Nickel Creek has been hailed by country fans turned off by the superslick pop sound that Nashville has been peddling in recent years. The band members earned their right to be playful with the form by becoming some of the best players around. Now success is arriving faster than the Orange Blossom Special. Top 20 and earned two Grammy nominations. And that's just the point, for to hear Nickel Creek is to hear the vibrant reinvention of a classic form.
Music knows no walls.
Even as one barrier is defeated, another goes up. And as today's country queens and hat acts gallop off in pursuit of pop glory, country music's grand ole history seems abandoned, like some sad burden left roadside. Fortunately, there are musicians who have found new ways to overcome old barriers and fresh approaches to reclaiming worthy traditions. They pass through walls like music itself. In his day job, John Carluccio roams the aisles of Madison Square Garden with a camera crew, scouting the most enthusiastic Knicks fans in the crowd to display on the JumboTron.