Chris Thile, the virtuosic mandolinist and driving force behind the acoustic pop sensation, Nickel Creek, will be out with a bluegrass band this summer in support of his upcoming solo release. The music may not fit everyone’s description of the music Mr. Monroe devised, but the band fits the basic structure, and Chris has assembled some first rate pickers from among the young guns of bluegrass.

The new CD, due for a mid-September release on Sugar Hill, will be called How To Grow A Woman From The Ground, and the band he is taking out in support is being billed as How to Grow a Band. Joining Chris will be Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar, Gabe Witcher on fiddle and Greg Garrison on bass. These are the same players who are featured on the recording, with Chris singing all the lead, and the various members adding harmony vocals.

The new project was recorded live in the studio, using a simple two microphone format, in a large, “live” room. Talk about new school meets old school!

They are expected to make a number of appearances in August, and details will be posted on Chris’ MySpace page as they are announced. Eldridge’s commitments with The Infamous Stringdusters will prevent him from making many of the shows, but it appears that Bryan Sutton will get the call to fill in on guitar.

Audio samples from the new CD should also be available on MySpace before long as well.