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Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau: Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau
Thile and Mehldau make a pretty great duo, but it’s also an idiosyncratic one. For the most part this album feels like Thile is playing around in Mehldau’s jazz-oriented world.
01 Feb 2017
Reviews
Punch Brothers Pack a Punch in Tucson, AZ - 13 April 2015
Punch Brothers proved to the crowd at Tuscon just why they're one of the most celebrated bands in modern bluegrass.
15 Apr 2015
Music
Punch Brothers: The Phosphorescent Blues
This is another triumph for Punch Brothers, who continue to find a balance between catchiness and esoteria.
04 Feb 2015
Music
Various Artists: Red Hot + Bach
Red Hot + Bach can be intoxicatingly musical. It can also be the direct opposite.
03 Aug 2014
Music
An Honest Liar: An Interview with Nickel Creek's Sean Watkins
PopMatters catches up with Sean Watkins during one of his busiest years as a musician yet, which finds him touring with Nickel Creek, recording with Tom Brosseau, and releasing his new solo record, All I Do Is Lie.
28 Jul 2014
Music
Telluride 2014: The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Mandolins
In 2014, Telluride is the perfect encapsulation of where it has been and where it is going to be in the future.
20 Jul 2014
Music
Nickel Creek: A Dotted Line
For its first album in nine years, Nickel Creek tames down the displays of virtuosity that defined much of their previous albums, offering up a more pastoral take on their otherwise “newgrass" take on bluegrass.
31 Mar 2014
Music
Noam Pikelny: Plays Kenny Baker Plays Bill Monroe
In a world full of artists jumping on the roots music bandwagon, this is about as honest and heartfelt as it gets.
05 Feb 2014
Music
Ten Great Cover Singers
Though this may be the time of year when cloying pop covers of Christmas songs are picked up from far too many supermarket checkout lines, let it not sour you on all covers completely. The ten artists listed herein are laudable exemplars of how to make the cover version an artform all its own.
11 Dec 2013
Reviews
Telluride Bluegrass Festival: 21 June 2012 (Day 1)
Mandolin wars, fire on the mountain, Levon love, and John Fogerty: The 39th Annual Telluride Bluegrass Festival brings the heat in Colorado.
15 Aug 2012
Reviews
Punch Brothers: 17 April 2012 - Lexington, KY
Never mind what the group appears to be, as their style transcends the limits of instrumental preferences.
03 May 2012
Music
No Concern of Yours: An Interview with Punch Brothers
He's been in Grammy-winning bands, has worked with some of the best producers in the world, has a documentary coming out about him, and more -- but Chris Thile still doesn't see what the big fuss is about.
03 May 2012
Music
CMJ 2009: Day 4 - Punch Brothers + Holly Miranda + Cymbals Eat Guitars
The CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival invades New York City this week. Here's the latest from PopMatters' writers on the beat.
Vijith Assar
24 Oct 2009
Music
Sara Watkins: Sara Watkins
Nickel Creek's fiddler steps out on her own with her John Paul Jones-produced self-titled debut. It's a laid-back album that wisely focuses on her voice and her violin.
25 May 2009
Reviews
Chris Thile + Brad Mehldau
With just his mandolin for company, Chris Thile's set included the expected folk tunes, some originals, and a sprinkling of the classical pieces that he found influential.
Vijith Assar
03 Nov 2008
Music
Nickel Creek: Reasons Why
Tasty tracks from three spectacular newgrass albums, plus videos and live music.
25 Jan 2007
Music
Chris Thile: How to Grow a Woman From the Ground
The Nickel Creek front man and mandolin marvel drops back for a relatively traditional bluegrass date, featuring other young hotshots and a couple of modern rock covers with a Kentucky tinge.
20 Sep 2006
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