Punch Brothers to make auditorium debut

Despite the musical reputation that precedes him, Noam Pikelny has a theory on why audiences take particular notice of his current band.

“I would say my six pack abs,” the banjo player said, exerting the confidence of a seasoned festival veteran. “At Bonnaroo, you’re going to need a reason to not go see other bands. And possibly, my physique would be the reason to check us out over, say, the Dave Matthews Band.” And at that, he begins to chuckle.

Pikelny and the other members of the Punch Brothers will take the stage Wednesday at the IU Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The band, created and helmed by former Nickel Creek mandolin player/vocalist Christ Thile, returns to Bloomington in anticipatory support of its new album, “Antifogmatic,” before they perform at two of the country’s largest musical festivals this summer: the Newport Folk Festival and Bonnaroo. Tickets are still available at the auditorium box office or website, and student tickets range from $13 balcony seats to $19 orchestra level seats.

Maria Talbert, events coordinator for the IU Auditorium, said the auditorium sought to bring the Punch Brothers to the university because of their genre-spanning influences.
“It’s a group of wildly talented musicians that continue to entertain audiences across the country,” she said. “I think it’s a show that everyone will enjoy.”

Formed in 2006 by Thile, the band released its first album, “How to Grow a Woman from the Ground,” the same year as the “How to Grow a Band.”  After settling on the Punch Brothers as their official title, the band debuted Thile’s “The Blind Leaving the Blind” at Carnegie Hall in 2007, and soon after released their second album, “Punch,” in 2008.

Pikelny said the band will primarily focus on material from “Antifogmatic,” expected to be released in early June. But that won’t stop them from renditions of earlier tracks or covers by some of their musical inspirations like The Strokes.

“We’re so excited about this new record,” he said. “We really love the tunes on there. It’s so much fun to play and so much fun to play these things for the first time in front of new audiences.”

Part of the Punch Brother’s appeal is the range of musical influence that the band fuses together in its music. Pikelny said the band focuses on collaboration rather than residing within the limits of a certain genre.

“We really just bring anything to the table,” he said. “There’s really kind of a collaborative environment within the ensemble where anyone’s willing to try anything and to chase anything. We’re trying to create music as we hear it without any predetermined roles as far as whether we’re a bluegrass band or a classical ensemble or a pop band. And I think one thing people really seem to enjoy at our shows is the variety of the musical experience.”