Composer/Musician Reacts to Punch Brothers - Familiarity (REACTION!!!)

[@ericnowak9497]

A group of stellar musicians lead by a generational genius. Punch Brothers are just magnificent in every capacity.

[@recoil2952]

VERY WELL put

[@eboethrasher]

The last couple of times I have seen them, in a 1000 seat old theater, Chris Thile comes out and plays Bach, unplugged on his mandolin, at the edge of the stage. You have never heard a quieter room at that moment. Just such power from an unplugged, unamplified instrument in a big room.

[@StringHead92]

Welcome to the wonderful world of progressive bluegrass and the gorgeous Punch Brothers! This track is one of the few (two or three) tracis by them that have drums. Usually the rhythmic structure is on the hands of mandolinist and de facto band leader Chris Thile (he does that here also, mostly before the drums enter). The band is a bluegrass quintent (mandolin, violin, guitar, banjo and contrabass) playing through different style, from old timey bluegrass to straightout rocking with their instruments and some of this more complex, experimental or multi-section suites. This album is my favourite by them and one of my favourite to come out on 2015. It manages to be their poppiest and proggiest at the same time somehow! Thile is a master of emotional writing, his previous band, Nickel Creek used to be dubbed as emograss due to their lyrical work, closer to emo and alternative rather than traditional bluegrass. Nickel Creek was a trio (acoustic guitar, violin and mandolin). Great input as always Bryan, and although I do not entirely agree about acoustic music being more emotional I do get where you are coming from, because I kind of seek acoustic music for the same reasons. Other times, lyrical work is my other reason, as sometimes it is more prominent.

[@progperljungman8218]

Yeah! I immediately thought of this as "progressive". TRULY progressive as in doing something new outside those genre guidelines. Thanks for this great introduction and thank you Bryan for a go through that was about as enthusiastic as I felt myself 😊

[@progperljungman8218]

I might add that I also really liked the song! Even though real progressiveness in music tends to exite me, it's not self-evident that I enjoy it. With this I truly did!

[@StringHead92]

@@progperljungman8218 I really recommend checking this whole album, The Phosphorescent Blues. It has a couple of bluesgrass quintet arrangement of classical pieces, some upbeat poppy tunes and beautiful, introspective and more complex tracks. Familiarity is the opener, and it's really good at setting the mood.

[@progperljungman8218]

@@StringHead92 Oh yeah! I'm definetly checking out more of them. This album might be the first I listen to in full then.

[@progperljungman8218]

@@StringHead92 Beautiful album all the way through!😍

[@adfresh2266]

Seeing them play live was one of the most powerful performanceses I've ever seen, just them around a single mic

[@davidfrischknecht8261]

I've had the pleasure of seeing them perform live twice.

[@shittysunglasses]

Same.

[@eboethrasher]

@@davidfrischknecht8261 I am pretty sure I've seen them 5 or 6 times at this point, I would need to check my setlists.fm page haha. That's why I have that page, cause my memory is crap. I got to see them twice at Finney Chapel at Oberlin and let me tell you, there is nothing like that feeling. Once was the first time they played Next to the Trash... that place is a very special place to see them. I wish I had seen them there when they did the residency at Oberlin. I've heard how legendary it was, with them just doing jams with students randomly, I can only imagine how awesome it was. I've seen them at the Southern Theater here in Columbus 2 or 3 times, it was where I saw them the first time on the Punch tour. My ticket actually said "Chris Thile and the Tensions Mountain Boys" on it, haha.

[@BollocksThreeofThem]

Agreed. 10,000% agreed. Still the best concert I’ve ever attended by a mile.

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

This was cool. Proggy bluegrass is a genre I could easily see myself getting really into sometime soon. I love that mix of folkish intimacy and beauty but virtuosic and interesting musicality. This piece in particular just builds so well and every section is either really tasty, really interesting, or both. That soft part near the end is just sooo good.

[@Enochulator]

Punch Brothers are good stuff. Chris Thile is a boss.

[@shanesturgill75]

This may be my favorite composition ever and I've been blessed to have seen them perform it on two seperate occasions! Such an awe-inspiring, amazing group of musicians. You should definitely check out a live performance... doesn't really matter which one.

[@jasondobrich3560]

You need to hear any track from them live in Boston. “All Ashore” is a great choice

[@rendrag13]

If you like this I recommend anything from the Goat Rodeo Sessions. It’s a one time supergroup of Chris Thile on mandolin (Punch Brothers), bass virtuoso Edgar Meyer, fiddle master Stuart Duncan, and Yo-Yo Ma of all people. It’s such a good album!

[@drzirkle]

I agree completely, except that they're a two-time supergroup. :)

[@morkmon]

its so amazing

[@whatdothlife4660]

Edgar Myer really plucks my E-String.

[@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435]

Live version of this is even mind-blowing really! I think in the 2015 Front Row Boston version the violinist literally shifted from playing the violin to drum kit while singing the harmony simultaneously altogether.

[@samuelbarham8483]

The sound on the right is not a guitar -- it's a banjo. Played by Noam Pikelny.

[@Superdudeawesome135]

Finally a punch brothers react! They are the btbam of bluegrass

[@CriticalReactions]

I watched an interview with one of the musicians and they were talking about the boundaries of genre being broken down and played classical, bluegrass, and jazz throughout the interview. These dudes have chops and can play whatever they want to.

[@eboethrasher]

@@CriticalReactions Chris Thile won the Macarthur Genius grant. If you can you should check out a video of them playing live as he is wonderful to watch live, he gets metal guitar solo face as he is flying through his parts, he just meanders with the music. He's such a sweet guy too.

[@Orthogonalus]

About the presence of just a person and a microphone, their NPR Tiny Desk Concert has an UNBELIEVABLY good, clean live sound, I even prefer it to how the album sounds! Highly recommended!

[@eboethrasher]

There is a great version of Alex that they do in a radio station too, just all of them squeezed into a booth. They are so skilled at knowing mic placement for their instruments and how hard they are playing so they do not go over each other, which is an amazing talent.

[@fatherchangstein7349]

Great reaction video man. I really enjoyed your take. You should check this song out live. My favorite version is the Front Row Boston 2018 set (the entire set is magical). It’s the last song in the set. I’d post a link but I think it’ll be deleted. Good job dude!

[@joshsny143]

This was a cool listen since I wasn't familiar with them. Kinda reminded me a little of As Tall As Lions

[@Aaron-ui9tj]

Prog-Grass

[@artunsaday6391]

That ending section is really something special.

[@domioele3346]

Check out the live version of this...

[@davidfrischknecht8261]

If you like Chris Thile, you might want to check out Sierra Hull. She's also a talented mandolinist who mainly plays progressive bluegrass. Her first couple albums were traditional bluegrass. Her 2016 album Weighted Mind was when she fully embraced progressive bluegrass.

[@danielst.4386]

I'd listened to a,couple of their most 'popular' songs but I don't think this full album. I thought I'd heard their best but this song really just took it away. Unbelievable how much they can do as a band and individually too .

[@DorkInProgress84]

I’m sooooo late lol, but you’re so right that their playing is like a dance. Check out a video of them playing around a single mic and it becomes literal. What they can do with dynamics just by moving in and out is ridiculous.

[@DorkInProgress84]

Also, check out their covers - they’re such incredible arrangers. Kid A by Radiohead, Reptilia by the Strokes and Josh Ritter’s Another New World are all great.

[@kalebritchey5882]

Yea

[@rolfjamne8922]

Love your analyse's, you deffenetly know what you are talking about. I have a band for you. Shining a Norwegian band that originaly played standard jazz and at some point they desided to go in a total different direction from acustic to a new sjangre. Check out (Fisheye) the the video or live NRK. I think you will find it iteresting but i cant garantie you like it. It's very intense and will work very good to a movie i think.

[@kennethmardis2132]

Punch Brothers are fantastic, Thile best mandolin player

[@KyleHurd]

Everyone always misses how amazingly he opined the struggles of a relationship ending but people staying together based on convenience because he plays WAY TOO GOOD lol

[@jeffreyjones7664]

Other bands that hang with the punch brothers.... I'm with her, Watchhouse, Hawktail. Also Avett Brothers. Hope this helps.

[@jeffreyjones7664]

Let me add Nickel Creek.

[@elibrown6387]

If you want to see some expressiveness with electric instruments check out Lingus by Snarky Puppy

[@CriticalReactions]

Yup that was a phenomenal performance that blew my mind. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aJPPnmicgsqrb8U

[@drzirkle]

Maybe "Klangfarbenmelodie" instead of "Hockett?" (c. 18:00) It's not exactly the same, but similar.

[@drzirkle]

Alt Classical is what I've been calling this stuff. Also Goat Rodeo Sessions. I hope this is the future! Check out Thile's concert in Portland.

[@drzirkle]

I enjoyed this video a lot. Thanks!

[@CriticalReactions]

I might run into some issues remembering and pronouncing that but I'll look it up and see how it lines up with what I was looking for.

[@drzirkle]

@@CriticalReactions I'm with you. I was just spitballing. I need to look it up also. 😄

[@lizbrown1822]

I don’t think you can place Punch Brothers in a genre. Their background and the way they play together comes from bluegrass but their fusion of styles is unique.

[@joelanttila7927]

progressive bluegrass at it's finest