And Then There Was One.

Then Three.

And after that Five.

And then maybe back to One again before Five.

Wait, maybe it’s Three first?

Sorry Folks. What I’m trying to communicate is the surely life changing news that I have some solo, Michael Daves Trio, and Punch Brothers shows coming up real soon.

I debuted my one man show this February and since then, no person, state government, or divine power has compelled me to stop. My business folks have told me repeatedly that I shouldn’t over-saturate and that “the people will come to you.” Therefore, my only solo shows this summer will be in San Diego, CA, Portland, OR, Winnipeg, MB & Takarazuka, Japan. Please choose the city closest to you.

If you’re curious/skeptical about my solo show, I’ve posted a few videos from a show in Ohio in February for your immediate review: Kenny Baker - Bill Monroe Medley & Josh Ritter’s “Folk Blood Bath.” Feel free to use the YouTube comments section to let me know which of the four shows you’ll be attending.

My buddy Michael Daves has a new trio, and I’m 1/3 of it (much more by mass). Along with fiddler Brittany Haas, we’ll be playing this Thursday in Philadelphia, and then heading on to Boston and Northampton. Here’s a clip of us playing “June Apple” backstage at the Violence and Orchids album release.

If nothing that I’ve mentioned so far is appealing to you, perhaps you should consider Punch Brothers, a 5-piece band described by the Boston Globe as “arousing.” We’ll be playing all over the world this summer - hope to see you soon.

Best,
Noam

All By My Lonesome

Howdy folks!

Noam, here, with some news that will surely change your life.

It’s been quite some time since the last dispatch, so I’d like to start by taking the time to properly wish you.

In just a few weeks, I’ll be heading out on my first-ever solo tour. Yes, come February, I will temporarily be freed from the shackles of my brilliant musical friends, performing in a city hopefully near you. The response to the announcement of my “One Man, One Banjo, One Joke” tour has been unanimous. Without fail, everyone is simply asking “WHY?“ I read somewhere that great art makes people ask questions, so I feel like maybe my job is already done.

But nonetheless, I do still intend to follow through on all of this and play all the places listed on the tour page. I know people are curious as to what will make up the show. Will it essentially be a live bluegrass stage adaptation of the movie Castaway? No - it won’t strictly be bluegrass; genre is dead. I’ll tell you this - playing solo affords me the opportunity to do the sorts of things that have never found a way into a Punch Brothers show. With my coattails finally unfettered, I might feel lighter than air and have to spend a good portion of the show just trying not to levitate.

Beyond that, I’ll have full latitude to do whatever the hell I please. I might debut some new original instrumentals or present some attractive Malaysian real estate investment opportunities. I may even sing lead vocals. Maybe it’s high time for me to discuss Israeli-Palestinian relations on stage while playing relaxing steel guitar ballads? I might tell some stories. You might cry. All I can do right now is guarantee that you’ll be getting a performance that none of my closest musical colleagues would want to associate with.

However, there is one person who isn’t afraid to be on the bill. I’m thrilled to announce that the incredible Kristin Andreassen will be opening the tour starting in Annapolis, MD on the 8th and staying with us all the way through Evanston, IL. Kristin is one my favorite songwriters in the world, and she’ll be playing music from her brand new album, Gondolier.

Hope to see you some of you soon.

Best,

Noam

New Tour Dates w/ Stuart Duncan & other seriousness

Howdy Friends!

Noam, here, with some news that will surely change your life.

It’s been a busy 2015 for Punch Brothers. Our new album, The Phosphorescent Blues, is out and it’s been an absolute thrill to be back out with the guys playing the new music. The second leg of the album release tour starts tomorrow in Vancouver, BC - We can’t wait to finally set foot again in North America, it’s been way too long!  We’ll be hitting a very large swath of the Western half of the States and we trust that you’ll attend some, if not all of the shows. Last I checked, PunchBrothers.com still lists me as being in the band and also has a page with our tour dates, so I’d suggest logging on there if you’re curious as to where exactly we’ll be.

After this tour ends on April 14th in Mesa, AZ, things will be getting real quiet with the band for a couple of months as one of my fellow Punch Brothers goes on paternity leave. I’ll pass along your well wishes as soon as someone tells me specifically which one of my bandmates is about to become a father. Not to worry - we’ll reconvene full-steam ahead at Bonnaroo in June. But I’m pretty sure I know what y’all are thinking right now: “Is this not the epitome of selfishness to bring a child into the world during prime touring season? Don’t we, your most loyal fans, get a say in the matter? Are you forgetting that we pre-ordered the record? Couldn’t you have at least tweeted whenever you were fixing to participate in behavior that could have possibly led to this situation?”

I’m not going to answer these questions that you’re totally justified in asking, but I would like to take this moment to announce that Stuart Duncan and I will be firing up the ole’ duo show yet again this May & June! Just because one little dude is going to be spending these few months mostly sleeping, drooling and defecating doesn’t mean the rest of us have to do the same! It’s your right as Americans and North Americans to be entertained, and Stuart Duncan will not let you down, even when he’s stuck having to share the stage with me. If you don’t believe me, here are a few videos for you to check out: YOUTUBE 1 , YOUTUBE 2.

We’ll be starting out with a hometown show in Nashville, TN at the Station Inn on Friday May, 8th.  If you’ve never been, The Station Inn is one of the most historic bluegrass clubs in the world. Let’s be honest - the Station Inn doesn’t possess the beauty and grandeur of the Ryman Auditorium, but the Ryman won’t call your name over the PA system to announce that your pizza is ready!

After that we’ll have a few of weeks of convalescing at home before heading west for dates in Portland, OR, and Berkeley, CA. I’m especially excited to bring Stuart to Los Angeles, CA for a show with the friends and family at Largo.

We’ll also be appearing at two festivals in Colorado - The Pagosa Folk ’N Bluegrass Festival in Pagosa Springs, CO and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. It’s a great honor to play with Stuart at Telluride for what will be my 34th consecutive year headlining the festival.

Tickets for the Station Inn are only available at the door, but the rest of these dates are all now on sale.

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you out on the road.

Best,
Noam