Punch Brothers are on the road again, touring the States, following Chris Thile's duo tour with bassist Edgar Meyer. Last night, the quintet performed at the University of Buffalo Center for the Arts. The Buffalo News says that as "Bach eventually begat Beethoven," so too has Punch Brothers taken "Bill Monroe’s speeded-up version of old-time country music and accelerating it into another century." The review calls Chris "ferociously gifted," Noam Pikelny's banjo playing "revelatory and a perfect counter for Thile’s high flying skills," and their bandmates' playing "masterful."

Punch Brothers kicked off a string of November tour dates this past weekend. These latest dates marked the debut of Punch Brothers' new bassist, Paul Kowert, who, fittingly, studied with Chris Thile's recent duo partner, Edgar Meyer. The Bluegrass Blog says Kowert is "more than up to the task. Not only has he memorized the demanding Punch Brothers repertoire, but he is a brilliant soloist in his own right." The band, the review concludes is "the most technically gifted string ensemble yet assembled, and the discipline they exhibit individually and as a unit is a wonder to behold."

Chris Thile and Edgar Meyer will preview their forthcoming, self-titled debut duo album tonight in a special concert at the Aspen Music Festival. On the record, due out September 23 and available now for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store, are 12 original songs by the two musicians. There's also a deluxe version that includes a 50-minute DVD with performances, rehearsals, and behind-the-scenes footage with Edgar and Chris. The Aspen Times says Chris's first Nonesuch record, Punch, with the Punch Brothers, takes "acoustic music to an appreciably higher level."

When Punch Brothers played the Ravinia Festival outside Chicago last week, it was something of a coming home for the band's banjo player, Noam Pikelny, a native son of the city. Chicago Tonight, from public television station WTTW, profiles Noam and the band whose Nonesuch debut, Punch, "takes bluegrass where it has never gone before."

During their UK tour earlier this month, Punch Brothers recorded a few performances for The Daily Telegraph's online Telegraph TV during a sound check for their London show. You can now watch the group perform the first movement (part 2) of The Blind Leaving the Blind and "It'll Happen" from their Nonesuch debut, Punch, as well as an interview with the Telegraph's Iain Gray.

Punch Brothers, fresh off a successful tour of Ireland and the UK, are back in the States and set to play tonight in downtown New York City as part of the River to River Festival of free summer concerts. After last week's London show, the Financial Times called the group among the "foremost practitioners" of "progressive bluegrass," and their music "Americana played with adventure and accomplishment." Please note: due to tonight's inclement weather forecast, the concert has been moved inside, to Stuyvesant High School, across the street from Rockefeller Park.

Congratulations to Punch Brothers: the band's take on "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" has been selected as one of three finalists in ESPN's Battle of the Bands, part of Baseball's Tonight's celebration of the 100th anniversary of that classic baseball tune. Chris Thile be stopping by the show Tuesday afternoon at 12:30 PM ET to answer fans' questions about the tune, the contest, the band, and anything else that might cross fans' minds. You can submit your own question now ...

Tune in to tonight's episode of ESPN's Baseball Tonight at 7 PM ET to catch the Punch Brothers' take on the classic baseball tune "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." ESPN celebrates the 100th anniversary of the iconic song by with a "battle of the bands."

Congratulations to Punch Brothers' Chris Thile has been nominated for a 2008 Americana Award by the Americana Music Association. Chris joins an esteemed group of nominees in the Instrumentalist of the Year category, which also includes Sam Bush, Gurf Morlix, and Buddy Miller, who appears on Emmylou Harris's new album, All I Intended to Be.

Fresh off a three-day swing in the Punch Brothers' Punch tour that brought the band to the first-ever Delfest on Sunday, celebrating the musical legacy of the legendary Del McCoury, Chris Thile is back in New York City to perform in The Unnamed Music and Comedy Show at the 13th Street Repertory theater. The show is written, directed, and hosted by New Yorker cartoonist Matthew Diffee and will feature live music from Chris, stand-up comedy from Roger Hailes, and some as-yet-undisclosed special extras.

Punch Brothers had a packed schedule over the long weekend: they performed at the first annual Delfest in Cumberland, Maryland, on Sunday; The Mauch Opera House in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, on Saturday; and The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday. The Washington Post says The Blind Leaving the Blind, the centerpiece of the group's Nonesuch debut, Punch, was the "most adventurous number" of a live set "that packed a powerful ... well, punch." The AV Club calls it "a tour-de-force." 

Punch Brothers began the next leg of their US tour last night at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, and performs at the Satellite Ballroom in Charlottesville, Virginia, tonight. Leading to tonight's show, Chris Thile spoke with the Charlottesville weekly The Hook about his career, the new band, and their Nonesuch debut record, Punch. Says The Hook's Vijith Assar, Chris has gone from being "the world's premiere young hotshot mandolin player" expected to be "the savior of bluegrass," to moving in "a new, decidedly more progressive route."