Mike Marshall and Chris Thile hit the Highways.

This week's news is filled with people hitting the road to bring us lots of good music. For me this tour is an excuse for filling the car with gas and heading north to Wilkesboro to catch Chris Thile and Mike Marshall in the early stages of a 3 week tour that will take them to 9 states.

Mike Marshall says on his website that he is musician, composer and chef. I will have to take his word on the chef part but I have heard his music on CD and live many times and he is a wonderful player. Originally a member of the Dave Grisman Quintet he has been in the business for more than 20 years. Mike has performed and recorded with some of the top acoustic string instrumentalist in the world including Stephane Grappelli, Mark O'Connor, Bela Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Joshua Bell. He is also a regular collaborator with violinist Darol Angor another one of the finest musicians around.

Mike is also one of those great people in music that genuinely seems to love his audience and really appreciates those who take the time to come out and hear him play. He is a regular now at Merlefest and his workshops with people like Sam Bush always leave people smiling.

Chris Thile is a member of Nickel Creek, is young, talented and is also one of the most sought after session musicians in all of the USA right now. He too is one of the good guys and is a great entertainer on and off stage. He has been playing professionally since a very young age and released his first solo album when he was just 12 years old. He is now in his 20s and is something of a heartthrob with young fans all over the world following his career with great enthusiasm. Along with the other members of Nickel Creek he has breathed some new life in the old music and shown a new generation just how cool these sounds are.

Together they are taking the mandolin to a whole new place.

So I will be there catching up with good music and good friends at their show in Wilkesboro the home of MerleFest on December 11 th . As for you, well if you get a chance get out and hear these amazing musicians in action