AOTW- The Avett Brothers

Sometimes in life we are fortunate enough to meet the type of people that we instantly know we want in our lives forever. My Uncle Joshua was one of these people. Within the first hour of knowing him, I knew from then on out, we would be close. He is larger than life. His personality fills a room with his personality. He is warm, kind, and quick with a joke and has an infectious laugh. He will sit with you for hours listening to stories of your life and then regale with stories of his own. Ten years have passed since our first encounter. Since then he has married my mother’s sister, had two children, and yet I still see him as the same man that I met a decade ago, an old soul yet so very relateable. He’s a man who’s walked the path before, but is not so far ahead that he’s forgotten the struggle of the journey. I am thankful for him every single day. It’s rare to find people like that in life.

Joshua and I have a shared taste in music. Over the years we’ve exchanged albums back and forth. I’ve turned him on to old blues and new rock, while he keeps me grounded with unheard of folk and indie acts that might never make it out of the Midwest. One of our first musical trades involved two albums. One was Edward Shape and the Magnetic Zeros’ self titled effort. Edward is fine, I had been hearing a few of his singles in recent TV commercials and they were all well and good, but a lot of the album felt like forced filler. I will say that my opinion of him was tainted since I had recently seen him in concert and it didn’t make a whole lot of sense. The guy was prancing around in an array of scarves, acting as if he was god’s gift and it didn’t seem like the Zeros were on the same page. The other was The Avett Brothers’ I and Love and You. After the first track was hooked. Ever since then I don’t think I have gone a single day without listening to at least one Avett Brothers song. It’s a vice I’m happy to carry. To kick it off, lets hear that song. Maybe it will get to you too. This Week’s Artist of the Week: The Avett Brothers. The song: I And Love And You. This version was performed recently on Jimmy Kimmel’s series of shows in Brooklyn with the Brooklyn Philharmonic.

The Avett Brothers consists as follows:

Scott Avett: Banjo/ Piano/ Vocals

Setth Avett: Guitar/ Vocals/ Piano

Bob Crawford: Stand up bass/ Vocals

Joe Kwon: Cello

Jacob Edwards: Drums

Hailing from Concord, N.C., The Avett brothers worked their tails off on the road to gain this newly found respect and notoriety. Their sound is a unique blend that has been unheard in the mainstream up until this point. With influences ranging from country, folk and blue grass, all the way to classic rock, punk and hardcore. You would think with all that kicking around, you would end up with an unintelligible mess. But like a master chef, no matter what the ingredients, in the right hands they can be blended into something beautiful.

While they may have come into the public light only in recent time; gaining notoriety in the past few years after Mumford & Sons had their renaissance, these fellas have been steadily churning out material for over ten years. In that time they have amassed a catalogue most bands only dream of.

Seven full-length albums:

Country Was 2002

A Carolina Jubilee 2003

Mignonette 2004

Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions 2006

Emotionalism 2007

I And Love And You 2009

The Carpenter 2012

Four EPs:

The Avett Bros. 2000

Swept Away 2004

The Gleam 2006

The Second Gleam 2008

And three live albums:

Live At The Double Door Inn 2002

Live, Vol. 2 2005

Live Volume 3 2010

It would be too much to break down each work here in this article, so my main goal in this is to give you guys an understanding as to what these gentlemen are capable of.

Let’s touch on another track off of I And Love And You titled Perfect Space. It’s a song that encompasses all of the elements that make up the Avett Brothers. Opening with a solemn piano solo underneath Scott Avett’s gloomy yet hopeful words. Their songs have a certain melancholy to them. It’s a contrast that is often seen heard in their songs. Hope in times of sorrow. While it opens as a slow ballad it suddenly transitions into a bouncing, chaotic frenzy that I can’t help but scream along with. The hardcore influence is quite audible here.

I know this sounds weird but stick with me. If you are going for the perfect harmony I think it needs to be with someone you share DNA with. Just look back and see all the bands that have been made up of brothers or sisters and you can hear that they sync up in a way that that is different. They have a bond that is missing from most. The Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, Oasis, The entire Cash Family, The Allman Brothers; all of these bands involved blood siblings that seemed to know just how to match up with their vocal other. I’m not crazy. This is a thing. It’s gotta be. These guys have no backing tracks. They are out there on their own and it’s hard to find a flaw in their vocal abilities. It’s scary that there are people out there that are that much better at something than the general public. Seth’s voice on Bella Donna is incredible. The song is heart wrenching. Every time I hear it, I get a bit choked up. This is all despite the fact that I when I hear the words Bella Donna, the first thing I think of is the porn star of the same name who made porn vids while she was unknowingly pregnant. I don’t want to taint the music with that sort of information, but sometimes I just don’t know when to stop.

While they look more like extras from Deliverance in this video, it’s hard to not be moved by the innocence and vulnerability. Although they tour with the full band, throughout their live shows, the lights will go down to lone spot light and one of the brothers will go solo, putting themselves out there in from of thousands.

One thing that really strikes a chord with me is how humble they are. There doesn’t seem to any ego struggle unlike many bands with siblings. These blue-collar guys are more than happy to let one another take their turn at the mic. All too often bands get caught up in fame and then break up. The Avetts seem genuinely surprised by their fame and more than happy to share it with each other. They take turns introducing each other and are genuinely happy with the applause received by the other. Maybe I’ve become too jaded for my own good, but it’s damned refreshing.

While many songs center on death and sadness, one thing you can count on every single one of these albums is at least one “Pretty Girl From…” song. The Avett Brothers have written and recorded nine songs with the title Pretty Girl From… anywhere ranging from Raleigh all the way to San Diego. These guys must meet hundreds of hot little hipster chicks that they can’t help but write songs about. Might as well. The world doesn’t seem to have enough songs about women. What separates these songs from the usual Avett brothers track, is these seem to be a bit more upbeat and uplifting, and it makes sense. Who hasn’t had a shitty day turned around by meeting someone pretty? These songs are fun and usually incorporate the spectrum of their music tastes, none more so that Pretty Girl From Chile.

Each of these albums are excellent. Their Newest effort, The Carpenter, is a full length that again features songs of death, but where before their seemed to be an uncertainty in the emotions the brothers had on death, on this record it seems they are now almost accepting it. I enjoy the record overall but it took me a few listens to really get into it. It’s different from their other works but I can’t really put my finger on it. They said a lot of the songs on the album are actually several years old and had been shelved because they weren’t ready to release them. That has me thinking this ma be a B-Sides record. If that’s the case, it’s a hell of a B-Sides compilation, if not, it’s not the strongest Avett effort, still good though.

In closing…wait, holy shit how could I not talk about the live albums. I almost forgot the live albums! I love live albums. I’m a sucker for them. But in recent years, most bands seem to be getting worse at playing in front of a live audience. I don’t know what the deal is. You make your living by playing music. Why is it when you get up on stage you lose the ability to do that? I blame computers, what with their auto tune and the Internet. The Avetts are different. They are masters of their craft and their live shows are an exhibition for their skills. Once you get through their albums, go back and listen to these songs live. They kill it on every track, and the audience adds a whole new element to the songs. I actually listened to one for their live records immediately after finding I And Love And You. I was really blown away by the fact their audience knew every single word. In my mind they had just become a thing. It’s egotistical of me to think that anyone would find out about them before I did. Despite what I may think, bands do exist even if I am out of earshot.

Over the past three years, The Avett Brothers have become one of my favorite bands and it’s all thanks to Joshua. It’s weird when you don’t find a band yourself. You fell indebted to the person that turned you onto them. You’re left thinking “would I have ever heard this band without that person?” You could have gone your entire life and missed out. So this one is dedicated to the people who gave you your favorite band. Pour one out for those guys. Don’t forget to give the Avetts listen. Find them in iTunes or Spotify and enjoy the hell out of them. Maybe I’ll get to be the guy that turned you onto a favorite. I’ll let the Avett’s close out the article with how they close out the live show.