Watkins Family Hour

The Watkins Family Hour operates as a collaborative venture spanning live performances and studio recordings, spearheaded by Los Angeles siblings Sean and Sara Watkins, who first rose to prominence in the 1990s via the progressive bluegrass ensemble Nickel Creek. Starting in 2002, the pair secured a monthly residency at the storied Largo club in L.A., which they branded the Watkins Family Hour. These gatherings took shape as variety-style evenings that enabled the siblings to explore extended musical ideas, refine original pieces, join forces with other musicians, and pursue unscripted creative expression during breaks from touring. Across subsequent years the event functioned as an informal hub where guests such as Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Dawes, Nikka Costa, and actor/comedian John C. Reilly would drop in for impromptu sets. In 2015 Sean and Sara converted the format into a recording project by assembling several longtime associates to cut an album of cover material under the Watkins Family Hour name. The regular lineup comprised pianist Benmont Tench, pedal steel player Greg Leisz, bassist Sebastian Steinberg, drummer Don Heffington, and guest vocalist Fiona Apple, each of whom performed on the debut release. To support its 2015 launch, the siblings toured the same variety-show concept, blending prepared selections with spontaneous jams and appearances by regionally based guests.

After five years focused on solo work, Sara and Sean reconvened for a second Watkins Family Hour project in 2020. Mike Viola produced Brother Sister, issued by Thirty Tigers that April. Returning to the group-oriented approach of the first album, Watkins Family Hour Vol. II emerged in 2022 to honor the duo’s two decades of Largo appearances and included familiar contributors Benmont Tench, Fiona Apple, and Jon Brion as well as Jackson Browne, Lucius, and Madison Cunningham.