Chris is a regular act, although this band is “new”, he himself appears to be one of the artist that Planet Bluegrass asks back no matter what. :eek
Oddly I thought his set with Mike Marshall (two years ago or last year???) was good, not great, but good. I heard I lot of grumbling though. Like Redknuckles said I thought it was a phase and I was looking forward to him finding a strong voice. From comments I’ve heard at TBF and RG a lot of people are losing patience with his exploring.
I don’t mean to be negative. But after 4 live shows of Punch Brothers that piece of “music” has gotten under my skin. And I got one more to go, this time I will just avoid it.
Sheesh… Chris has a talent that comes around maybe once a generation - or two or even three. He’s still relatively young, he’s exploring, he’s probing, he’s processing all this stuff that’s in his head. I find “Blind Leaving the Blind” rather difficult to stomach my own self but it thrills me to know that he’s out there stretching the boundaries and will continue to do so.
Remember the flack Dylan got when he went electric? Remember how Bill Monroe looked down upon Sam and David for “playing too many notes?” Remember Mark O’Connor’s series of forgettable albums when he was himself exploring in his twenties? We’re still scratching our heads on those.
More power to you Chris. You are brilliant. Keep exploring. Make mistakes. Confound your audience. Let us hear what’s in your mind, even if none of us “get it.” The Dylans and Monroes and Grismans and Bushs of the world all followed their own muse, not their audience’s muse. I am thrilled to be in the presence of such an incredible, unfolding talent.
A slight difference to note in the comparison: Bob Dylan had ‘The Gates of Eden’ before he went electric; Chris Thile had ‘The Smoothie Song’ before he went neo-radiohead-bach.
To each his own, I went to a bluegrass festival…I prefer at least some connection to the vine.
And that’s fair… I believe Punch Bros fit in with the Telluride-vibe more so than Rockygrass, but Chris’s Nightgrass set was straight-up bluegrass the past two years. Perhaps he should just consider switching the two and do a bluegrass set on the main-stage and the How to Grow a Band/Blind Leaving the Blind stuff for the Nightgrass?
Personally I seem to enjoy his work more the further from bluegrass he goes and I think it works for him (and me). But I’ve seen Chris Thile play some small bluegrass/folk duo shows with guitarist/singer Michael Daves in Manhattan and its fantastic, I think that configuration would do well at Rockygrass or T-ride.
Unlike “Like a Rolling Stone”, no one will be talking about “Leaving the Blind for the Blind” 40 years from now.
In fact, I bet you a beer at next year’s festival that no one will even remember the song next year - other than some vague memories of being really uncomfortable and bored for 40 minutes.
There seems to be an inordinate amount of bitterness about this set for some reason.
Anyways, if you haven’t actually listened to the album version of the blind leaving the blind I suggest you do before judging the work. And by listen I mean sit down with headphones and focus ONLY on the music. Its not driving music, but something you really demands your attention to truly appreciate. The textures of the parts are beautiful in my opinion. Also, don’t go into it expecting to hear bluegrass.
Although, I can see why people don’t feel it fits in at a “bluegrass festival”. However, after 3 full days of bluegrass standards it doesn’t hurt to have an hour of something different to keep things fresh. I like bluegrass music but even after 1 day of listening to bluegrass I get tired of hearing the same chord changes and G run solo’s.
Also, the Punch Brothers bring in a different demographic to the festival who might not come otherwise, which means more money for planet bluegrass. Not only that, but it can lead to getting into real bluegrass. I remember people thinking the same thing about Nickel Creek for awhile. I used to not like bluegrass but I liked Nickel Creek. The more I got into it, I started playing mandolin, which lead to me liking all kinds of bluegrass. Now i’ve attended 4 or 5 Planet Bluegrass festivals and the Academy as a result, and have gotten really into the classic bluegrass stuff.
So I wouldn’t discount the band or “never invite them back” just because they are trying to push the bounds of their instruments and do something different. Someone may come for Punch Brothers but hear something else they really like, creating a lifelong bluegrass fan.
Maybe I’m wrong I don’t know. Heck, my favorite album Thile made was Deceiver, so I’m kind of backwards than what a lot of people think of his music haha.
Sat 7:15. Day of tubin’, eat some dinner, get a beer, and listen to… bluegrass or at least something worthy of a Saturday night. I love Shostakovich’s Preludes, but I would have been upset if that is what I got for my Sat. night entertainment. I was ready to party!
I love bluegrass; to me a change up is Sammy and Edgar, or Bearfoot. There were plenty of non-bluegrass, in fact some have complain too much. By Saturday night I was ready for the ghost of Bill Monroe. It is the time of day for dancing shoes, not the thinking cap.
I read in an interview that Noam left Salmon to play for John Cowan’s band, as he wanted to do more traditional stuff.
Seems like Salmon gave him his big break, not sure why he doesn’t seem so enthusiastic about Salmon. It’s hard to get a read on him. He was definitely jamming with them in Telluride. He was not at Mile High Music fest July 20, perhaps it was a scheduling conflict with Punch Brothers.
Was that Danny Barnes on banjo at Mile High Music Fest? Someone did a nice job sitting in for Noam.
I interviewed Noam a year ago and asked him about the shift from LoS to Cowan. At that time, Vince & Drew were already thinking about backing off the Salmon touring schedule and the opportunity to work with Cowan looked pretty good. But Noam thought, initially, that he’d be able to keep up with both bands. Then the scheduling got out of control and he made the jump to JCB.
In the end it seems to have worked out OK. Despite his entanglement with HTGAB and Punch Bros, Noam has still managed time for the occasional LoS reunion. I understand another solo record is also in the works.
Unlike “Like a Rolling Stone”, no one will be talking about “Leaving the Blind for the Blind” 40 years from now.
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I disagree…The people who listen to and appreciate Chris Thile’s music tend to be younger…I just turned 17, and I think that the Blind Leaving the Blind is brilliant…Most of the people that I talked to at Rockygrass who were around my age agreed with me to some extent…Now I’m not saying this goes for everyone…you can say you don’t like the piece or that you don’t like Thile…but 40 years from now, today’s youth will be attending these festivals, and I for one will always remember this piece
I disagree…The people who listen to and appreciate Chris Thile’s music tend to be younger…I just turned 17, and I think that the Blind Leaving the Blind is brilliant…Most of the people that I talked to at Rockygrass who were around my age agreed with me to some extent…Now I’m not saying this goes for everyone…you can say you don’t like the piece or that you don’t like Thile…but 40 years from now, today’s youth will be attending these festivals, and I for one will always remember this piece
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Well that being said, I feel young and I am glad that we share this planet together… :flower :medal Well said my friend.
I thought the show was brilliant when I saw it then, and I saw them perform last night and it was better than the first time! That said last night was in a concert hall not an outdoor festival.
I would also like to add how shocked I am at some of the comments on this subject. I always thought the RG crownd was more open minded to music and different form of acoustical sounds. There are moments when they get down to a pretty traditional bluegrass sound and then there are times they stray and play beautiful music on bluegrass instruments.