I Spit a Tooth in the Palm of My Hand

I'd been meaning to post about Concord, North Carolina's the Avett Brothers for some time. I've always been a big fan of alternative country/bluegrass, so it was somewhat of a surprise to learn that their latest, "Emotionalism" was actually their fifth proper studio album. I picked it up in early June, a couple of weeks after it was released, and was instantly hooked. The band, consisting of Scott & Seth Avett and Bob Crawford are remarkably fresh and original; apart from sounding, at times, like a southern-fried version of Weezer. That extends to their unique stage set up, with Scott playing banjo and a kick drum, Seth playing guitar and a high hat cymbal, and Bob on upright bass. It's rare to find a band whose music is rooted in acoustic instrumentation and who packs as much raw energy and intensity as these guys do. Which isn't to say that they are immune to playing whiskey induced, lovelorn ballads. They manage to pull those songs off without sounding crass or trite, like Emotionalism's "The Weight of Lies." But the band is at it's best on barn-storming rockers like "Talk on Indolence" from 2006's "Four Thieves Gone," full of manic energy, tempo changes and furious strumming.

They're playing Webster Hall this Saturday, Nov. 17th - go check them out.

From "Emotionalism:" [buy the album here]

The Avett Brothers - Die Die Die
The Avett Brothers - Paranoia in Bb Major
The Avett Brothers - Will You Return?
The Avett Brothers - Go to Sleep

From "Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions:" [buy the album here]

The Avett Brothers - Talk on Indolence


Finally, check out their performance of "Paranoia" on Conan: