An Introduction to Avett

If you are at all a close friend of mine you will surely know that I am a big fan of The Avett Brothers. The two brothers (Scott and Seth) who hail from North Carolina plus Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon comprise this fantastic folksy band. It is rare that a band can pull off having great music and great lyrics consistently but when I say they do it consistently I mean all.the.time. And it's not just that they have good songs with lyrics that aren't completely lame, it's that their music is relatable, effective, emotional, and just plain awesome. They are almost uncomfortably honest about their lives and equally hopeful. They express the human condition at least as well as actual folk songs and great folk singers. It's no wonder they've been able to share a stage with Bob Dylan.

When I went to see them for the first time as I was waiting for them to take the stage I overheard a fan saying it was their fourth or fifth time coming to one of their shows. I was a little surprised by that because it seems that not many people see a band that much. After the first show I understood why they would buy tickets that many times. After my second time seeing them live I really understood. Some bands are just bad when they play live. This is not the case with the Avetts. They are much better live than on the records. They are also willing to change things up on stage and make each show truly unique.

Scott and Seth also have a nice balance between the silly and sentimentally serious. They have pretty much any type of emotion packed into their 7 albums and 4 EPs. There are so many beautiful quotes I could pull out from their songs I would hardly know where to begin. Scott once said in an interview that they treat the lyrics and the actual music as equally important and I believe it.

So, having said all that if you've never heard any of their lovely songs before try this one out for starters:

Then I recommend "I and Love and You"...and everything else.