In case y'all haven’t seen this yet...
https://youtu.be/TytbMZUcurI
https://youtu.be/8gzBqabAjs0
Best,
Dem
Printable View
In case y'all haven’t seen this yet...
https://youtu.be/TytbMZUcurI
https://youtu.be/8gzBqabAjs0
Best,
Dem
Awesome! I saw on the Nonesuch website you can get an autographed vinyl insert if you order through them just like it was for Thile's Laysongs album. Super excited to hear different interpretations of one of my favorite Tony Rice albums. This is radically different than Tony's or Norm's versions. It will be interesting, no doubt about that! Thanks for posting!
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Cool. I especially liked that part at the end :)
Very nice. I have liked this song for years, and I love the Norman Blake original and the Tony Rice version, and now this version takes its deserved place among them. Great stuff.
I love their phrasing in the chorus. Brings things home by making me want it.
Pass
Oh! Damn! That is a helluva buildup and release.
You can't overstate the reverence and deep love the Bros have for so much of the repertoire. Take Noam's Kenny Baker reboot. And now this album. One thing's for certain. It comes from the heart.
So grateful to these guys for the many gifts over these many years.
Sounds like James Taylor sings Norman Blake. I mean that in a nice way.
Sorry, not my particular cup of tea.
Agreed! Tony and Norman were bowling on different lanes in the same alley. The PB are in a totally different alley. I didn't like it on the first listen, but then it grew on me. Still, I'd describe it as "pleasant."
Agreed! That was a nice touch! It also emphasized Brad's point about the PB's "reverence and deep love the Bros have for so much of the repertoire."
You nailed it! As soon as I read your comment, I thought of JT's version of "O Susanna." Again, "pleasant." It's not "You Can Close Your Eyes."
I as well don't care for the version, love Punch Brothers, and love that they honor Norman and Tony, and hopefully future generations will continue to enjoy this wonderful tune, When PB did "New Chance Blues" they stayed more true to original form, and I'm sure PB knew there would be some dissent amongst the BG community, I suppose a classical enthusiast may dismiss thier "Passepied" but I will give them credit for taking acoustic string music where it has never gone before.
So I will accept but not prefer, I actually prefer Norman's version from Whiskey Before Breakfast to Tony's version.
What a fascinating arrangement. I liked it at first and it grows on me more every time I go back and listen to it. I can't help but wonder what people who don't know either Norman or Tony's version think of it. I suspect what really throws a lot of listeners is that we know the classic version (again, either of them) so well. I actually suspect that the ending, which feels like a relief to someone who knows what it's "supposed" to sound like might be a bit jarring to someone who doesn't recognize what they're doing. This arrangement makes me very excited to hear what they have cooked up for the rest of that album, I'm sure there will be plenty more to talk about.
As a bit of a classical enthusiast myself, I think that arrangement of Passepied is exquisite, exactly the kind of color that Debussy was going for, even if he never could have envisioned it exactly that way. I will also completely agree with you about preferring Norman's version of Church Street Blues to Tony's!
At a certain point the transition from phenom to independent-thinking artist has to take place. I’m actually enjoying Bels Fleck’s approach more. Chris lost me about five years ago.
I usually don't care for the "New Age" stuff that Thile and PB do. Some is to my taste but most is not. Is always technically amazing and played with taste. This one I really liked. Folks compare it to the versions by Rice and Blake......and don't like it in comparison. But if you listened to it as a brand new song the opinions might change a bit.
I think this is a great rendition. It's interesting to hear the opinions. While I think Tony Rice's version of Church Street Blues is probably on some bluegrass Mount Rushmore of iconic songs, I think this fits Punch Brothers. I don't think they have any interest in rehashing a traditional song that is so iconic. Like them or not, this is what they do (in my opinion anyway)-- they take interesting, complicated, weird, etc musical ideas and tie them into pleasant listening experiences. Not all of their songs are to my taste at all-- but to me it's almost impossible to not appreciate them or enjoy the musicianship. I'm very excited to hear the complete album. They did a set at Rockgrass in 2019 that is easily found online that is this whole album, though apparently before some arrangements had been completed because they performed Church Street Blues as Tony's version.
As an ol' flatulence who very much enjoyed Blake's original version (is there a more underrated songwriter than Norman Blake? Last Train From Poor Valley, Green Light on the Southern, Lincoln's Funeral Train and on and on...), I breathed a sigh of relief when the original song emerged at the end.
So much virtuosity, such experimental boldness, evident respect for the original writers and performers -- yet somehow it goes right by me. Admire it but don't love it.
OK, what time signature WAS that? I got the warm fuzzies when they went back to the traditional timing/feel. They certainly are fabulous musicians.
It's in 5/4 until the transition back to the more conventional version. I enjoyed the way they played around with the emphasis of the beat in 5...reminds me a bit of On the Road by John Hartford.
I’ll tell you what. I own a music academy and for the past week I have played this video for all of my students in particular. Mind you, these are electric guitar students as well as some pop vocal students and songwriters too. By the end of the video 100% of them said one of the following statements.
1. I didn’t know a banjo could sound like that! I wanna learn the banjo...
2. I want to learn the mandolin now...
3. I’m gonna ask for an acoustic guitar for Christmas.
4. My sister plays violin, I can’t wait to show her this!
5. I like that big bass but boy I’d hate to carry that around. Sorry bass we still love you...
My point is, these guys are helping keep acoustic music relevant in a world currently taught to walk away from it.
Thank you to the punch brothers for what they’ve done and continue to do for music.
Dem
You have a good point there.
And the general idea of taking old tunes and songs and making them relevant again is something I have been thinking and talking about for a while. See here.
Some might argue that a subtler approach might be better, but others would argue: look, first you have to get their attention.
Something missing for me, Lacks that raw street musician grit and angst of the earlier versions by Blake and then Rice. Chris doesn't have the voice for this one. In the first two verses it was hard to understand the words. I have long enjoyed many Punch Bros. tunes and amazing musicianship but some material is not for them. Folsom Prison Blues would be an example.
Even hearing CT count off “1-2-3-4-5, 1-2-3-4-5”, finding the timing within the tune was … challenging?! But it made me recall Danny Carnahan’s take on “The Otter’s Holt” which is in 10/4. If you’re interested, take a look at about 3:42 in this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLhN6bhfNp4 (Played on his Andy Manson octave mandolin)
I find that I can like multiple, very different versions of the same song equally, but in different ways. I enjoyed this very much, but also enjoy the earlier versions. I especially like that talented, accomplished musicians can make the same song their own, in very different ways. I learn a lot from listening to the Punch Brothers. I hope they continue evolving for may years to come. I am having great fun following their development, especially Chris's. He possesses an amazing talent.