If you’re dreaming of a bluegrass Christmas, Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart and Punch Brothers have the answer to your wishlist. The configuration of top bluegrass talent just wrapped a joint December tour, and on Tuesday delivered an early gift with a Holiday Medley recorded on the 15th in Indianapolis.
All hands are on deck as the Punch Brothers are joined by Béla Fleck and his My Bluegrass Heart band comprised of Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin Moses, Mark Schatz, and Bryan Sutton. Punch Brothers bandleader and former A Prairie Home Companion/Live From Here host Chris Thile takes the mic alongside Hull and Sutton, who all access their highest vocal register to become Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville for a take on “The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don’t Be Late)”.
“Believe it or not when we’re not onstage playing music we spend the majority of our time sitting on the bus writing letters to Santa and we figured we’d share a few of them with you here tonight,” Punch Brothers banjo player Noam Pikelny says between verses. “It is a federal offense opening up someone else’s mail, but let’s just keep it between the 1,700 of us here.”
Some of the highlights from the band’s letters to Santa are Hull’s wish for fewer dudes onstage, Fleck’s wish for a mantle strong enough to support all 15 of his Grammy Awards, and Thile’s simple wish for people to like him. Following the bit of lighthearted merriment, the extended ensemble launches into a breakneck rendition of the holiday classic “Sleigh Ride”. The song goes around the horn for everyone to take a lead, showcasing the huge wealth of talent onstage.
Watch Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart and Punch Brothers deliver a holiday medley in Indianapolis below.
Béla Fleck’s My Bluegrass Heart & Punch Brothers – Holiday Medley – 12/15/22