Nickel Creek sets PR

Nickel Creek also announced Wednesday the addition of more tour dates.

Nickel Creek reunited for the first time since going on "indefinite hiatus" in 2007 to record a new album, released by Nonesuch on April 1. The record will debut on the Billboard 200 at 7 with 27,000 units sold.

Nickel Creek begins its first U.S. tour in seven years on April 16 in Birmingham, Ala. with 45 additional shows in New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Nashville and Los Angeles, plus the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Newport Folk Festival. Bassist Mark Schatz joins the band on the road.

As Nickel Creek's 25th anniversary approached, the band members decided they ought to mark it in some way, so they got together to write music in Thile's apartment last year. They ended up with six new co-written songs, which they eventually took to a Los Angeles studio, along with one tune by Thile, one by Sean Watkins and two covers: Sam Phillips' "Where Is Love Now" and Mother Mother's "Hayloft."

They worked with Eric Valentine (Queens of the Stone Age, Smash Mouth), who had also produced Nickel Creek's last album, "Why Should the Fire Die?" (2007).

"We were excited every day to be there," Sara Watkins said. "Having grown up singing together, there is something natural about our voices, and it's really fun to harmonize. Our voices have come to match each other's really well. Sean and I are siblings, and Chris is about as close to a sibling as you could get."

Sean Watkins said: "It feels more natural and easy than it ever did, by far. Getting to spend time alone with our own musical personalities has helped us mature."

"There's a joyful aspect to Nickel Creek no matter what we're doing. Things just steer themselves into that sort of place," added Thile. "We will go poke around in the dark corners, but always with a heavy dose of optimism."

Tour dates are:
Wednesday, April 16 Birmingham, AL Alabama Theater
Thursday, April 17 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Friday, April 18 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Saturday, April 19 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Monday, April 21 Chattanooga, TN Track 29
Tuesday, April 22 Savannah, GA Johnny Mercer Theater
Thursday, April 24 North Charleston, SC North Charleston Performing Arts Center
Friday, April 25 Atlanta, GA Tabernacle
Saturday, April 26 Charlottesville, VA nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Sunday, April 27 Knoxville, TN Tennessee Theatre
Tuesday, April 29 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Thursday, May 1 Boston, MA House of Blues
Friday, May 2
Saturday and Sunday, May 3-4 Upper Darby, PA Washington, DC Tower Theatre 9:30 Club
Tuesday, May 6 Cincinnati, OH Taft Theatre
Wednesday, May 7 Indianapolis, IN Murat Theatre
Friday, May 9 Chicago, IL Riviera Theater
Saturday, May 10 Milwaukee, WI Riverside Theater
Sunday, May 11 Minneapolis, MN State Theatre
Tuesday, May 13
Wednesday, May 14 Broomfield, CO Salt Lake City, UT 1STBANK Center Kingsbury Hall, University of Utah
Friday, May 16 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
Saturday, May 17 Seattle, WA Moore Theatre
Monday, May 19 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
Tuesday, May 20 San Diego, CA Balboa Theatre
Wednesday, May 21 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
Thursday-Sunday, June 19-22 Telluride, CO Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Saturday, July 12 Ann Arbor, MI Michigan Theater
Tuesday, July 15 Roanoke, VA Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre
Thursday, July 17 Oak Hill, NY Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival
Friday, July 18 Cleveland Heights, OH Cain Park, Evans Amphitheater
Saturday, July 19 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion
Sunday, July 20 Louisville, KY Forecastle Festival
Tuesday, July 22 Pittsburgh, PA Stage AE
Friday, July 25 Shelburne, VT The Green at Shelburne Museum
Saturday, July 26 Newport, RI Newport Folk Festival
Sunday, Aug. 3 Davis, CA Mondavi Center for Performing Arts
Wednesday, Aug. 6 Boise, ID Idaho Botanical Garden
Thursday, Aug. 7 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
Friday, Aug. 8 Alta, WY Targhee Bluegrass Festival
Thursday, Aug. 14 * Cary, NC Koka Booth Amphitheatre
Friday, Aug. 15 * Portsmouth, VA nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Monday, Aug. 18 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Tuesday, Aug. 19 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre
Wednesday, Aug. 20 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
Saturday, Aug. 23 Austin, TX ACL Live at the Moody Theatre

All April and May except festivals with special guest The Secret Sisters

* Special guest Josh Ritter joins the band for these dates.