Page gets Punched...

Anticipation was running high earlier this week as we were getting primed for the illustrious Punch Brothers and their two-night stand at the University of Richmond's elegant Modlin Center.  All of a sudden the meter pegged as Page Wilson, host of WCVE-FM's Out O' The Blue Radio Revue called up and alerted me to a grand re-opening of his Chickahominy Swamp kitchen...with non other than Chris Thile and his musical brethren as special guests.   We gathered just past noon on Tuesday at Bruce Olsen's  tucked-away Northside studios that I'd always wanted to see.  It's a great space...oriental rugs, Tiffany-style lamps, a 1914 Steinway grand, an assortment of guitars and vintage Fender tube amps...and on this day, a big table loaded down with swamp vittles for the boys including Commercial Tap House spare ribs, vegetarian paella, fresh corn bread and Page's own delectable venison stew.  The band rolled in from their first overnight at the Jefferson (nice digs) and elected to avoid the feed bag until the interview/performance was done.  After extensive tuning, a few runthroughs, and the blessings of their soundman Dave Sinko, Adrian Olsen punched "record" and the Punch Brothers were officially welcomed to the Chickahominy Swamp kitchen.   Page chatted up the talented visitors, had them offer up three tunes for each of the two segments now preserved by ProTools for future airing on the OOTBRR.  We'll let you know when.  Chris Eldridge was like a kid at Christmas with his new toy, a 1937 D-28 on loan from E-Town's Nick Forster.  Chris called it a cannon...an ICBM.    We also got to hear the newest Punch Brother Paul Kowert, Edgar Meyer's number-one student on bass.  He replaces Greg Garrison who elected to leave the road to be with his growing family including a new baby girl.  Suffice to say, Paul's a very quick study displaying a strong command of this dizzyingly complex material.   

So the prodigious power quintet finished up with the 1st movement of Thile's "Blind Leaving The Blind" suite, cased their instruments and dove into the swamp fare with abandon.  Then it was off

to the Camp Concert Hall for sound check and the first of two superb Richmond shows.  The Punch Brothers set the string band bar extremely high.  It will be great to hear what they do for an encore from their new New York home base.

Don't forget Robert Earl Keen tomorrow night at Toad's Place.  A big-time Texas party is in store, promising a night-long standing ovation.