try to hold the breeze
That’s a breath of fresh air. The Avett Brothers express this sentiment just as freshly on their new cd. Emotionalism is a raucus, melodic, literate riot of music…folk, punk, bluegrass and reflection. They simply rock.“We wanted to come up with a bold-face word to take a stand against this modern mentality of coldness, this “everything is awful, everything is ruined” idea. There’s a lot of hopelessness, and it’s contagious. But the opposite is contagious as well.” ~Seth Avett
Avett Brothers~Paranoia in Bb Major
They have compared themselves to The Violent Femmes, Everly Brothers and Alice in Chains.
Violent Femmes~Gone Daddy Gone
The band — brothers Scott Avett on banjo and Seth Avett on guitar, with Bob Crawford on bass have a very loyal fanbase. This is their sixth album in seven years.
The record is a change.” The sound quality is higher, the production better than past albums, Avett said, adding that the overall tone of the new record is “a little more like ‘Mignonette’” in its sentimental approach. Avett said there’s a more “loud electric sound” than the band has ever gone for before. “At points, it’s louder and harder than we’ve ever played. At the same time, it’s not near as erratic as ‘Four Thieves’ was because we are more direct and more sure with what we wanted with this one.”
They are well known for their loose and spontaneous performance style and they continue to evolve and expand. In many instances the cd promotes the tour. In this case, the Avett Brothers will be touring the strengths of this critically praised cd. It has been recently nominated for the “Americana Association Awards” for best album along with Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams. They each lead with three nominations apiece.
Avett Brothers~Die Die Die
Are there any jam bands that you have been following?A musing: There has been praise by many jam band critics of the pop worthiness of songs like Die, Die, Die. Where do we hear pop like this? . Does this type of pop live only on soundtracks?Jambase article: Avett Brothers~Let Your Colors Show
categories: music
tags: Americana, Avett Brothers
posted by debunot at 05:35 am
When I read this post I was intrigued. First, because of the opening quote. Just the other day I talking to someone about how I dislike the ‘everything is awful, everything is ruined’ idea that so many people are just absolutely glued to these day. ‘Oh the country is ruined! Nothing will ever be good again!’ The country is not ruined. The world is not ruined. Things have been worse and things have been better. All we have is right now and the best thing to do, the ONLY thing to do, is go out and make the world a better place not sit around bitching about everything and everybody else.
Wow. Was that off topic?
Anyway, second, I was intrigued by this line: “They have compared themselves to The Violent Femmes, Everly Brothers and Alice in Chains.” What?
I push play on the youtube. My goodness. It’s like the Everly Brothers meet The Violent Femmes….meet Alice in Chains. And this is their seventh album. Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Avett Brothers. You have to excuse me as I don’t get out much.
Last, I was intrigued by this statement: “There has been praise by many jam band critics of the pop worthiness of songs like Die, Die, Die.” At first my brain fought against what seems to be a contradiction…but then I realized I was just falling into that common trap of making the leap from ‘pop music I hear on the radio today is a bunch of crap’ to ‘Pop music is a bunch of crap.’ It’s an unfortunate and mistaken leap that many people make today, even music critics. And then my mind started to wander a bit and wondered… Say, if the Avett Brothers suddenly became very, very popular and were played on every station from coast to coast, and top 40 ‘pop’ label became firmly affixed…would those same jam band critics still praise their music? I would hope so, but I have to wonder.
Every new jamband (can we explore exactly what this means sometime?) that I am introduced to makes me think of troubadors entering mud-splashed towns to speak directly to the entertainment-starved people. It’s an image I see when the harmonicas and the geetars and the snappy, irony-laced lyrics start-a-jamming. But I imagine my metaphor breaks down in the face of pop. Was court music “pop” and the troubadors the real thing? Have we always had this disconnect between an earnest and tactile music and the cynical music-making popular music? Or do I have it backwards and pop is the troubadors singing what the masses want to hear and the court-music—the academy-approved stuff with aesthetic depth—is the Avett Brothers?
Perhaps “popular” always had to tread a fine line between gratutitous sword-fights for the groundlings and gorgeous poetics in a soliloquy for the educated critics. Perhaps that is something jambands are doing, negotiating that tension as academy-approved troubadors, so to speak. So, while there was once a court to financially support the creative risk-takers, what do we call those who support them now? The public, yet a fragmented sector of the public. Is that what all these music blogs are doing: holding court?
Don’t mind me, I’ve been drinking.
I’m into these guys. First off, they are very rare in a way because they are incredibly earnest in their music and unpigeonholable, yet aesthetically correct aka visually pleasing, yet totally musical at the same time but in their own way and maintaining this integrity while they’re at it.
I was also a big Violent Femmes fan as well. I realized I have to go make sure they’re still in my itunes or i will be very angry. Fascinating post Debunot! Deburight!!!
Basenji~”So, while there was once a court to financially support the creative risk-takers, what do we call those who support them now? The public, yet a fragmented sector of the public.”
In light of this comment and the combined “drinking” perhaps we should change it from Pop to Pub music. If you google Avett you will be heartened to see the number of blogs that have supported them. It was on one of these blogs that I remember the Avett Brothers being pleased with the performance of TH at the Christmas Jam. They have also performed at Laser’s Edge, and are across the board immensely decent. Nice to hear.
T and Jam: Lyrically the album is full of contradictions and juxtapositions of verse verses melody. Here is the end of the Harp Interview that I posted with the opening quote.
HARP: You’ve been driving from Seattle to Salt Lake City over the last 11 hours—would you welcome moving to a bigger label, or at least a bigger van?
We’ve talked to a couple major labels. There’ve been these little stints where they get all fired up, but none of them have offered us anything yet that we feel like we can’t turn down. Which is not to say that that’s not coming. But if you want us to have staff writers, you’re clearly not getting the idea.
http://harpmagazine.com/articles/detail.cfm?article_id=5501
“die, die, die” is a lil’ slice of existential heaven. Such exuberance about the inevitablity of death! love it. especially in light of the framing quote: “There’s a lot of hopelessness, and it’s contagious. But the opposite is contagious as well.” everly bros meets violent femmes? — there is light spilling from dark industry tunnels. 1! 2! 3! 4! do you like american music? i like american music. don’t you like american music? baby….