Bringing banjo and mandolin back into the forefront of the wonderful world of music, PunchBrothers played a sold-out show at the Somerville Theater on Friday that transported me back into myhomeland of North Carolina. The hand-clapping and foot stomping was led by Chris Thile on mandolin.Thile is accompanied by Noam Pickelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar, Paul Kowert on bass, andGabe Witcher on violin or fiddle, whichever you prefer. Aoife O’Donovan, a native of Massachusetts,opened the show with an acoustic set that was a mix between Ingrid Michaelson and The Wreckers.Surprisingly, she had a slight country-twang to accompany her beautifully raspy voice, and she was agreat way to open for the band.
Punch Brothers kicked their set off with the fast paced, yet haunting “Movement and Location”which also happens to be the opening song on their new album “Who’s Feeling Young Now?” They keptthe pace going with “Flippen [Flip Side]” which starred dueling bass and mandolin and even though itsinstrumental, was a huge crowd pleaser. A few songs in they pulled out the well-known, “Rye Whiskey,”found on their album “Antifogmatic,” and this was the point where I questioned if I was still inSomerville, Massachusetts and not somewhere in the south. Chris Thile’s dancing with the mandolinaccompanied with the crowd’s hand clapping made for a fun show for everyone in the audience. Afterreceiving a standing ovation for their hour and a half set of hardcore pickin’ and grinnin’, the bandbrought Aoife on stage for a few songs which brought to mind the days of the Johnny Cash and JuneCarter duets.
After many thanks to the audience for a great show the Brothers wrapped the show in much thesame way they began, instrumentally. The crowd loved every minute of it, and I was still questioning if Iwas in Massachusetts. Punch Brothers are a refreshing burst of bluegrass that I do not mind listening toon a daily basis, and their show just proved that in the time of Dubstep, a good mandolin-banjo duel canstill bring in the crowds.
By: Erin Deadmon