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Considered by some to be the best mandolinist in the history of the instrument, Chris Thile is simply shocking to watch live. His fingers fly so fast your brain can’t even process what’s happening before there are hundreds of perfectly timed, fret buzz-free notes drifting toward you. He listens and reacts instantaneously to other musicians, imitating or supporting them with taste and style. His compositions are thorough and complicated, yet understandable. Everything about him shows that he has truly mastered his instrument. You can listen to him for hours, your ears straining to hear one tiny mistake…but it doesn’t happen. It’s incredible – and confusing, and inspiring, and yes, sometimes a little depressing.

I mean, what do you have to do to become as good as Chris Thile? Practice eight hours each day? Twelve? Sixteen? My band mates and I have come to the conclusion that you’d probably just need to plant a chip in your head, or download some crazy futuristic Matrix program (“I know mandolin!”). Thile is simply wired differently than the rest of us. After all, he’s been part of the world-renowned progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek since 1989…for those of you counting, Thile was only eight years old then. The band, which also includes Sara and Sean Watkins (violin and guitar, respectively), were all home schooled so they could play at music festivals throughout the 1990s. While Nickel Creek is currently on a break of undetermined length, there is no question that the attention they received while they were in the band has set them up for many more musical projects, and many more successes.

Chris Thile’s current project is with his new band, The Punch Brothers . This is another true all-star line-up, including violinist Gabe Witcher , guitarist Chris Eldridge , banjo player Noam Pikelny , and bassist Greg Garrison . Their newly released album, Punch , shows off some major experimentation. You may not like this if you’re more of a fan of the Bill Monroes and the Pete Wernicks. However, if you’re at all into classical music or new concert music and you enjoy cross-pollinations in the music world, listen to this album now! Thile’s 40-minute, 4-movement piece called “The Blind Leaving the Blind” makes up four of the eight tracks on the disc – it’s an incredibly innovative mix of folk and classical aesthetics. Although it’s a bit too long-winded for my taste, it is definitely worth hearing, and worth learning from, too.

Thile’s solo albums, Deceiver and Not All Who Wander Are Lost , are also cross-genre and very original. The latter album features some great guest artists, including Bela Fleck, Jeff Coffin , Stuart Duncan, and Edgar Meyer – just to name a few. Deceiver features only Thile – playing every instrument you can hear. This guy is almost too talented for his own good. Be sure to check him out – he will be going down in history as one of the great musicians of our time.

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