I was introduced to Punch Brothers only six short months ago. In that time I have listened to their album "Punch" so many times that it is surpassed in my iTunes playlist by only two other albums (Anathallo's Floating World and Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago), and I have been listening to both of those albums for over two years now. Punch Brothers display a complexity that I have seen in no other band, introducing to their music extreme dynamics, obscure time signatures, and moments of silents that are more important than the notes themselves. Their music has a natural feel that is rivaled by no other band I have ever heard.
Last week, Evan, William and I took a road trip to Boulder Colorado to catch the band in the first show of their 2010 tour around the states. Before the trip, I remember having a concern that Punch Brothers wouldn't be able to pull off the precise, dynamic style that they were able to attain in their studio album. Not only did I find out that the songs they performed on their album were each a single, collaborative, live effort done in one set, but I was also blown away during the show when they were able to pull of this incredible feat flawlessly in a live performance. Seeing Chris Thile and the band interact made for a deeper and more personal experience that has sparked my interest and passion for the band even more. Oh, and the rest of the crowd loved the music so much that we demanded not one, not two, but three encores. Three encores! Incredible. We were also surprised at how awesome the opening band Dovekins was.
