Punch Brothers

The Punch Brothers may be the quintessential group of all-stars in any given genre of music right now. Now, don't take me too literal just yet, but it's hard to think of another group currently performing that has the amount of experience and talent in each specific instrument as the Punch Brothers. Fronted by Nickel Creek's 26 year-old mandolin prodigy, Chris Thile, the Punch Brothers seems to be the most famous unknown group, even in the bluegrass world. Why? maybe because they're all young (especially in the realm of bluegrass) and have kept considerably low profiles when in contrast to the legends they compose and affiliate with every day.

Aside from Thile, the group consists of Noam Pikelny (collaborated and performed with John Cowan, Tony Trischka, Yonder Mountain, Leftover Salmon...) on banjo, Chris Eldridge (founding member of The Infamous Stringdusters and often performs with his father's group, Seldom Scene) on guitar, Gabe Witcher (who's performed with numerous legends and has appeared on soundtracks such as Toy Story and Brokeback Mountain) on violin, and Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon, shall I keep going?) on bass.

Punch Brothers - Sometimes

Intricate, symphony-like organization in bluegrass is rare and The Punch Brothers take this to a higher level yet. Their album, Punch, released by Nonesuch Records, includes lightning-quick picking intertwined with Thile's 4-song, 40+ minute movement, that carries the listener through styles across the genres.

Here's a taste of the talent and speed that come with a punch:



Or how about...