Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer's nationwide tour in support of their new, debut duo album and DVD got under way last night at the University of Colorado's Macky Auditorium in Boulder. This weekend, the pair head to California for the first of four shows in the state Saturday night at the Barclay Theatre in Irvine. On Sunday, they'll be in San Diego to play the Balboa Theatre.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's George Varga previews the event by declaring Thile unequaled among mandolinists in this way:

[W]hen it comes to Chris Thile—no matter how objective I try to be—I can't think of any other mandolinist who is more talented or consistently innovative ... Equally adept at bluegrass, classical, jazz, pop and various points in between, this former Nickel Creek mainstay is a master of his instrument who rarely fails to inspire or elevate his listeners.

Varga goes on to call Thile and Meyer's new album "an all-instrumental gem that never sacrifices nuance and musicality for virtuosity, even when the two perform at a seemingly superhuman tempo on a piece called 'Fence Post.'" He writes of their unique, genre-defying effort: "Their fusion of classical and bluegrass, the earthy and the sophisticated, is so seamless and evolved that it seems unlikely anyone will catch up soon."

To read more, visit signonsandiego.com. For tour information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.