Chris Eldridge Archives - Page 2 of 3

Album of the Week #32 – Chris Thile’s How To Grow A Woman From The Ground

It was announced a few months ago that bluegrass’ own Chris Thile will be awarded a MacArthur genius grant. Congratulations. There isn’t a more deserving artist. But hold your applause. His award is eclipsed by the honor he is receiving this week: An Album Of The Week! (Now you can applaud, toss your hats, throw your babies in the air, etc.)

In 2006, Thile released a solo project entitled How To Grow A Woman From The Ground. The album was unveiled at the end of his Nickel Creek days, and marked the beginning of a new chapter in Thile’s amazing musical career. The project presented a new band featuring Chris Eldridge, Noam Pikelny, Gabe Witcher, and Greg Garrison. Originally dubbed “How To Grow A Band,” the band name was changed soon afterwards to what we know them as now: Punch Brothers.

It is hard for me to grasp that The Punch Brothers have been around for seven years! Maybe it’s because their music still sounds so ahead of its time. Their unique blend of bluegrass with elements from rock and classical music still seems odd conceptually, but in the hands of these masters it works beautifully. One of the biggest signs of Thile trying to separate The Punch Brothers’ sound from Nickel Creek, was by utilizing traditional bluegrass instrumentation. The guys are even known to play a “real bluegrass” tune now and then, and play it just as well as their progressive pieces.

The version here of Jimmie Rodgers’ Brakeman’s Blues proves to traditionalists that these fellas can perform old school bluegrass with the best. I would love to see them record an entire album of straight bluegrass songs like this one, just to prove the naysayers wrong.

Thile’s is a little different than Bill Monroe’s classic rendition. While it is one of the most traditional sounding songs in Thile’s repertoire, he still performs it his own way. The fervor and feeling with which he plays the mandolin is one reason he is an iconic figure in modern American music. The song showcased him with a grassier-edge than had found in the later Nickel Creek albums; however, his unique touch is not lost, making the track purely Thile. Chris Eldridge’s lead guitar playing also shines on this cut, which is a real treat.

Another song that bridges the gap between traditional and progressive schools of thought is the modern fiddle tune, Cazadero. Gabe Witcher’s fiddle playing is showcased. He implements a traditional flavor, while maintaining a contemporary touch.

The Punch Brothers also revamp a Gillian Welch tune, Wayside (Back In Time), which appeared on her 2003 release, Soul Journey. This is one of several Welch songs to receive a bluegrass makeover. Originally a slower, reflective piece, it is transformed here into an uptempo, full-fledged bluegrass number. Filled with memories of railcars, fresh peaches, and young love, this is a fun song to sing along.

Gillian Welch is not the only artist to see one of their songs “Punched.” The White Stripes’ Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground gets a facelift as well. Leave it to Thile to lay some Monroe-mandolin licks to a modern rock song. The band has a blast trading instrumental breaks and shouting along with the chorus. Chris seems to let loose, cranking his energy up to an unprecedented level. He plays and sings with aggressiveness, a far cry from Nickel Creek’s When You Come back Down.

Chris does revisit his sensitive Nickel Creek side a bit, most beautifully on his original, You’re An Angel And I’m Gonna Cry. His singing and mandolin playing are appropriate as always. Noam Pikelny’s beautiful banjo is the best decision on this track; his melodic playing strengthens the song’s sentiment. The amount of restraint shown by both Thile and Pikelny make this the most tender track on the album. In contrast to the “wide open” manner of Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground, You’re An Angel And I’m Gonna Cry is more subdued, taking the song to the brink of tears and leaving it there brilliantly.

How To Grow A Woman From The Ground was the perfect introduction to The Punch Brothers. By separating themselves, not only from Nickel Creek, but from other artists in general, they proved they were a force to be reckoned with in 21st century bluegrass and acoustic music.

How To Grow A Woman From The Ground is available on Sugar Hill Records (SUG-4017). It can be ordered from County Sales or the Classic Country Connection. It also available for digital download via iTunes or AmazonMP3.

Noam Pikelny Manchicken live video

Banjo wizard Noam Pikelny has posted a video from his ongoing tour in support of his current album, Beat The Devil and Carry a Rail.

The video is for his original banjo tune, Manchicken, found on his 2004 CD, In The Maze.

Assisting are Luke Bulla on fiddle, Sam Grisman on bass, Chris Eldridge on guitar and Dominick Leslie on mandolin. Those four, along with vocalist Aoife O’Donovan, are with Noam on the road.

The video was shot by Tom Nowak at the Grass Valley Center for the Arts in California on May 25.

Noam & Friends will be in the northeastern US until mid-July, with one last show at RockyGrass on 7/27. Find full tour information online.

Seldom Scene hits middle age

You never know what songs you’ll hear when the Seldom Scene is playing. Not only is the band entering it’s 41^st year – giving the Scene one of the deepest catalogs around – but members regularly add new material to their stage show.

I was lucky enough to attend a grand New Year’s Eve tradition in the Washington, D.C., area – the Seldom Scene playing at the legendary Birchmere Music Hall. John Duffey has been dead for 15 years now, and other members have come and gone, but the Scene is still a must-hear – tight three-and four-part harmonies, good picking and, always, a few surprises mixed in with the must-do songs their faithful followers have come to expect.

The Birchmere show was no different. Along with Wait a Minute — perhaps the closest thing to a Seldom Scene anthem — the set list meandered through This Morning At Nine; the Bill Monroe standard Working on a Building; Bob Dylan’s Boots of Spanish Leather; George Jones’ Walk Through This World with Me, and Hazel Dickens’ My Better Years. There was, as always, humor, too — this time in the form of the early 1970s counterculture classic, the Down to Seeds and Stems Again Blues.

The icing on the cake at the Birchmere show was Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers singing John Starling’s Mean Mother Blues, while proud papa Ben Eldridge – the last original member of the Scene – vamped on the banjo a few feet away.

On this night, the harmonies were especially spellbinding. Some of Duffey’s performances of Wait A Minute still pile up boatloads of YouTube hits, but Dudley Connell, Lou Reid and Fred Travers nailed it. And on I’m Working on a Building, bassist Ronnie Simpkins added a solid bass vocal as well.

The Scene is in the process of gathering material for a new studio project, which should bring new excitement to fans in 2012. And there’s no sign of these veteran pickers slowing down.

After closing the show and bringing in the New Year with a rousing Auld Lang Syne, Dudley and his wife, Sally Love Connell, entertained about 20 folks at a wee-hours party at Wine Harvest, a bistro/wine shop near his Maryland home. As a few extra pickers joined in, the jam session turned into a tour of Stanley Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs standards, much to the delight of Dudley, a Carter Stanley acolyte – and the small, but enthusiastic crowd.

Those who can’t wait for another Scene fix might want to circle Feb. 4 on their calendars. Dudley and Sally will be at the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD, for the annual Good Deale Bluegrass show with Tim and Savannah Finch.

Folks at the Birchmere show were treated to a terrific sneak preview when Tim and Savannah and the rest of the Eastman String Band opened, Sally joined them for a magical, just-rehearsed-backstage version of Townes Van Zandt’s If I Needed You.

Antifogmatic from Punch Brothers in June

Continuing in their established trend of terse, esoteric and slightly archaic references for album titles, Punch Brothers have announced that their new CD, Antifogmatic, will be released June 15 on Nonesuch Records.

And also continuing in the newly-established trend, they are offering a special deluxe pre-release package chock-full of extra goodies. For $25 you will receive the new CD, a four song instrumental EP, All of This Is True, and a live DVD, It’s p-Bingo Night! filmed at The Living Room in New York City. The first 250 pre-orders will also get an autographed cocktail recipe guide.

Why the bartender’s friend and the cryptic album title? Banjo picker Noam Pikelny lifts the veil…

“If you’re wondering why we named our new record Antifogmatic, I say to you, men and women alike, ‘Good day to you, Sir.’ But for those still curious, an ‘antifogmatic’ is a type of 19th century alcoholic drink that was meant as a cure for the effects of fog and other inclement weather. My esteemed colleague, Mr. Thile, skillfully explains… ‘Antifogmatic is an old term for a bracing beverage, generally rum or whiskey, that a person would have before going out to work in rough weather to stave off any ill effects. This batch of tunes could be used in much the same way, and includes some characters who would probably benefit mightily, if temporarily, from a good antifogmatic.’ “

Like the previous two releases from Thile and his merry band, Antifogmatic was recorded live in the studio, this time at Ocean Way in Los Angeles, with jon Brion producing Jon Brion and Gregg Koller engineering.

From the Nonesuch web site:

“Our new record is a very pure collaboration,” Thile emphasizes. “I would often come to the boys with a start, a little nugget, and we would collectively fashion it into something. None of these songs would have been like themselves if I had been left to my own devices. Several of them were starts that other guys had, and we would build from there. It’s fun how liquid the writing process was on this.”

Says guitarist Eldridge, “We got to find out what the band sounded like when we tried to collectively make music from scratch. A song might start with something as simple as a phrase that everybody thought was cool and worthy of development, maybe a set of chord changes, maybe more than that. Everyone was bringing things to the table and putting them in front of the band’s collective consciousness to try to build them into something together. It was a pretty neat experience to see how things took shape that way. It really happened completely before our eyes.”

Interview: Chris Thile & Chris Eldridge Part 3

Here’s Part 3 of our interview with Chris Thile and Chris Eldridge (a.k.a. Critter) of the Punch Brothers. In this third, and final, installment, we’ll be discussing the actual process of recording the new Punch Brothers CD, Punch, and in particular the major composition, The Blind Leaving The Blind.

Brance: Your last CD, How To Grow A Woman From The Ground, was recorded live with only two microphones. How about Punch?

Chris:

We recorded live again on this record. It’s my favorite way to record. This time around we did multi-track, but in a minimal way.

The main tracks were recorded with a setup borrowed from orchestral recording called a Decca Tree. We just gathered around that setup in a semi-circle and and recorded totally live. But we didn’t want Noam and Gabe to have to lay back too much, we wanted them to be able to play dynamically they way they normally would, so we did set up some spot mics so we could give a little boost here and there when needed.

A Decca Tree is a method of recording that combines three microphones positioned spatially in a “T” shape. It is most often used with omni-directional microphones. Chris told me they used three Neumann mics for their set up. The Tree is positioned above the assembled musicians and provides a pleasant sounding stereo recording.

Brance: Using a set up like that requires a bit of room. What size space where you in?

Chris:

We cut the tracks in New York City, in a large orchestra room with a very nice natural room sound.

Brance: Recording a CD live is hard enough, how did you handle recording such long compositions?

Chris:

Well, we didn’t record it all in one day! We tracked one movement, or two songs per day on average. The music is fairly intense, and recording has an intensity of its own, so it takes it out of you to record something like this live. We went in to the studio knowing the music was hard to play, but our goal was to make it sound easier than it is!

Considering Chris’ statements about combining classical composition disciplines with the vibrancy of bluegrass songwriting, keeping the music intense and engaging, and making it sound easier than it is, I’d say they guys did a fantastic job with this recording.

Punch is released this coming Tuesday, February 26, 2008. I’m sure we’ll have a post or two with some comments on the music itself by then, but I’ll go ahead and give you my recommendation. Go get it!

Be sure to read Part 1 and Part 2 of this interview.

Interview: Chris Thile & Chris Eldridge Part 2

When we left our dynamic duo yesterday, at the end of Part 1 of this interview, they had just engaged in a small snowball battle. Having concluded that brief engagement, we returned to the interview.

Brance: What about the other four songs on the CD?

Chris:

We basically co-wrote those tunes as a band. Those four tracks actually contribute to the overall presentation of The Blind Leaving The Blind. We introduced them in that particular order purposefully.

But you know, we’re really just getting warmed up on the mutual creative process. Looking ahead to the future with this band is pretty exciting.

Brance: What is the context for presenting this new material live in a show? What other material is being performed alongside these new compositions?

Chris:

We’re still performing material from How To Grow in the shows. We’re also doing some tunes from my various solo recordings as well.

Critter:

We do a few interesting covers as well. And the show is really different each night. We try to mix it up so that if a person comes to more than one show, they’re going to hear something different each time.

Brance: Chris you mentioned earlier that the composition of The Blind Leaving The Blind was colored by the players. If you can quantify it, could you share one thing about each of the guys in the band that you find valuable to the band experience?

Chris:

Wow, that hard. Each of these guys is so multi-dimensional it’s difficult to pick out just one thing. But if I had to…

Noam brings this incredible work ethic to the group that I really value. His instrument, the banjo, doesn’t really lend itself well to some of the stuff we’re doing. It’s tuned to open G and we’re playing in a variety of keys that make it quite challenging for a banjo player. But Noam just steps up to the task, works it out, and comes up with some incredible stuff.

Gabe processes information so quickly. Someone will have an idea and Gabe just gets it so quickly.

Greg has this amazing self-awareness that is really unique in a musician. And he’s very innovative as a bass player, he really lends a lot to the overall sound.

And Critter, well he’s just fearless. He will try anything! Where the rest of us might be thinking “I’d better not go there, I’ve never had that under my fingers before,” Critter will just forge ahead. Almost every night, at some point, he’ll play something that will have the rest of us looking at each other and asking “Where did that come from?!”

Brance: What is your favorite aspect of the results of recording this particular set of music with this group?

Chris:

I feel like the end result is music that is interesting and engaging. The listener has to participate in this music, actively. The listener is a key component, and I’m happy about that.

Tomorrow we’ll finish up the interview with a discussion of the recording techniques used on Punch.

Be sure to read Part 1.

Interview: Chris Thile & Chris Eldridge

With the release of the new Punch Brothers CD only a week away, Chris Thile fans are eagerly awaiting the latest entry in his musical diary. This one has been a long time coming.

I had the opportunity to speak with Chris, along with guitarist Chris Eldridge (a.k.a. Critter), last week and ask them about the new CD. We spoke in the early morning hours (11 AM) the day after a show in Vermont. The pair were on their way to Starbucks for a cup of java while we chatted.

The new CD coincides with the new band name, Punch Brothers, and is named simply, Punch. Scheduled to be released next Tuesday, February 26, 2008, the recording is centered around a Thile composition over a year and half in the making, The Blind Leaving The Blind. The work is presented in four movements, each a separate track on the CD.

Brance: Chris, tell us about the composition of The Blind Leaving The Blind. It seems quite an ambitious project to write something that large in scope, for performance by a bluegrass band.

Chris:

Yeah, it’s big. I spent a year and a half writing it. Not that I worked on it every day, but I probably spent about two and half months worth of days in actual composition, over the course of that year and a half. I worked with a music composition software called Finale.

The finished piece is about a 70/30 mix, through composed material vs. something that looks more like a jazz lead sheet or a written out fiddle tune. My goal was to fuse the formal disciplines of jazz or classical composition with the vibrancy of bluegrass or folk music song writing.

When I started composing, we were still doing the Nickel Creek thing. I was having trouble with certain aspects of the work because I didn’t know at the time who would be playing it with me. So parts of it had to be put on hold until I had put the current band together. The composition is absolutely colored by the players.

Brance: The finished work is in four movements totaling over 42 minutes of music. Do you perform it as one continuous piece of music, or do you take breaks in between the movements?

Chris:

No, we don’t perform it strait through, for a couple of reasons. For one, we need a chance to tune occasionally! And our audience, for the most part, isn’t accustomed to sitting and listening for 12 minutes (the longest of the movements) let alone 42 minutes. Everyone needs a break. So we pause, tune, talk to the crowd, check on them and make sure they’re doing ok.

Brance: So how have the audiences received the piece?

Chris:

The reception has been very warm and encouraging. The fans seem to enjoy it as much as we do, and that’s important to us.

Brance: About the fans. Who are they? Bluegrass fans? Nickel Creek fans? Are there any classical music fans coming out?

Critter:

I think it’s a mix of all that, the old fans and the new. There are definitely some bluegrass people who are coming out, along with Chris’ Nickel Creek fans, and the association with Nonesuch has brought in some fans that might not have listened to us otherwise.

Chris:

Yeah, Nickel Creek took a folksy/pop turn along the way and we lost the interest of many of the instrumentally minded fans. I’m glad to see them coming back now.

Critter:

You know, the fans, no matter what their background, have to be aware that the show is going to be different than what they’re used to.

Chris:

Yes! You’ll need to be open minded to accept what we’re doing. In fact, we CRAVE the open minded!

Hey!!!

Critter just threw a snowball at me!

To be continued…

Eldridge came by the nickname Critter some years ago as a young man. Spending time with his dad and the Seldom Scene, he got to hang out with many high profile bluegrass artists. He was dubbed “Critter” by his guitar hero Tony Rice.

More with Chris and Critter: Part 2

Williams, Eldridge, Falco clip on YouTube

The folks at Flatpicking Guitar Magazine have posted an online clip from the most recent DVD release, Guitarmageddon. It features Josh Williams, Andy Falco and Chris Eldridge tearing up Cherokee Shuffle on stage at the Station Inn in Nashville.

As you might expect, the boys pick it solid throughout, and surely do so throughout this one hour production.

The Guitarmageddon DVD was shot and edited by our own Brance Gillian.

Fiery flatpicking on Guitarmageddon DVD

Flatpicking Guitar Magazine has released their latest concert DVD, following the familiar theme of grouping popular flatpickers they have set with previous releases.

Guitarmageddon, co-produced with SimpleFolk Productions, showcases three young flatpicking firebrands who have been making their presence felt in bluegrass this past few years. Chris Eldridge, Andy Falco and Josh Williams are featured in this one hour DVD performing live at Nashville’s storied Station Inn in a variety of settings.

The three each offer solo arrangements, are paired as duos, pick as a trio, and are joined by Cody Kilby on banjo and Mike Bub on bass for some rockin’ bluegrass numbers. Each of the three guitarists are interviewed, as is J.T. Gray, current owner of the Station Inn.

A total of 15 songs are included, among them favorites like Cherokee Shuffle, East Tennessee Blues, Jesse James, Nine Pound Hammer, and Salt Creek.

There doesn’t seem to be a video sample up online yet, but they may be posted soon on Flatpicking Guitar’s YouTube channel.

You can find more details in the Flatpicking Guitar online store.

Benefit Concert for Scottie Henson

Our friend Tony Williams, promoter of the Kentucky Lake Bluegrass Festival, recently contacted us with news concerning a benefit concert being organized in his area of Kentucky.

The concert is to benefit Mr. Scottie Henson, one of the charter members of the Jackson Purchase Friends of Bluegrass, the organization behind many bluegrass events in Western Kentucky. Henson is known to the bluegrass community as an instructor, as well as a member of The Kentucky Opry in Draffenville, KY. Recently Henson underwent double aortic aneursm surgery at Vanderbilt Medical Center.

The surgery went well, but shortly after the operation Scottie started being plagued by all kinds of setbacks, including pneumonia and kidney failure, but through the miracles of medical science and the prayers of hundreds of his friends, he has survived, and has now been moved to Select Specialty Hospital in Nashville to begin a long and difficult rehabilitation. His wife and daughter have been with him in Nashville since August 28, 2007 sleeping on the sofas in Vanderbilt Surgical Intensive Care waiting room, and in Motels, and eating every meal out the entire time.

Now that the worst is past and Henson seems to be recovering, Josh Williams, who had Scottie as his first musical instructor, along with the Campbell Family, the proprietors of The Kentucky Opry, JPFOB, and members of Henson’s home church, the Hamlet Baptist Church, have planned this benefit to help defray the medical costs not covered by Henson’s insurance.

Joining Josh Williams will be the other two members of the soon to be FGM DVD release Guitarmageddon, Andy Falco and Chris Eldridge.

The show is scheduled to take place at The Kentucky Opry on December 7, 2007 from 7 PM to Midnight. There is no set price for admission, they ask that attendies simply make a donation to the fund.

The Kentucky Opry is located 5 miles North of Benton, Kentucky on U.S. Highway 641 North. It is also six miles south of Kentucky Dam Village State Park. It is less than one mile from the Purchase Parkway South via Exit 47, and only 5 1/2 miles off Interstate 24 at Kentucky Exit 25A.