Why I Boycott Nickel Creek

I just wanted to post on the internet something that has bugged me ever since it came out. And that thing is those squeaky clean little youngsters from Nickel Creek. I liked their music, and I still do. It's quite fun to play. But if you ever read the liner notes on their CD, you'll see a funny thing. "Bass: Edgar Meyer." Hey, sweet. Meyer is perhaps the greatest bassist living in these United States. If you ever get a chance to see him live, do it. The stuff he does on a bass is amazing, and he's spent years honing a tone which is quite unique and fun. It's a sound that I think is distincly American. It just sounds like our history.

So I was shocked and appalled when those squeaky clean youngsters put out a video for "Smoothie Song" with Edgar nowhere to be found. In fact, they made it look like the bassist from Metallica was playing the song. I kid you not. Go here to see the horror.

So who is this magic man who plays the actual bass to that song? Well, there's finally youtube evidence that I can share thanks to the further musical aspirations of their prodigy mandolin player.


Yeah that's right. He's not some dreadlocked rock star... no no. That there is a pudgy Tennessee Good Ol' Boy who as I hear is fond of wine, kickin back, and playing practical jokes on the audience with his cell phone.

Now perhaps these kiddos were swayed by their producers to put in a young hip face to give them "street cred." And perhaps Meyer was busy and they had to fill in somebody at the last minute. But we've just hit Milli Vanilli territory here people. I've heard all sorts of excuses from Nickel Creek fans: "Well it will bring in people who wouldn't normally listen to the music."
... you really think a Metallica fan is going to put down money for that CD? What about the people who listen to the song, like it and say, "Wow that bassist is good. Who is that?" Oh? The Metallica guy? They go buy a CD and find absolutely NOTHING comparable to it, skipping right over the bluegrass and classical section. They've just missed out on hearing at least half a dozen CDs full of inspiring bass work over several genres, because they believe what they saw on CMT. Good going kids.
On top of that it implicitly gives credit to some one who didn't do the work. It just seems wrong to me. Meyer is in the liner notes, but he's not good enough to be in the video? Really?
Lastly, if you've ever seen the guy actually play, its amazing. You hear it, and wonder how he does it, and then when you see it, his technique and his manner seem so relaxed and easy that you start thinking you can do it. Then you pick up an instrument, and you try. Certainly a lot better to watch then some hard rock bassist pretend he knows how to hold a bow, while plucking the wrong notes to the song on a video (take a look. He goes down the neck to a lower note sometimes when the sound of it goes up).

But Meyer apparently never made a fuss, and from what I can tell he got the same treatment from Garth Brooks (check the liner notes). I guess that's just the business. Still. I expected better from Nickel Creek.

More Meyer Goodness with Bela Fleck, Sam Bush, Mark O'Connor, and Jerry Douglas. I highly recommend checking out all of them. Let's see the Metallica bassist do this.