Just a week into their inaugural US tour as Punch Brothers, Chris Thile, Chris Eldridge, Greg Garrison, Noam Pikelny, and Gabe Witcher have already been widely recognized for their stellar playing abilities, and this past Wednesday, another celestial body, the moon, in full eclipse, added extra effect as backdrop to the band's performance at New York City's picturesque Allen Room. The venue's high glass wall looked out onto Central Park under a haunting lunar eclipse as the band celebrated Thile's 27th birthday in truly high style with a set that included songs off their Nonesuch debut, Punch, as well as songs by Radiohead, the Beatles, and the Strokes.

The New York Times' Stephen Holden writes that The Blind Leaving the Blind, the centerpiece of the set and of Punch, "expands the frontier of an emerging style of what might be called American country-classical chamber music." In the new, four-movement piece, writes Holden, "Mr. Thile demonstrated his sensitivity as a composer, ensemble player and singer."

Holden also says of Chris that to call him "the Les Paul of his instrument describes only one aspect of a musician who could just as rightly be compared to a great classical guitarist." He continues:

Although Mr. Thile, an alumnus of Nickel Creek, can toss off witty, jazz-flavored bluegrass solos with breathtaking velocity, his technique is merely the starting point for serious experiments in genre bending that incorporate music ranging from Bach to Radiohead.

To read the review of Wednesday's show, visit nytimes.com.

Punch Brothers continue their US tour when they join the more than 30

bands to converge on Tacoma, Washington, this weekend for the 15th

annual Wintergrass Festival

for "four days of unforgettable bluegrass musicality," as the event

organizers would have it. The festival kicked off last night and

continues through the weekend with Punch Brothers headlining in an

11:15 PM set tonight. In addition to the scheduled performances, the

festival includes dancing, workshops, vendors, and, most inviting,

informal jam sessions among attendees, amateur and professional alike.

For more information, visit wintergrass.com.

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Just before kicking off their US tour, Punch Brothers toured the UK. They'll be featured this weekend on British radio, first with a session on tonight's episode of BBC Radio Scotland's Brand New Country, dedicated to the finest music in the country songbook. The show begins at 8 PM GMT, with an encore performance the same time Sunday; listen live around the world at bbc.co.uk/scotland. On Saturday, the band will be featured on BBC Radio 3's World Routes, an exploration of music from around the world with host Lucy Duran, at 3 PM GMT. Listen live at bbc.co.uk/radio3. You can also listen to each show all week at the respective sites' "listen again" features.

Music critics in the UK have responded to the new record as well, with the Sunday Herald out of Scotland giving it four stars and The Sun crediting Punch Brothers with having "invented a new genre ... jazzgrass."

The Independent calls the new record "breathtakingly impressive stuff." The paper's Andy Gill praises the band as being "an association of expert country musicians whose debut does for bluegrass what The Gospel at Colonus did for gospel---develops a folk art into high art." To read the review, visit independent.co.uk.

Click here to pre-order the Punch Brothers debut CD, Punch, plus free MP3s of the album, set to release on Tuesday, with the exclusive bonus download "Bailey."