The Punch Brothers pick up an acoustic storm at Peace Center: Upstate Beat
The Punch Brothers is essentially the definition of an all-star band. Its best-known member is probably Chris Thile, a master of the mandolin and member of seven-time Grammy Award-winning trio Nickel Creek.
But there’s also guitarist Chris Eldridge, who has played with the Infamous Stringdusters and Seldom Scene. There’s Noam Pickelny of Leftover Salmon on banjo. Paul Kowert, a student of the legendary bluegrass musician Edgar Meyer, handles double bass, and fiddle player Brittany Haas has played with David Rawlings.
In short, these folks can play. They comprise one of the most exciting acoustic groups working today, mixing the lightning-fast picking of bluegrass with a heavy dose of forward-thinking compositions and high-wire improvisation.
The Punch Brothers perform at the Peace Center on May 19, and guitarist Chris Eldridge is excited to show off the band’s newest member.
“This is going to be the first tour we’ve actually done with Brittany,” Eldridge says. “She’s one of the most extraordinary musicians I think any of us has ever played with. She can do anything; she’s one of these people who seemingly has no limitations.”
Which is handy, because The Punch Brothers don’t do limitation. Their music is as exploratory as it gets.
“On the surface, we look like a bluegrass band,” Eldridge says. “We play banjo, mandolin, acoustic guitar, fiddle and upright bass, all instruments that are associated with traditional music. But the fact is that music is really broad. We’ve always been omnivorous as individual musicians, and that’s part of why we found each other.”
As Eldridge alluded to there, everyone in The Punch Brothers also works on other projects, solo and otherwise. But as much as he enjoys those other projects, he says that this group scratches a specific musical itch.
“I get this chance to revel in playing with an extraordinary ensemble,” he says. “I feel like there’s an attention to dynamics, and I marvel at my good fortune to get the make music with them, because they’re all truly extraordinary musicians.”
Eldridge adds that he’s planning to be a part of that ensemble as long as possible.
“If we’re going to lead a long life in music, it’s important to have multiple outlets,” he says. “So to be able to go and do that really is invigorating. All of these different styles feed different parts of you. That’s why The Punch Brothers has been a big part of my musical and personal life for nearly 20 years.”
Want to go?
Who: The Punch Brothers
When: Monday, May 19
Where: Peace Center, 300 S. Main St., Greenville
Tickets and info: peacecenter.org
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