Avett's New "Aggressive" Approach Merely Hinted

Rumors of a new "aggressive" Avett Brothers were greatly exaggerated.

Last night at the intimate Sunset Cove amphitheater under unexpected clear skies, The Avett Brothers opened their 2012 tour in one of the few outdoor arenas the boys will being seeing during the next several months. 

A new album, under the long-distance tutelage of Music Buddha Rick Rubin, is due at any minute, but no date has been set.  The new songs, in particular "The Once and Future Carpenter,"  adds to the boys' quality repertoire.  

However, there seems little evidence of a harder sound from Rubin's influence other than a heavier bass and lower harmonies on some of the new songs.  The Brothers have successfully melded folk, pop punk and Americana into an entertaining formula and, at last night's show, the band displayed why their are becoming a touring favorite.  There was plenty of energy (almost to the point of perkiness) and communal sing alongs for the faithful.

But a My Morning Jacket or R.E.M-shift along the rock slide rule is not in the making.  Maybe the album is different. 

Still, a good time was had by all.  They are nice boys and are quite likable.  

SunFest Day 1: Avett Brothers and the Lyrics that Sing

By Emily J. Minor
I live with two grown men who are gaga over music. Our son, now 20, was getting an music allowance back way back in early middle school. Forget cash for taking out the garbage, how about another Gorillaz download? My husband - Mr. After Hours Music Proprietor Marty Minor himself - has resisted the iPhone for one simple reason: he couldn’t put all his music on it.

This might seem like one of those “blessings” all the hyper-happy like to talk about.

The Minors are so hip! We’re all so groovy. Yet, here I am, paying the monthly iTunes account, stuck in some sort of unsettling music limbo.

I am not resistant to retro; I embrace it.
Consequently, their music is way over my head.
My under-the-counter kitchen radio is set on NPR and the local oldies station. (Well, station choices in West Palm Beach are to blame for the latter, but that’s a whole other - what do they call this again? - blog post.)

It might be spring, 2011, but I still like James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac and really old Linda Ronstadt.Oh! And The Avett Brothers. I love The Avett Brothers, big time.

The Avett Brothers - two of them are really brothers, which makes me happy for their mom - are adorable. They are full of energy. They appear physically fit, which leads me to believe they eat their vegetables. And they gave a REALLY, REALLY FUN show Wednesday at SunFest. I drank three beers in their honor!

The best thing about The Avett Brothers isn’t the banjo or the bass or that one guy who plays the cello almost like it’s a guitar.

It’s their lyrics.

Scott Avett and his little brother, Seth, can write. Really write.

Funny lyrics. Happy lyrics. Lyrics that make you cry.

Somber lyrics. Sensitive lyrics. Lyrics that make you sing.

I hate to be too old-fashioned, but I think The Avett Brothers are a little bit John Prine and a little bit They Might Be Giants and a little bit Barenaked Ladies and a whole lot of them, all rolled up into something fresh and new and fun.

Every time I listen to them, I just feel happy. And Wednesday night, it was especially nice.

Avetts, Cee-Lo and MGMT to Play SunFest; New Music Night Dies a Quiet Death

Rumors confirmed and so much more.

The Avett Brothers, Cee-Lo and MGMT (say what?) are the announced headliners for the 2011 SunFest in West Palm. The festival line-up has a little something for everyone - perhaps one "must see" and at least a couple "check outs" for the discerning music fan.  It is a worthy lineup.

Today announcement also marks the end of  New Music Night at SunFest.  This noble, but inconsistent, programming experiment brought several great, young bands through the area to the attention of few.  I'll classify it a success for the sole reason on providing the introduction to The Whigs.

More to come on the music as the festival approaches.  However, it should be noted that After Hours HQ is happy to see the return of Ziggy and is thinking that Gregg Allman's set may be something special.

Heading Out with The Avett Brothers

It has been said that there are only two stories - a stranger comes to town and someone goes on a journey.

With The Avett Brothers' major label debut, I and Love and You, the boys take the latter. Actually, there are multiple journeys. The engaging album mines the familiar territory of documenting the journeys contained in romance and relationships. A topic that takes full use of the brothers' harmonies and orchestrations.

But, there is more going on here.

The album also represents the band's current journey from its North Carolina roots to a much wider audience. From its bluegrass beginnings to its new mixture of pop/alternative folk. To put it simply, less banjo, more piano and strings. And the piano is not a rootsy Garth Hudson, but more like fellow Tar Heel Ben Folds' hard-driving piano.

However, there is still a trace of the band's bluegrass background. The disc's second track, January Wedding, is a beautiful banjo stroll. But make no mistake, The Avett Brothers are no longer a bluegrass band.

A large part of this musical advancement coincides with the group's jump to Sony and the accompanying Rick Rubin production. The album is, at times, beautiful. The harmonies soar. The strings rise and fall. There is definitively a sheen with this bunch. Not much of the grittiness that helps define other hirsute harmony fanatics, such as Fleet Foxes and Blitzen Trapper.

That is not a complaint. The album has been on a steady rotation in my house for weeks and it will be there awhile.

Perhaps the best song of the album, or even in the group's burgeoning career, is the opening title track - an anthem about "heading north" (another journey!) and out into the world. The chorus is impossible to resist. Nor do you want to.

The Avett Brothers head out on the road at the beginning of the year. No Florida dates yet.

“I and Love and You” by The Avett Brothers (mp3)(iTunes)(Amazon)