Avett Brothers

"A Southern roots trio with rock ferocity" North Carolina's Avett Brothers, says the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, are "a band that exploits the tensions between the rustic Old South and the cosmopolitan New South, between rootsy bluegrass and rowdy punk rock, between reverence and irreverence." They love and are immersed in the traditions of country and bluegrass, yet they attack their instruments with rock energy and once broke 32 strings during a single gig. The brothers shift from folkish reflections like "The Ballad of Love and Hate" to rock power chords not as a gimmick or novelty, but out of a deep-seated drive to encompass all the impulses of Southern music and American music -- sentiment, tradition, transgression, transcendent intensity.The Avett Brothers have recently teamed up with legendary producer Rick Rubin, signed with his American Recordings label, and finished off their new album, "I and Love and You." It would be hard to imagine a more fruitful partnership than the one that is emerging between these wildly creative young Southern musicians and the producer who has found the deeper resonances in the classic rock of Tom Petty and the profound songs of the aging Johnny Cash. Early reactions to "I and Love and You" have been beyond enthusiastic, and the current Avett Brothers tour [how many cities?] has the feel of a breakthrough to superstardom.Guitarist Seth Avett and banjoist Scott Avett formed the Avett Brothers in 2000, soon adding stand-up bassist Bob Crawford. They opened for the Dave Matthews Band for much of that group's 2009 tour. On one level, the songs of the Avett Brothers satisfy a hunger for honesty: they're just chords with real voices singing real melodies. But the heart and the energy with which those songs are sung is really why people are talking, and why so many sing along. The Avett Brothers have appeared a couple of times at The Ark in Ann Arbor, each time generating a level of energy that seemed to spill out beyond the walls of the hallowed folk club. Now they're ready to fill a bigger space, both in a commercial and in a musical sense. They're taking their place in the great American musical tradition. And they are, to put it simply, a live band not to be missed. Visit the Avett Brothers on the Web