Much has been written and spoken about the genius of Chris Thile and after another close encounter last night at Alexandria's legendary listening room The Birchmere, it's only become clearer that the truth supports the hyperbole. I've seen Chris evolve from a full-faced tweener wowing Grisman and Schatz after hours at MerleFest to his perch now as one of the most creative composers and instrumental technicians in any genre and he's still under 30. His long and winding paddle down Nickel Creek ended last year leading to a Class V river of opportunity for exploring his mandolin virtuosity and his passion for taking the bluegrass template, the five main instruments and high lonesome harmony, to places previously unheard. Chris found four sympathetic sidemen who had the savvy and sensitivity to contribute mightily to his vision, Chris Eldridge, Greg Garrison, Noam Pickelny and Gabe Witcher and began with the How To Grow A Band. The quintet soon became the Tensions Mountain Boys who in March of last year premiered Thile's four-movement suite for string instruments and voices "Blind Leaving The Blind" at Carnegie Hall. Now, the same five guys are collectively The Punch Brothers, yet another name change reflecting their musical restlessness.My favorite road companions and I braved I-95 on Memorial Day Friday and were rewarded with blissfully light traffic both up and back...can we thank four dollar-a-gallon gas? If you've never taken in a show at The Birch, it's a shining example of how a music venue should be run. A great admission system where you get a number when you arrive and then are called in that order when the music hall itself opens an hour or so before showtime. Big room, tables and chairs, cheerful and efficient food and beverage service, terrific house sound and enforced quiet during the performance. And and since we had to drive back to Richmond after the show, a 7:30 start and one long set meant we were done before 10, a beautiful thing.
The set list drew heavily from the group's s two ambitious albums and included a full performance of the challenging "Blind Leaving The Blind." They finished with the discordant "Punch Bowl" which ends in a startling 12-note chord sounding not unlike a piano being dropped from ten feet. Then mercifully they began their encore with an elegant take on Norman Blake's chestnut "Green Light On The Southern." It was a needed moment of peace and comfort. The bands rollicking ride on Monroe's "Molly & Tenbrooks" put the cap on as full and rich a musical experience as one could hope to have. Appreciative luminaries like Critter's proud pop Ben Eldridge along with past and present Scene mates John Starling and Ronnie Simpkins helped comprise the nearly full house which gave the Brothers lengthy standing o's.
A cool sidebar is that the younger Eldridge has this coming weekend off and will join the Seldom Scene for their two Friday sets at Graves Mountain this week. All that and Cadillac Sky too...I'm gonna be one happy camper. If you're coming to Virginia's sweetest bluegrass festival which runs Thursday through Saturday on the Rose River in Syria, you might want to make it up a day early for the bountiful seafood buffet on Wednesday night. Definitely worth the price of admission and helpful in expanding your capacity for the good eats to come. The Graves family will be celebrating four hundred years in Virginia this year and you can bet on lots of surprises.
An unfortunate development...we've just learned that Jim Lauderdale is facing surgery for po
lyps on his vocal cords and is having to cancel his appearance with the Waybacks on June 13th for the Music For Massey benefit at the Science Museum. We're all selfishly disappointed of course but more importantly feel just awful that Jim has to go through something like this especially now, on the heels of his Grammy and a full spring and summer of dates he's having to miss. Please join me in wishing him a speedy and thorough recovery...he's one of the good guys in this business. We're working on finding another friend for the Waybacks to play around with that night...stay tuned.
lyps on his vocal cords and is having to cancel his appearance with the Waybacks on June 13th for the Music For Massey benefit at the Science Museum. We're all selfishly disappointed of course but more importantly feel just awful that Jim has to go through something like this especially now, on the heels of his Grammy and a full spring and summer of dates he's having to miss. Please join me in wishing him a speedy and thorough recovery...he's one of the good guys in this business. We're working on finding another friend for the Waybacks to play around with that night...stay tuned.Hope you're enjoying this perfect holiday weekend weather...if summer could only stay like this. And do take some quiet time Monday to reflect on the sacrifice of all those fought and died for all of us. It's too easy to take it for granted, and we must not. God bless America.
TT
