I'm one of those people. I didn’t listen to Nickel Creek when they were an active band. What a shame! A friend introduced me to the mandolin wizard that is Chris Thile, and for that, I am grateful.
Saturday’s sold-out Punch Brothers show at High Noon was one not to miss. You might’ve expected rowdy dancing at a bluegrass show, but there was not much of the sort. The crowd largely stood in awe of the talent on stage. I found myself trying not to drool while listening to each musician shred on their respective stringed instrument. For the unfamiliar, the Punch Brothers line-up features a mandolin, guitar, upright bass, banjo, and fiddle – it’s an alt-country, modern bluegrass quintet of power.
Punch Brothers, who have been restricted to a shorter timeslot on their current tour as Paul Simon’s opener, were eager to expand their setlist (lucky for us!). We Madison folks were privileged to two hours of classics, covers, and new stuff, including the “world premiere” of their new song “Patchwork Girl.” This seemingly poppier (but still plently bluegrassy) song will be featured on their next album, “out some Tuesday in February.” Notorious for their covers, Punch Brothers didn’t disappoint. The boys in suits provided folk-infused, fun renditions of The Beatles’ “Paperback Writer,” Beck’s “Sexx Laws,” and for their second encore, The Band’s “Ophelia."
One of the beauties of this bluegrass quintet is their greater appeal; I found myself being annoyed, yet appreciative, of the bros standing next to me shouting desperate pleas for Radiohead covers. Kudos to Punch Brothers for having the ability to reach a new league of fans with this genre. Check out their crowd pleaser "Rye Whiskey" below.
If you believe the hashtag, #johnmayerisback!
His first tour since his vocal cord troubles cleared up kicks off on the 4th of July, and includes a stop at Milwaukee's Summerfest on July 6th.
In addition to preparing for a tour, he's been...
Are kids today over-photographed?
Now that everybody has a camera on their phone, and now that Facebook is a greedy beast that must be fed, it seems parents take WAY more pictures of their kids than was the case back in the 1960s and 1970s. It...
People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
Happy birthday to the Cute Beatle, SIr Paul McCartney! He turns 71 today.
One of the rules for Beatles fans is that you must memorize tidbits of Beatle trivia to try and impress other Beatle fans. This is not that easy to do....as things like...
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley topped both the pop and country charts with "Harper Valley PTA". She was the first female singer to accomplish that feat and it wasn't repeated until Dolly Parton did it in 1981 with the song "9 to 5". The song was...
This week we're doing story songs on the World's Worst iPod. We start with the story of Billy who really wanted to be a hero. He was a hero, but didn't live to see it and his girlfriend was pretty angry. The song was originally done by...
This week' s Gabby's Pick is another track from emerging artist ZZ Ward's debut album , called "365 Days."
In addition to all the radio airplay " Put The Gun Down" has received, you may also have heard her music on several television...
Apparently Oreo flavored Oreos are not sufficient.
Nabisco is continuing its trend of introducing special limited edition flavors for its Oreo cookies. Last year, the internet was all abuzz about candy corn Oreos, which supposedly didn't really...
If you believe the hashtag, #johnmayerisback!
His first tour since his vocal cord troubles cleared up kicks off on the 4th of July, and includes a stop at Milwaukee's Summerfest on July 6th.
In addition to preparing for a tour, he's been...
Are kids today over-photographed?
Now that everybody has a camera on their phone, and now that Facebook is a greedy beast that must be fed, it seems parents take WAY more pictures of their kids than was the case back in the 1960s and 1970s. It...
People have been wondering why Billie Joe jumped off the bridge since this song came out and made it to number 1 in 1967. Singer Bobby Gentry says people always asked what was thrown over the bridge and why did Billie Joe jump. She never would give a...
Happy birthday to the Cute Beatle, SIr Paul McCartney! He turns 71 today.
One of the rules for Beatles fans is that you must memorize tidbits of Beatle trivia to try and impress other Beatle fans. This is not that easy to do....as things like...
In 1968, Jeannie C. Riley topped both the pop and country charts with "Harper Valley PTA". She was the first female singer to accomplish that feat and it wasn't repeated until Dolly Parton did it in 1981 with the song "9 to 5". The song was...
This week we're doing story songs on the World's Worst iPod. We start with the story of Billy who really wanted to be a hero. He was a hero, but didn't live to see it and his girlfriend was pretty angry. The song was originally done by...
This week' s Gabby's Pick is another track from emerging artist ZZ Ward's debut album , called "365 Days."
In addition to all the radio airplay " Put The Gun Down" has received, you may also have heard her music on several television...
Apparently Oreo flavored Oreos are not sufficient.
Nabisco is continuing its trend of introducing special limited edition flavors for its Oreo cookies. Last year, the internet was all abuzz about candy corn Oreos, which supposedly didn't really...
