Punch Brothers
Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts
Storrs, CT
October 4

Though recent MacArthur Genius Award recipient Chris Thile led the band through “iced tea” shots, and a five piece string cover of “Kid A,” it would be a crime to call The Punch Brothers performance a one man show. Each member of the band brought a unique, and superb gift to the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on October 4.

The songs performed by the group that night captured an old-school bluegrass feel through a notably pop filled lens. Pieces like “This Girl,” and “Missy” showed off the groups ability to blend the two genres like another pretty popular band once named The Warlocks. Their musicianship is widely accepted as phenomenal, but The Punch Brothers’ ability is matched by their willingness to step outside the traditional realm of your cool uncle’s stash of bootleg Earl Scruggs jams, and into a musical area that is all their own.

Two of the most striking players in the group are banjo player Noam Pikenly and fiddler Gabe Witcher. Their performances were marked by their innate ability to play out full musical conversations between one another. During songs like “Rye Whiskey,” the sounds of their classic instruments consistently danced around each other, slowly building a clear picture of complementary and contrasting structure more often found in a classical concerto, than in a pop-infused bluegrass number.

Chris Eldridge, the group’s guitar player, is quite the example of a bluegrass musician. Looking like the American Gothic farmer at 26, his poorly sized suit and wide grin made him the most endearing character in the band, though Thile’s charming nature cannot be ignored. Eldridge’s musicianship on the guitar was subdued for much of the set, but he showed off a well-practiced and very clean ability to take the lead when afforded the opportunity.

Double Bassist Paul Kowert, a classically trained player who has studied under Edgar Meyer, rounded up the ensemble with a great sense of purpose. The Wisconsin native consistently created a driving rhythm throughout the show, building as strong a foundation as a bassist can hope for. His solo opportunities, like all of his bandmates, were near perfect and contained a far more passionate sense of belonging than one would initially assume him to have.

Nonetheless, however excellent the rest of the group is, Chris Thile is obviously the force which ties the band together. The Yo-Yo Ma collaborator (see: Goat Rodeo Sessions) has a special ability to bring the groups overall sum higher than its individual parts. Regardless of his unquestioned virtuosic mandolin talent, his on stage energy is unmatched by the rest of the group. Thile’s charisma and presence seems to lift the playing of the Punch Brothers more so than anything else. Every time he launched into one of his many technically brilliant solos his body convulsed with the energy of the tune, while the band’s aura subtly lifted to meet him.