Punch Brothers have a rare few weeks off from their North American tour, with their next show scheduled for the moe.down Festival in upstate New York September 4. But there's more music making to come in the mean time, as Chris Thile takes the stage at New York City's intimate Rockwood Music Hall for a solo set this Saturday night.

The band was featured on the BBC World Service's flagship arts program The Strand yesterday. "The group, featuring some of bluegrass's brightest new stars," says host Mark Coles, "take the bluegrass fiddle and banjo tradition created by the likes of Earl Scruggs and Lester Flatt and shake it all up a bit, adding a touch of rock 'n' roll and attitude."

Noam Pickelny, the band's banjo player, spoke with Coles about such comparisons to these musical pioneers, suggesting that if they are apt, it's in the Punch Brothers' similar commitment to forging new musical ground. "On paper or in a picture, we look like a bluegrass band," he explains, "but we really are just trying to create something new and bring all of our favorite styles and influences to the table and just throw them into a melting pot."

Hear more of what Noam has to say about the band and their latest Nonesuch release, Antifogmatic, on The Strand at bbc.co.uk. The Punch Brothers segment begins about 19 minutes into the episode.