New York, NY (Top40 Charts) "Watkins tells stories by not only being honest about his own life, but by also putting himself in other characters' shoes. Empahty, sympathy, and a sharp, observant eye have grown to become incredible vital tools in his songwriter." - Consequence of Sound
"["What to Fear"] is an articulate, razor-edge folk song, made up of equal parts melody and
message." - Rolling Stone
"Watkins merges a new batch of catchy hooks with engaging but not particularly heavy lyrics. It's a natural next step in his musical journey, with stellar acoustic playing by world-class musicians." - Associated Press
Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sean Watkins has long been known for his work as one-third of the Grammy Award-winning trio
Nickel Creek and, more recently, for helming the itinerant and genre-hopping ensemble Watkins Family Hour with his sister Sara. However, in the last year he has more assertively - and impressively - taken on the role of solo artist. On March 18th, Sean will release What To Fear via Thirty Tigers, the follow-up to 2014's acclaimed All I Do Is Lie, which had been his first solo record in nearly a decade. The entire record can be heard today in advance of its release exclusively on Billboard.
LISTEN: Sean Watkins - What To Fear on Billboard:
https://smarturl.it/hddlku
"In pulling ourselves away from [Nickel Creek] we really had to figure out who we were as individuals, and that's really important," Watkins told Billboard's Gary Graff. "It's really easy to lose track of yourself and where you end and someone else begins musically. It took some time but I've started to feel like myself, musically, with these last couple of records."
On his own, Watkins displays tremendous warmth and soulfulness as a singer, a refreshing candor and humor as a lyricist, and prodigious skill as an arranger. With What To Fear, he bolsters an acoustic lineup with a rock rhythm section, bringing drama and drive to these new tracks while keeping intact the emotional intimacy of all the stories he is telling. Watkins deftly juggles the observational and the autobiographical, convincingly taking on the personalities of others - a stalker, a preacher, a cynical newscaster - and then juxtaposing them with a voice that is clearly his own. Watkins' singing unites disparate narrative threads; he's disarmingly honest and sympathetic, no matter whom the character he is channeling might be.
Rolling Stone first announced the album in January with the premiere of the title track followed by Consequence of Sound who revealed the single "Keep Your Promises II" and Relix Magazine who debuted his sprightly instrumental "Local Honey" which features Sara on fiddle.
What To Fear also includes guest-star turns from pianist Benmont Tench (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and bassist
Sebastian Steinberg (Soul Coughing). Having friends and family on board has long been a hallmark of every Watkins project, however What To Fear is all about Sean Watkins himself, front and center, as his songwriting matures and his persona as a solo performer blooms.
Unlike most of his peers, Watkins has been a performer for more than 25 years. He was a mere 12 years old when he played his first gig with
Nickel Creek at a San
Diego pizza parlor who's star ascended quickly, including a "Best Contemporary Folk Album" Grammy with 2002's This Side. Since then, Watkins has released three solo efforts as well as albums with
Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman as the duo Fiction Family and with fellow guitarist Glen Phillips as Works Progress Administration, an eight-piece band featuring a stellar lineup of fellow L.A. session players. He's also been regularly invited to record and tour with artists such as
Jackson Browne and Lyle Lovett.
Track List:
01) What To Fear
02) Last Time For Everything
03) I Am What You Want
04) Keep Your Promises II
05) Everything
06) Where You Were Living
07) Too
Little Too Late
08) Local Honey
09) Tribulations
10) Back On My Feet
US Tour Dates:
03/26 - Los Angeles, CA @ Largo
03/29 - Northampton, MA @ Parlor Room
03/30 - Cambridge, MA @ Club Passim
03/31 - New York, NY @ City Winery
04/01 - Philadelphia, PA @ Boot and Saddle
04/02 - Vienna, VA @ Barns at Wolf Trap
04/05 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
04/06 - Asheville, NC @ Grey Eagle
04/07 - Athens, GA @ The Foundry
04/08 - Decatur, GA @ Eddie's Attic
04/09 - Chattanooga, TN @ Barking Legs Theatre
04/10 - Nashville, TN @ Station Inn
04/12 - St. Louis, MO @ Duck Room
04/13 - Chesterfield, MO @ Break Room Concerts
04/14 - Davenport, IA @ Redstone Room
04/15 - Madison, WI @ Frequency
04/16 - Marshfield, WI @ Vox Concert Series
04/17 - Minneapolis, MN @ Dakota
04/19 - Chicago, IL @ City Winery
05/07 - Carlsbad, CA @ Museum of Making Music
05/08 - Phoenix, AZ @
Music Instrument Museum
05/10 -
Santa Barbara, CA @ SoHo
05/11 - Berkeley, CA @ Freight & Salvage
05/12 - Grass Valley, CA @ Center for the Arts
05/14 - Portland, OR @ Mississippi Studios
05/15 - Seattle, WA @ Tractor Tavern
05/17 - Sisters, OR @ The Belfry
