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FeedSouthern Hospitality
3 Questions with Chris Thile of Punch Brothers
Chris Thile, second from left, and Punch Brothers
photo courtesy Danny Clinch
After experiencing the Southern Theatre’s ideal acoustics with former band Nickel Creek and current bluegrass-soaked quintet Punch Brothers, Chris Thile can’t wait to return Feb. 12. “I’ve contacted them several times about making a record there,” he says. The vocalist and mandolin player (who was named a MacArthur “genius” in October) discussed the eclectic sound captured on new five-song EP “Ahoy!” punchbrothers.com
People label the band bluegrass. Do you see yourselves that way?
It doesn’t matter to me. We look like a bluegrass band. People are often tempted to identify music with their eyes. But actually feeling beholden to a particular aesthetic convention is a surefire way to stunt creativity.
Did growing up in California affect your bluegrass experience?
Good music will make its way anywhere. There was live bluegrass played every night in the little suburb where I grew up. What I was exposed to was fairly diffuse, and I just kept diffusing.
You draw from many influences. How do you hone a consistent sound?
I don’t consider any of them to be different. Good bluegrass is a lot more like good rock or good classical than bad bluegrass. Good music is always both satisfying and surprising.
