Nickel Creek Members to Reunite for Cover of “Blue Shadows on the Trail” on Sara Watkins’ New Children-Geared Album Under The Pepper Tree

Sara Watkins will be reuniting members of her band Nickel Creek on “Blue Shadows on the Trail,” a cover of The Three Amigos classic, set for her upcoming studio album Under the Pepper Tree, out March 26 via New West Records. The song has not been released as of press time, but Watkins’ cover of “Pure Imagination” from the 1971 classic Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is out today.

Members of Nickel Creek have reunited a few times during the past seven years, most recently appearing on the public radio program Live From Here in 2019, which was hosted by Thile. The group’s last studio release was 2014’s A Dotted Line, which ended a seven year hiatus for the progressive bluegrass outfit.

This upcoming studio album is aimed toward children and families, consisting mostly of covers, with the addition of two new original songs. This album will also feature the inclusion of Watkins’ three-year-old daughter, who joins her mother on The Sound of Music’s “Edelweiss.” Other performers who are covered on the album include The Beatles, Harry Nilsson and Roy Orbison.

“I want this album to be a place of calm, imagination, and relief,” Watkins explained in a press release. “Some days are perfect and things are a dream and make you feel like a superhero. And some days are just… such a challenge. I feel like this record has a place in both of those days, and I really hope that these recordings find a place in kids’ hearts, and become as special as they are to me.”