Punch Brothers Putting Blue's into Classical Music

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Another virtuoso performer, Chris Thile, performing here with the Punch Brothers, is into blending music. His specialty is mixing bluegrass and classical music into an exciting new taste of American Classical Music.

Jaime O'Neill had an interview with Chris about this new phenomenon prior to their concert in Chico California on Feb 13th during which Chris made a great statement about great performers, "There are no bests in music. Everything is subjective. One day, I'll want to hear Sam Bush's chop, and the next day, I'll want to hear David Grisman's tremolo, the next, John Reischman's tone, and the next, Bill Monroe's fire."

Mary Colurso of The Birmingham News calls the Punch Brothers "bluegrass for the brainy. Thile's compositions bear strong influences of classical and jazz music. He's created a distinctly modern sound that can be dramatic or lighthearted, solemn or joyful, rollicking or dissonant."

"First, stellar musicianship. Thile and his bandmates can play just about anything and ace it. Second, camaraderie and a refusal to take themselves too seriously. Although their program was challenging, the Punch Brothers proved to be a refreshingly informal troupe, joshing and laughing with each other on stage. Third, bravery. Can you think of another bluegrass band that would introduce itself to the world with a 40-minute piece of chamber music?"

Geoffrey Himes of the Washington Post gave a review of Edgar Meyer & Chris Thile CD stating, "Chris Thile unveiled a 42-minute suite that betrayed his ambition to go beyond his bluegrass beginnings and move into the world of serious art music."

In a world filled with lots of music to choose from, it seems some of the most talented artists are choosing fusion between worlds which previously didn't exist.

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