New Albums from Noam and Critter Announced

Hi folks,

Winter may be fully upon us now but it's never too early to look ahead towards summer when the boys will make their return to a pair of fantastic (and warm) festivals this June - Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado and ROMP in Kentucky. There will be a few other summer plans to share but in the meantime, there's plenty of new music coming in these colder months.

Noam recently announced his new solo album, Universal Favorite (coming March 3) along with an expansive album release tour. The record, outside of the sage production of Gabe, is a true solo effort with Noam on banjo, vocals(!), flat-top guitar, telecaster, and some other instruments with no band or accompaniment. You can preview the first two tracks now: "Waveland" and "Folk Bloodbath." CD, vinyl, and a new t-shirt designed by Matt Diffee are available to pre-order from Noam's shop or you can pre-order digitally on iTunes and Amazon.

Critter and Julian Lage also just announced their second album, Mount Royal,  (also produced by Gabe Witcher!) which is set to be released on February 24. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Julian is a renowned jazz guitarist who has collaborated with a range of musicians - Nels Cline, Gary Burton, and Jim Hall to name a few. According to The New Yorker, he belongs "in the highest category of improvising musicians, those who can enact thoughts and impulses as they receive them." Watch a performance of their new song, "Bone Collector," and pre-order the album now at LageEldridge.com. Their tour dates together kick off next month, leading into their "Release The Hounds" tour with Aoife O'Donovan throughout spring.

Thile and Brad Mehldau’s duo album is just a couple weeks from its release on January 27 and they've recently shared their performance of Elliott Smith’s “Independence Day.” Pre-order the album now and receive an instant download of the track along with “Scarlet Town.” You can get it on CD and vinyl from Chris's shop or Nonesuch Records or digitally on iTunes. 

Thile has also added a duo set with Michael Daves at GroundUp Music Festival in Miami Beach, FL on February 12 and solo shows in Paris and Vienna to his upcoming European tour in March.

Paul's trio, Haas Kowert Tice continues their Station Inn residency in Nashville next month on February 8 and will have news on their second album soon. Keep an eye on their Facebook, Twitter, and mailing list for updates.

Best,

Punch Brothers