Watkins Family Hour is a collaborative performance and recording project led by Los Angeles-based siblings
Sean and
Sara Watkins, both of whom came to prominence in the 1990s as part of the progressive bluegrass group
Nickel Creek. Beginning in 2002, they were offered a monthly residency at L.A.'s famous venue Largo, which they called the
Watkins Family Hour. The gig took on the form of a variety show where the Watkins' could stretch out musically, working out new material, collaborating with other players, and generally letting loose creatively while in between tours. Over the years, the
Family Hour became a spontaneous meeting place where, on any given night, artists like
Fiona Apple,
Jackson Browne,
Dawes,
Nikka Costa, and even actor/comedian
John C. Reilly might sit in for a set. In 2015,
Sean and Sara decided to turn their show into a recording project, enlisting several of their longtime collaborators to record an album of cover songs under the
Watkins Family Hour banner. Members of their de facto house band include pianist
Benmont Tench, pedal steel player
Greg Leisz, bassist
Sebastian Steinberg, drummer
Don Heffington, and guest vocalist
Fiona Apple, all of whom appear on the
Family Hour's debut. In support of the album's 2015 release,
the Watkins took their show on the road using the same variety show type format comprising a rehearsed set along with unplanned jams and various regional guests.
After spending five years pursuing solo projects, Sara and
Sean reunited for a second
Watkins Family Hour outing in 2020. Produced by
Mike Viola,
Brother Sister appeared on Thirty Tigers in April 2020. ~ Timothy Monger