By: Emily J Ramey

As of Tuesday night, I have seen mandolinist Chris Thile play six times – once as part of newgrass trio Nickel Creek, once as a solo act, and four times with his most recent endeavor, Punch Brothers. At this point, I consider myself pretty much an authority on the guy; I know a lot of things about him.

I know that he was eight years old when Nickel Creek formed. I know that he has five solo albums to his name and dozens of appearances on other artists’ works. I know that he likes covering his favorite bands’ tunes, especially those that might seem like unorthodox choices for bluegrass instruments (Wilco, Pavement, Elliott Smith, and Weezer are all classic examples). He’s been called a virtuoso and a prodigy and rightfully so with over two decades of experience composing and performing despite being just days from his 30th birthday. But of all the things I’ve learned about Chris Thile, there is one that stands out as steadfast personal experience: I am never bored while watching him play.

With all that said, Thile’s Punch Brothers is one of his most intriguing projects. The quintet’s 2010 release Antifogmatic had critics at a loss for words… with regard to its pure, undiluted virtuosity, yes, but also with regard to simply what genre in which to categorize it. The album, and much of Thile’s life’s work for that matter, is a refreshing and effortless blend of classical and folk and bluegrass, threaded with strains of country and pop – a rare hybrid, delicately plucked and expertly tuned. And Thile’s fellow musicians – Gabe Witcher (violin), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Paul Kowert (bass), and Noam Pikelny (banjo) – are just as dexterous and just as droll. Together, the Punch Brothers form a masterful group, delightfully wry though for all their panache.

Punch Brothers have built up some clout in Music City too, because their Tuesday night show at Mercy Lounge sold out easily, a rarity in this town. And even more surprisingly, the crowd was packing in and buzzing with excitement, fighting for the last good spots in the crowd, more than 30 minutes before show time. Energy was expanding, billowing through the audience, becoming palpable, and suspending itself over our heads. And then, without ceremony or grandeur, the Brothers took to the stage.

A cover of Josh Ritter’s “Annabel Lee” slowed the pace of the show, the Punch Brothers’ strings echoing quiet, evocative refrains for the first time over the course of the evening and following up with the delicate, swelling Antifogmatic single “Alex.” At this point, each of the musicians was consumed with the music, independently teetering and reeling to the rhythm of the melody like blades of grass wavering in a summer breeze.

They jumped right in, without words, opening the show with the first two tunes from Antifogmatic, “You Are” and “Don’t Need No,” as well as fan favorite, “Heart in a Cage” by The Strokes, already settling into a casual groove, easing into loose harmonies and the group’s characteristically tight dynamics. Thile and company were clearly responding to the room’s enthusiasm; although their faces remained poised, their eyes and fingers were alight with the verve whipping through the throng. The quintet continued with the opener from 2008’s Punch, “Punch Bowl,” before blazing through the snarky, “relationship-centric” tune “Next to the Trash.”

With passions running high, Punch Brothers performed the 1st part of their “The Blind Leaving the Blind,” an ambitious forty-minute suite in four movements that toys with dissonance and layers complexities, incorporating countless melodic intricacies perceptible only by the most astute ear – a true masterpiece, showcasing each of the members’ individual skill while maintaining the fluidity of an opus.

From there, the show was wild and unrestrained, intensifying, gathering speed, as though musically, we were rolling down a mountain to the end of the show. Continuing with a killer cover of The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer,” a beautiful, new tune (which Thile promised would be on the album they’ll begin working on over the summer) called “Full and Empty Hours,” and an old pick “Watch’at Breakdown,” from Thile’s 2006 album How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, Punch Brothers had the crowd back in riotous good spirits. Answering the crowd’s frenzied cheers, the group played their rollicking “Rye Whiskey” and a scorching rendition of Gillian Welch’s “Wayside (Back in Time)” to wrap up the set.

While applauding and roaring for more, I wondered, “Gosh, can they be any more amazing?” And as if in answer to my very thoughts, Thile mounted the stage alone… to play JS Bach’s “Sonata #1 in G Minor” in double time. Yes, double time. It was one of those unparalleled moments in music when one’s mouth drops open with genuine awe, in pure astonishment of even being in the same room with such raw genius. Then, as though lifting a spell, the rest of the Punch Brothers joined Thile onstage to finish the night with a blistering cover of Welsh punk band Mclusky’s “Icarus Smicarus.”

Convincing rumors spread excitedly after the show that Béla Fleck and Jerry Douglas, old friends of Thile’s, were in attendance, blending into the crowd impressively for two bluegrass gods among droves of bluegrass fans. All the elements for a regular old front porch jam session were present that night at Mercy Lounge… with just one gaping hole – odds are a thousand to one that the musicians available for the rocking chair symposium couldn’t possibly be as talented or as in sync as the Punch Brothers themselves.

Emily J Ramey is a burgeoning young music writer, living and working in Nashville, TN. Her background includes journalism classes at New York University and a Music Business degree from Belmont University. Check out her blog at listenerextraordinaire.wordpress.com.