BIG NEWS RE: CHRIS THIEL, GARRISON KEILLOR AND THE PRAIRE HOME COMPANION

Don't expect to see mandolin master, Chris Thiel, playing live again solo, or with Nickel Creek or the Punch Brotheers. It has just been announced that Garrison Keillor, the host and originator of the Praire Home Companion on Public Radio, is retiring.  Equally big news is that he has selected Chris Thiel as his successor.  Thiel is reported to be tired of traveliing and wants to settle down in one location and that will be in St. Paul, MN.  He is a big fan of live radio and has listened to the Prairie Home Companion since he was a young boy. So we will not be seeing Thiel in person any longer, but we will be able to hear him every weekend on you local public radio station that carries the Prairie Home Companion. Keillor will continue to do his Lake Woebegone segments while he spends his days traveling and writing novels among other activities. The popular radio show started as a music show and the skits and comedy came later.  We can expect this new version to return to mostly music under Thiel.  The rest can develop later. That should be good news to all fans of bluegrass, Americana music, jazz and even classical. (I heard Chris play J.S. Bach on radio awhile ago.)