's not, I guess I don't really have a point...
So does anyone know?
mrmando
Sep-25-2009, 2:19am
Visit allmusic.com -- great site for looking up album credits.
Stephanie Reiser
Sep-25-2009, 2:44am
Thile is certainly on the album. Whether or not that is his loar would be hard to tell. He switches back and forth between that and his Dude 5. After hearing/seeing Punch on Woodsongs, I've almost gotten to the point where I can tell the difference between the two intruments, but I am not that overly obsessed by the subject. It's just an observation. I love his music no matter which mando he plays.
adgefan
Sep-25-2009, 6:10am
Thile is on the album, but I'm pretty sure it's Ronnie McCoury on the instrumental tracks. So it might still be a Loar you're hearing.
Edit: here's the credits - Ronnie is indeed playing on the two instrumental tracks - http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/sara-watkins
jefflester
Sep-27-2009, 11:53pm
Chris only plays on one track and it's mandola on Give Me Jesus. He has a Lawrence Smart mandola, so that's likely what he's playing.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showpost.php?p=197612&postcount=10
Chris Biorkman
Sep-27-2009, 11:58pm
I've heard him play his Loar and his Dude live, and I have to say that I vastly prefer the Dude.
Patrick Gunning
Sep-28-2009, 1:29am
I've heard him play his Loar and his Dude live, and I have to say that I vastly prefer the Dude.
And in what seems to be a running theme, Chris, we are in perfect agreement.
Ronnie is indeed playing on the two instrumental tracks - http://www.nonesuch.com/albums/sara-watkins
So that's why I started to like Thile all of a sudden! :))
Maddie Witler
Nov-01-2009, 2:18pm
And in what seems to be a running theme, Chris, we are in perfect agreement.
I don't know....Chris plays the Loar on the Thile/Meyer album, and his tone on that is probably the best I've ever heard.
jefflester
Nov-05-2009, 2:20pm
I don't know....Chris plays the Loar on the Thile/Meyer album, and his tone on that is probably the best I've ever heard.
I don't believe he did. Pretty sure it was Dude #5. I believe the Loar was still being worked on when he and Edgar recorded.
In a recent issue of Fretboard Journal Dudenbostal was interviewed and he talked a bit about Thile and how he came to play his brand of mandolins. Dudenbostal said that everything that Thile had recorded thus far (which was probably a bit before Sara's new record) was using one of his mandolins.