Noam Pikelny

Noam Pikelny
Background information
Born	February 27, 1981 [1]
Origin	Chicago, Illinois  United States [1]
Genres	Progressive bluegrass Bluegrass
Instruments	Banjo
Labels	Compass Records
Associated acts	Punch Brothers feat. Chris Thile Leftover Salmon
Website	noampikelny.com

Noam Pikelny is an American banjoist. He is a member of the "Americana country-classical chamber music" group Punch Brothers and was previously in Leftover Salmon as well as the John Cowan Band.

History

Pikelny was in Leftover Salmon from 2002 until leaving in 2004 to play in the John Cowan Band from 2004 to 2006. In 2006 Punch Brothers formed. Chris Thile of Nickel Creek was planning to form a string quintet, but did not know what direction he wanted to take it, except that he wanted it to include fiddler Gabe Witcher. After Thile had a jam session with Witcher, Pikelny, bassist Greg Garrison and guitarist Chris Eldridge, he decided he wanted the band to be a quintet. The band was called "The How to Grow a Band" in 2006 when they were the backing band on Thile's solo release How to Grow a Woman from the Ground, as well as the following supporting shows. After on and off touring throughout 2007 coinciding with Nickel Creek's Farewell (For Now) Tour, the band's name was changed to the "Tensions Mountain Boys" briefly, and subsequently to Punch Brothers (borrowed from a short story by Mark Twain). Punch Brothers released their first official album as a band, Punch, on Nonesuch Records on February 26, 2008.

Pikelny currently resides in Brooklyn, New York.

Awards

Pikelny was the recipient of the 2010 Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass.^[2] On November 5, 2010, he appeared on Late Show with David Letterman playing a comedic version of "Dueling Banjos" alongside Martin, and later performed with Martin and Punch Brothers.^[3]

Discography

Solo recordings

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Grass	US Heat
In the Maze	Release date: July 20, 2004 Label: Compass Records	—	—
Beat the Devil and Carry a Rail	Release date: October 25, 2011 Label: Compass Records	3	27
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Leftover Salmon

Year	Title	Label
2002	Live	Compass
2004	Leftover Salmon	Compendia

Punch Brothers

Year	Title	Label
2006	How to Grow a Woman from the Ground	Sugar Hill
2008	Punch	Nonesuch
2010	Antifogmatic	Nonesuch

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Bluegrass Unlimited June 2007
2. ^ "Noam Pikelny Wins the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass". September 8, 2010.
3. ^ "Late Show with David Letterman". November 5, 2010.

External links

• Noam Pikelny on Myspace
• Punch Brothers Official Website
• Punch Brothers on Myspace
• Interview at ukbluegrass.com
• Banjo Newsletter Interview from 2008
• Banjo Newsletter Interview from 2004

Persondata
Name	Pikelny, Noam
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 27, 1981
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death