Sometimes, given the deluge of new music at any given time, it takes a while to catch up—especially when you have preconceived notions about what something might sound like. My Sound Opinions colleague Greg Kot raved about the Punch Brothers earlier this year, previewing their show at the Riviera Theatre under a headline that claimed the five New York musicians “give traditionalism an ice bath.” Still, I foolishly continued to think of new millennial bluegrass as the sort of thing best left to Steve Martin and Edie Brickell.

The group’s fourth album The Phosphorescent Blues, released late last January on Nonesuch, set me straight and then some when I finally got around to listening to it. And by all accounts, the group is even more energetic and inspiring on stage. Forget what you think you know about these rootsy sounds and embrace the Punch Brothers’ genre-blurring musical assault when it performs at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet on Wednesday night (Dec. 2); tickets available here.

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