Punch Brothers hit school with bluegrass music

Ever wondered what a mix of bluegrass, jazz and classical music would sound like? Chris Thile and the rest of the Punch Brothers band did, and decided to make such an eclectic music mix a reality.

Scheduled to perform as part of the C. Shaw and Nancy K. Smith Artist Series presented by the Union Board, the Punch Brothers will be playing in Duke Family Performance Hall on Wednesday, September 30. The Punch Brothers are sure to spice up this fall's entertainment lineup as they are already the object of both critical and popular acclaim.

Formed in 2006, the group tributes its name to Mark Twain's short story "Punch, Brothers, Punch!" and consists of five members: Chris Thile, Gabe Witcher, Chris Eldridge, Noam Pikelny and Paul Kowert.

Thile, a renowned mandolin prodigy, released his first of five solo albums when he was only thirteen. He later joined the Grammy Award-winning group Nickel Creek before helping to form Punch Brothers. A combination of the mandolin and the group's other instruments (fiddle, guitar, banjo and bass) creates their distinctive sound.

But the sound Punch Brothers generates is not their only defining distinction; additionally, a 40-minute, four-movement suite titled "The Blind Leaving the Blind" stands out as a unique achievement, too.

Near to Thile's heart, this song demonstrates the band's deep emotional investment to their music. About a heartbroken man at a bar who is trying to rid his life of pain, the song speaks to Thile's own personal experience. But Thile, while in the midst of an agonizing divorce at age 26, steered away from alcohol as a coping mechanism. Instead, he created a band and found a support group from his friends in the music industry.

Although its musical style remains structured, "The Blind Leaving the Blind" leaves room for each band member to add a bit of individual flair while playing. No two performances are ever exactly alike, and the audience catches a glimmer of each musician's personality from the brief improvised interludes.

The forty minute song proves to be a significant length of time for any musician to perform such an enormous and highly technical piece a single piece, but these improvisations play a key role in the band.

Tickets, which are $8 for students, $15 for faculty and staff and $20 for the rest of the community can be purchased through the Union Box Office.  Season tickets for all five Artist Series events boast a 33% savings off individual tickets and are available until September 30.