December 26, 2007 Music » Music Features

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The Avett Brothers return for annual gig

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click to enlarge HAPPY NEW YEAR: The Avett Brothers

  • HAPPY NEW YEAR: The Avett Brothers

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I was going to say that you guys have had a hell of a year. Is it possible to sum it up?

"(laughs) Uh, it's still a bit of a whirlwind that we're just barely in front of. It doesn't seem like some sort of destination or anything like that, it's just part of it."

You guys have been together for about five years. Does it seem like it's been a long road to this point, or has it all flown by kind of quickly?

"Yeah, I think the last three really accelerated. The first couple were really focused as far as we were very affected by every little thing because everything was so new. Then, once we started getting into a bit of a routine with how we toured and traveled and where we were going and understanding places and getting a little bit more repetition of that, then it just started tick, tick, tick, tick, ticking and just going, 'Wow, we were there three years ago and not a year ago?' So, that's very strange, but for the most part, it's going by too fast."

Do you know how many shows you've played this year?

"I think this year is between 180 and 190 and I guess it's about 220 days on the road."

So, you do get some time off.

"We do. I guess it's about two-thirds on the road and a third at home. We hit home whenever we get the chance. We'll come home for a day or a day and a night and then we hit the road again and be gone again just to keep everything straight."

What's it like for you when you come back to play these gigs in Charlotte - obviously the venues are getting bigger, but is there a different vibe for you each time you come back?

"It's changed quite a bit in the past five years. We seem some old, traditional fans that were there from the very, very beginning. There are some that just will not leave our sides, which is pretty awesome. It's kinda crazy to see new people that have been in Charlotte the whole time, but they haven't heard our music or haven't seen us, which is more people than not. You put that on a world scale and there's endless amounts of people to get to. And, so the work, if you're willing to put it in, won't dry up because there are people all over the place that want to hear it and want to find it and it's just a matter of being accessible to them. For the Charlotte shows, they've become much more of a whirlwind when you go into them. It's not just doing a little picking on the porch anymore. It's our livelihood and it's something we take very seriously. We're going in to do something and put forth an effort for people. It's not just a party that we're sliding through anymore. It's something more serious."

Is there anything unique to your New Year's shows?

"Ahhh ... well, we always put out a bigger effort for the posters and we're always putting out new designs for the merchandise for people that already have so many things can be excited about it. We always wear tuxedos ... no, not always. (laughs) Langhorne (Slim) is gonna be with us for all three of these shows in North Carolina. Langhorne and the War Eagles -- we mingle a lot and we're trying to put together a couple of surprises. I don't know if they're gonna work out or not. We can only try."

In a lot of interviews I read with you guys, you're always asked how to describe your music. I'm not going to ask that, but what I will ask is -- do you guys look at that as being a good thing because it shows you're unique and people can't just pigeon-hole you?

"Right, right. I think we, at some point, learned how to grasp that and use it to our advantage in the business end and in the artistic end of it. That's just something that we're lucky for. We didn't plan on that. Nobody sat down and said, 'Let's put together a band that's different.' We just started writing songs and delivered them. How basic and logically it was -- we try to continue to try and do that and not let other things affect it."

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