Features

Punch Brothers: The Undiscovered Country

Photo by Dave Vann

Before they even released Who’s Feeling Young Now?, the quintet was already back in the studio. Now the go-to group for that string-based Americana sound, the quintet recorded in London with an orchestra for the soundtrack of the highly anticipated film The Hunger Games out this March, which T Bone Burnett is overseeing. Another project that Burnett brought them into the studio for is a forthcoming Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis which stars Timberlake and Carey Mulligan. (Burnett was the force behind the soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? which reinvigorated the bluegrass and Americana genre.) Brion, who produced the band’s Anitfogmatic, also requested them in the studio recently to work on music for a new Judd Apatow film This is 40 featuring Paul Rudd, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks and John Lithgow, among others.

And while the Punch Brothers are Thile’s priority, he has even more projects in the wings. His individual tours with bassist Edgar Meyer and violinist Hilary Hahn are examples; so is his ongoing collaboration with cellist Yo Yo Ma alongside Meyer and fiddler Stuart Duncan. (The quartet plans to tour behind their recently released album, The Goat Rodeo Sessions at some point.)

Another is a proper duo tour of the States with jazz pianist Brad Mehldau in 2013. The two dipped their proverbial toes in the water last year with a few concerts in the U.K., which saw them tackling one another’s compositions along with covers such as Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right,” Elliot Smith’s “Tomorrow Tomorrow” and Radiohead’s “Knives Out.”

And still another is something that Thile describes as a “concerto/song cycle” that he wrote for himself, guitarist Julian Lage, vocalist Aoife O’Donovan and orchestra. “It won’t come out for a long time,” he assures. “And I’m continuing to get the solo Bach to a place where I feel good about recording it.”

One project that Thile is not pursuing any time soon is Nickel Creek. Though fans were treated to a surprise set last October at Los Angeles’ Largo when he joined Sarah and Sean Watkins for their monthly residency at the venue—and subsequent rumors of a festival-based reunion quietly spread—Thile assuredly says that nothing of the sort is happening. If anything, he’s worked hard to respectfully distance himself from being defined by the group.

“It’s difficult for people to understand how regressive it feels, personally, to be…” He pauses as he carefully chooses his words.

“To be related…” He pauses again searching for a more precise articulation and resumes.

“To be predominantly identified with something that you did a long, long time ago. I’m 30 years old now, and if you have one Nickel Creek record, the one that you have has material on it that we developed when I was 15 years old. I’m not itching to go back there.”