If you think you’ve heard what the mandolin really sounds like, listen to Chris Thile play and your whole definition will change. After the indefinite hiatus of Nickel Creek, Chris Thile formed the Punch Brothers, a name chosen after toying with names “The How to Grow a Band” and “The Tensions Mountains Boys.”
In 2006, the Punch Brothers recorded How To Grow a Woman from the Ground to rave reviews from the bluegrass community, though some critics argued that the entire album as a whole was up to par. The Punch Brothers released “The Blind Leaving The Blind,” a forty-minute suite through four movements, in 2007. It was later released with their album Punch in 2008. After an extensive tour throughout the country, the Punch Brothers went back into the studio and recorded Antifogmatic, released on June 15, 2010.
To promote their new album, the Punch Brothers went on tour to summer festivals, including Bonnaroo. The Punch Brothers came through Denver to the Mile High Music Festival on August 15, 2010. It was the middle of the day and the Punch Brothers had to compete with the other bands playing, so there weren’t that many people in the tent they played at. That said, the crowd that was there were die-hard fans of theirs and they probably made new fans as well.
The Punch Brothers played most of their new album, some old favorites and a traditional bluegrass song that got everyone in the audience moving. Very few bands rival the power that the Punch Brothers have onstage mixed with the soul of Chris Thile’s voice, especially as a string band with no drums. Closing with “Rye Whiskey,” the band had everyone clapping and dancing to their bluegrass/country style.
They’ll be back in the end of September so make sure you go see them, even if you don’t like bluegrass. They may just change your mind.
Visit the Punch Brothers and the Mile High Music Festival for more information.
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