We had posted back in August when Chris Thile and his merry band of super pickers announced a three day string of shows at Nashville’s fabled Station Inn. They were, at the time of that posting, billed as The Tensions Mountain Boys, but within a few weeks their rebirth as The Punch Brothers had been disclosed.

The Station Inn dates were scheduled in large part as a live rehearsal before the band headed into the studio to start work on their debut CD for Nonesuch Records. Some preliminary recording was done in late September in Nashville, with the bulk being completed in New York City.

A number of YouTube videos have surfaced from the Station Inn shows. These were shot by audience members, so video and audio isn’t pro quality.

The performances are nevertheless inspired, and range from bluegrass classics like Don’t Give Your Heart To A Rambler and Ocean Of Diamonds to banjo picker Noam Pikelny’s Manchicken.  Songs from Thile’s How To Grow A Woman From The Ground are also represented with The Beekeeper, and one from a Thile solo project in Song For A Young Queen – with Jerry Douglas providing comic relief.