Mighty Poplar
Featuring:
- Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge (Punch Brothers)
- Andrew Marlin (Watchhouse)
- Greg Garrison (Leftover Salmon)
At its heart, bluegrass is about what happens when you commit to the moment. The joy of improvisation keeps the music fresh, and the fun of crafting ideas on the fly keeps the musicians on their toes. This true spirit of bluegrass lives in the self-titled record from Mighty Poplar, a new all-star roots project featuring Andrew Marlin of Watchhouse, Noam Pikelny and Chris Eldridge of the Punch Brothers, bassist Greg Garrison of Leftover Salmon, and fiddler Alex Hargreaves, who performs with Billy Strings.
With its debut album, Mighty Poplar has captured the fierce and playful energy of an all-night jam between old friends who just happen to be grandmasters of the music. Though Pikelny, Eldridge, and Garrison knew each other from their early work with the Punch Brothers, impromptu backstage jams with Marlin at festivals across the country were the key that unlocked the project. Marlin selected and sang lead on most of the songs, bringing classics and deep cuts from greats like Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, John Hartford, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, and Norman Blake. Throughout, the songs and tunes are as immediate and emotionally impactful as the playing is tasteful.
