So -- we saw the Avett Brothers last night.
mhardy6647
Posts: 33,900
Do you all know these folks? There are two brothers, named Avett -- and a fair number of other musicans. Described as folk rockers, and (to that end) they do tend to play acoustic instruments (banjo, and guitar) -- and they have a guy who doesn't appear to be a blood relative who plays a cello (kinda strapped to his chest) and a Gaelic-looking woman who plays a mean fiddle, and a bassist who swaps between acoustic and e-lec-trick bass, and a keyboardist (who has only one or two shows left with the band) and a drummer and... did I miss anyone?
At any rate, the two brothers are kind of endearingly scruffy looking & sing in a high ( but not high lonesome) two-part close harmony that only brothers (or sisters) can usually achieve.
We saw them at Tanglewood, the famous BSO summer hangout in beautiful, pricey Lenox Massachusetts. True story: apparently there's a vigorous discussion raging in Lenox about the name of the town's high school sports team. Apparently, some don't approve of the moniker they've had for years: the Lenox Millionaires. I am thinking the opponents are either pulling for Billionaires, Robber Barons, or - maybe - Oligarchs. But I digress.
So, Tanglewood is a cool venue (literally, last night; we had a cold front blow through and it was in the 40s [Fahrenheit, that is] after dark last night). We had pretty good seats, too (in the "shed", not out on the lawn).
Pretty good seats.
So -- the concert? How was it?
Well -- actually it was pretty good. They are pretty good, and very high energy. I am not all that familiar with them but, not knowing quite what to expect, I was still kind of bemused by it all.
The music was pretty good. The musicianship was good to excellent. The sound was even pretty decent (although bass heavy in a way that shook my insides rather more than strictly necessary, I thought).
But, here's the thing. We actually go to quite a few concerts (albeit usually in smaller venues) -- but it's mostly our own music idols (you know, catchin' 'em one more time before they join Club Seventy-Four
). We're kind of used to older and - shall we say - lower energy audiences.
I mean, don't get me wrong. The vibe was very excellent. We even noticed the sweet herbal scent of Norwegian Wood a few times over the course of the evening.
The instant that the band hit the stage, the whole place was on its feet. Now, how does it happen that most (perhaps all) of the folks there (and it was a big crowd, if not sellout big in that huge venue) were diehard fans who knew this band inside out and upside down. How? Where did these guyses get all these rabid fans?
Anyway -- they whole place stayed on its feet for the whole freaking show.... and it was a pretty long show. Song after song, with essentially no breaks. With a half-hour long encore.
After a while, we, rather sheepishly, retreated to the back of the Shed, one of the friends we were with having realized or discovered that the big projection screens back there afforded good views of the band even if one had the audacity to sit down.
So -- all in all, I am still not sure how I felt about the show, other than the fact that I felt like I was at someone else's party.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/for-the-avett-brothers-a-hello-at-tanglewood-is-also-goodbye,518163
At any rate, the two brothers are kind of endearingly scruffy looking & sing in a high ( but not high lonesome) two-part close harmony that only brothers (or sisters) can usually achieve.
We saw them at Tanglewood, the famous BSO summer hangout in beautiful, pricey Lenox Massachusetts. True story: apparently there's a vigorous discussion raging in Lenox about the name of the town's high school sports team. Apparently, some don't approve of the moniker they've had for years: the Lenox Millionaires. I am thinking the opponents are either pulling for Billionaires, Robber Barons, or - maybe - Oligarchs. But I digress.
So, Tanglewood is a cool venue (literally, last night; we had a cold front blow through and it was in the 40s [Fahrenheit, that is] after dark last night). We had pretty good seats, too (in the "shed", not out on the lawn).
Pretty good seats.
So -- the concert? How was it?
Well -- actually it was pretty good. They are pretty good, and very high energy. I am not all that familiar with them but, not knowing quite what to expect, I was still kind of bemused by it all.
The music was pretty good. The musicianship was good to excellent. The sound was even pretty decent (although bass heavy in a way that shook my insides rather more than strictly necessary, I thought).
But, here's the thing. We actually go to quite a few concerts (albeit usually in smaller venues) -- but it's mostly our own music idols (you know, catchin' 'em one more time before they join Club Seventy-Four
). We're kind of used to older and - shall we say - lower energy audiences.I mean, don't get me wrong. The vibe was very excellent. We even noticed the sweet herbal scent of Norwegian Wood a few times over the course of the evening.
The instant that the band hit the stage, the whole place was on its feet. Now, how does it happen that most (perhaps all) of the folks there (and it was a big crowd, if not sellout big in that huge venue) were diehard fans who knew this band inside out and upside down. How? Where did these guyses get all these rabid fans?
Anyway -- they whole place stayed on its feet for the whole freaking show.... and it was a pretty long show. Song after song, with essentially no breaks. With a half-hour long encore.
After a while, we, rather sheepishly, retreated to the back of the Shed, one of the friends we were with having realized or discovered that the big projection screens back there afforded good views of the band even if one had the audacity to sit down.
So -- all in all, I am still not sure how I felt about the show, other than the fact that I felt like I was at someone else's party.
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/for-the-avett-brothers-a-hello-at-tanglewood-is-also-goodbye,518163
Comments
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Endearingly scruffy...
They even did a George Harrison cover last night -- the only cover they played (AFAIK), Harrison's Peace on Earth. Struck me as a rather odd choice, given his canon of songs.
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Man -- I was wearin' a DTC fleece jacket, fleece-lined pants, a flannel shirt and gloves! The liquid crystals in my mood ring woulda solidified. It was -- freaking chilly.
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Well there's your answer.... to cold to sit down
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He looked scruffier still last night. The George Harrison looking one had only a Yasser Arafat style beard last night; still had the long straight hair, though.
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Avetts came to the forefront of the music scene through lots of festival appearances with groups like Arcade Fire and Mumford & Sons. Not too many make the jump to headlining like these groups have, but they all have that higher energy performances that the young'ens like.HT Optoma HD25 LV on 80" DIY Screen, Anthem MRX 300 Receiver, Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD Polk CS350LS, Polk SDA1C, Polk FX300, Polk RT55, Dual EBS Adire Shiva 320watt tuned to 17hz, ICs-DIY Twisted Prs, Speaker-Raymond Cable
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The Avett Bros. are from this area of NC, not too far from Charlotte, and they have a huge fan base here. Definitely not for everyone, but they are original and have their own sound.
I really like some of their songs, but not everything that I have heard. -
They're clearly good. I just wasn't far enough along on the curve to really appreciate the whole experience of the show last night.
This is from an NPR Tiny Desk Concert blurb (from 2009).
"kinetic, frenetic live shows" hits the nail on the head.With all due respect to its terrific albums and kinetic, frenetic live shows, if The Avett Brothers could put on a three-song acoustic concert at every workplace in America, the band would be a world-beating colossus. For proof, listen to this performance in the NPR Music offices...
I think this is more what we were expecting last night
https://youtu.be/abQRt6p8T7g
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I was you November 2016 in Indianapolis, I had heard about 4 songs being played from their newest album True Sadness I had purchased in the summer of 2016 and had remembered about 2 other songs over the years. I was blown away in Indianapolis realizing I was just a speck in the crowd of their fans. I since have six of their CDs and have seen them one other time. You are not too old as I am also on the Geezer concert tour trying to catch the greats too. Looking at 60 next year this bands lyrics are LIFE. If you listen they do not just have four or five line song, they have a story to tell in each song that touches my life as well they must touch many others lives. I have learned to sit back and enjoy the ride, and sitting back listening to The Avett Brothers is a wonderful way to go✌
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Excellent first post Junebug..
I'm somewhat of a fan. I have 3-4 of their CD's. I pretty much agree with Jimbo18's assessment.Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work out.-John Wooden -
Heh -- we weren't disappointed; more like disoriented.
I'll be listening more carefully to them in the near future...
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Big fan here. Own several albums, spin several more on tidal regularly. Only seen them once live at a big outdoor venue in Austin, my favorite part was the acoustic set...my best friend has seen them multiple times and absolutely loves them.
When I was in college or soon after and playing in loud rock bands myself I would have loved their live show. So much energy and passion, but some musicianship and sound quality gets sacrificed. I would have had no problem with that 15-20 years ago. No I'm old lol. I still prefer real songwriters over studio musicians, but I prefer better musicianship and production coupled with solid, passionate songwriting (Justin Bieber or old has beens just trying to make a buck need not apply...)
To me the avert brothers albums achieve pretty damn close to the perfect balance. Excellent musicians after years of practice, touring, and recording, and still write GREAT songs. My fav album is emotionalism, followed closely by the carpenter and I and love and you. I have found that like so many folks that actually write well crafted songs with some depth, they don't always just grab you right out of the gate, but really reward repeated listening. Of course, YMMV...Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
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First saw them in 2005 at Merlefest in North Carolina. Local boys who, IIRC, were discovered by the man himself Doc Watson. They played a couple sets but really put that festival on it's ear, playing a searing set Sunday morning at a time usually reserved for gospel type acts. Culminated in "I Killed Sally's Lover". Liked them ever since.
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