Paul Kowert – a real stand up guy
Longtime readers of The Bluegrass Blog will have noted my fondness for The Bluegrass Intelligencer, a news parody site – a la The Onion – that focuses on personalities in the bluegrass and acoustic string world.
I find the site to be clever and uproariously funny, though you might want to be wary if you are easily offended by ribald themes or occasional vulgarity.
A number of new stories have been posted this past few days which should be good for a chuckle. One that really cracked me up covers a supposed new turn in the personal life of new Punch Brothers bassist, Paul Kowert.
Paul Kowert Weds Own Bass in Holy Matrimony – Ex-heartthrob forgoes female companionship forever
BROOKLYN — Young bassist Paul Kowert, who recently landed his dream job as a member of the popular band Punch Brothers, has just startled the bluegrass world by announcing that he is newly married.
According to his publicist, Kowert has taken a three-year-old American upright bass as his lawfully wedded spouse.
Kowert, who moved to New York City late last year, is an alumnus of the Curtis Institute of Music and the winner of SPBGMA’s Bachelor of the Year award in 2008.
Kowert’s highly unconventional marriage has both appalled traditionalists and delivered unthinkable disappointment to enormous numbers of female fans.
"He is a true Punch Brother now," said bandmate Chris Thile.
Read the full post online.
Also highlighted in that piece is a non-fake YouTube clip of Paul demonstrating his virtuosity on the upright bass, a brilliant duet with Punch Brothers fiddler Gabe Witcher on the Carter Family classic, You Are My Flower.
It’s hand held video from a live show, and gets a bit jerky, but Kowert’s performance is simply brilliant.
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Punch Brothers have brought on young bass monster Paul Kowert to take the spot of departing founding member Greg Garrison. The band otherwise remains the same (Chris Thile on mandolin, Noam Pikelny on banjo, Chris Eldridge on guitar and Gabe Witcher on fiddle).
Kowert, 22 years old, had been touring...
Continuing in their quest to prove that the familiar bluegrass ensemble (banjo, bass, fiddle, guitar, mandolin) is primarily a group of musical instruments - as opposed to bluegrass instruments - Punch Brothers are hard at work on a transcription of the 3rd Brandenburg Concerto from Johann Sebastian...
How To Grow A Band is the title of a new film, currently in production, that chronicles the life and times of Punch Brothers.
It follows Chris Thile and his merry band (Chris Eldridge on guitar, Noam Pikelny on band, Gabe Witcher on fiddle, and Greg Garrison and Paul Kowert on bass) during their first...
There is a wealth of Punch Brothers media recently posted online, showcasing them both as exquisite musicians and fun guys.
First off, video from their 2/9 appearance on The Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour has been made available online. This program was wholly dedicated to Chris Thile's ambitious composition,...
Video from a Punch Brothers Concert for Folk Alley has been posted online. The show was recorded on April 2 in Kent, OH and both sets of music can be viewed at FolkAlley.com
The concert contains a complete performance of The Blind Leaving The Blind, split between the two sets. This is Chris Thile's...
I enjoyed the article on the punch brothers. Not sure why as I have listened to some of their stuff and it was my cup of tea. Maybe because of the connection to baseball as I do love my sports or it may have to do with the Cubs. Anybody should want them to win the world series! Well... except for...
The first new set of post-Nickel Creek dates for Punch Brothers, the latest nom de guerre for Chris Thile's merry band of super-pickers, have been posted online.
They show one date in New York City next weekend, a New Years Eve show in Chicago and a smattering of festival and concert stops in early...
Punch Brothers fans can check out three live cuts from the guys posted at Daytrotter.com.
There are live versions of Punch Bowl and the first movement of The Blind Leaving The Blind, both tracks from the band's current CD, Punch. They also cut a version of Wilco's Poor Places which they have been...
Among the non-music web sites that I enjoy most regularly are ones that use satire and faux-news stories in humorous ways. Sites like The Onion and Stuff White People Like really tickle my funny bone, though with humor being such a subjective attribute, your mileage may vary.
Here's one that mixes...
That's the title of a clever and revealing post published yesterday on the Punch Brothers blog.
The concept is a "fun facts" sort of thing, providing both musical and personal insights that relate to their recent CD, Punch, and its centerpiece, the lengthy, four movement Chris Thile composition,...
We've posted repeatedly about Punch Brothers, the most recent permutation of Chris Thile's supremely talented band of acoustic superpickers.
Their debut release on Nonesuch Records is due on 2/28/08 built around Thile's composition, The Blind Leaving The Blind - a magnum opus by the standards of the...
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