News from Lake Wobegon: Nickel Creek’s Chris Thile to Take Over as Host of ‘Prairie Home Companion’

The Prairie Home Companion will soon have a new host. The show has announced that musician Chris Thile—best known for his mandolin work in the outfits Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers—will take over as the public radio series’s host when the show’s creator Garrison Keillor retires next year. Starting in 2016, the two will co-host the show together before Thile takes over MC duties entirely.

The folk star is no stranger to Prairie Home; as Paste notes, in addition to being a frequent guest, he’s filled in as host twice. In an interview about his coming retirement with The Berksire Eagle, the 72-year-old Keillor gave the most NPR quote possible when discussing the transition: “ I’m eager to stay home and read books. But of course, I’ll do whatever needs to be done to assure an easy transition—sing, dance, do ‘Guy Noir,’ talk about my home town, whatever is required.”