Sara Watkins doesn't really know what to expect when she and her bandmates from Nickel Creek play their final show in Nashville in November.
"I've never been in that position before," she said by phone during a tour stop in Phoenix. "I think it will be emotional. Your guess is as good as ours."
Nickel Creek — the groundbreaking Grammy-award winning trio of Watkins (violin), her brother Sean Watkins (guitar) and Chris Thile (mandolin) — is making one last run around the United States as part of its "Farewell (For Now) Tour" before going on indefinite hiatus.
Watkins, however, is careful not to use the words "breaking up," just as she doesn't use the word "reunion" when asked if Nickel Creek might play again in the future. It's simply some extended time off. "It just made sense. It was something all of us had been feeling. I think, for one, we're kind of tired.
"Touring is hard. In order for us to make Nickel Creek work we have to tour and write almost relentlessly. It doesn't give us time for other parts of our lives ... musical endeavours, least of all a home life. All of us feel really good about this time. We're just going to put this on the shelf for awhile."
Watkins is just 25, her brother 30 and Thile 26. Not exactly the usual age of successful musicians who need a break. But consider Nickel Creek started performing in 1989 when Sean Watkins, the oldest of the group, was just 12.
The band's bluegrass-country style of music has progressed over the years and morphed today into what the musicians call progressive acoustic. Plenty of rock, alternative and pop elements can be found in Nickel Creek's music today. (The band's version of Britney Spear's "Toxic" is a must hear.)
For anyone looking for a "Behind the Music"-type implosion as the reason for Nickel Creek's hiatus, Watkins said it just isn't there. "I think there's a reason we're doing this," Watkins said. "Each one of us has really good reasons to want to have this time off. It gives us comfort we're doing this at the right time. We're not giving it a lot of second thoughts. We're giving it one good go-around, and let the people who want to see us have the chance.
"It's not like we're not going to see each other. Our paths will cross a whole lot. Maybe we'll play with each other in festivals once in awhile and whatnot."
Each band member already had plans for the post-Nickel Creek era. Watkins will be releasing a solo album this fall. She said her album won't be anything "shockingly different" in music style, but she said she isn't going to simply release an album with a "replacement bluegrass band."
Watkins and her brother will also continue to play the Watkins Family Hour, an informal sort of jam session at the Largo club in Los Angeles, where you never know which well-known recording artist will stop by to play with them.
As for whether Nickel Creek will tour again after 2007, Watkins said no one is putting a time limit on anything. For sure, fans shouldn't expect anything for several years. But, Watkins admits she wouldn't be surprised if at some point Nickel Creek went on the road again. It just all depends on what everyone is doing several years from now. "When you put energy into another part of your lives, you can't do that with an end point in mind. It has to be completely open ended, otherwise you're not going to go for it.
"At some point we might just say, 'Hey, what do you think about doing another record and touring.' I'm really interested to see what happens. Our personalities and musical abilities will grow a lot."
If you go
What: Nickel Creek, Jon Brion
Where: Abravanel Hall, 123 S. West Temple
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $27
Phone: 355-2787 or 888-451-2787
Web: www.arttix.org
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com