Where else would they play? The Avett Brothers, after enjoying plenty of success this year, will return to Charlotte on New Year’s Eve for a sold-out show at the Belk Theatre. They’ve come a long way since the days of Nemo (their first band). They won two Americana Music Awards and performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien earlier this year and are consistently selling out venues around the country. I recently spoke with Scott Avett by phone from a recording studio in Winston-Salem where he was busy working on demos for their next album.
You’re in Winston now?
“Yeah, we’re trying to get demos for what’s to come. Doug Williams over at this electromagnetic radio recorders — we’ve been doing stuff with him since we were in Nemo. It’s a real comfortable, safe place for us to lay down a lot of ideas.”
So this is just getting stuff down for the next album?
“It is. Since we’ve been on the road so much. We used to just all meet whenever, wherever we could and we would write and we would push songs and that just doesn’t happen when you’re on the road. All of your playing time is on stage. We realized, to make up for it, we would just keep logging all the ideas. We’ve got a lot of ideas, but they needed to be followed through with, so that’s what we’re doing here.”
Can you talk any about what you’re thinking of for the next album, or are you still seeing what ideas you come up with?
“You mean as far as songs and whatnot?”
Yeah, I guess the whole feeling of it …
“Sure, sure. Well, we’re big … we try to pick up what we can — correct what we did wrong. Every time you look back on a record, you always think there are things you can do better. What we’ve learned so far is that you can’t pretend and put out songs that aren’t appropriate to the time and to your changing, which you always are. An example would be where somebody would say — and this is a big mistake that I think a lot of artists will do — if the people that are marketing the work say, ‘This is the kind of song that you guys do well and a song people like.’ If you’re recording for those reasons, you’re messin’ up. So, we’re big on ‘Look, whatever’s happenin’ naturally, let it happen. If it’s not as fast and as crazy as people want it to be, too bad.’ It’s gotta be what’s natural. That’s the only thing that will be honest — the honesty will shine through in it. We’re on our 17th completed song right now that will go toward this album, and I look at ’em — there are a couple up-tempo tunes, but we’ve just changed so much. They’re definitely unlike the things we’ve done before. We’re not concerned with having certain types of instruments. It’s whatever the song calls for. We’ve been using a lot of piano and we’ve been using a lot of whole drum kit. It’s just been setting up and crafting the songs, but we’re just getting some focus time in the studio and as soon as they’re crafted, they’re recorded and then they kind of become something different than they would if you played them live a lot. So, to answer your question, we’re just trying to let happen naturally what will happen and, uh, the idea is to figure out how and where and what the record is going to be released as. Released music now has changed quite a bit, so we’re flowing with that.”
You guys always have a raw quality on your albums — is it a conscious effort to do that?
“It wasn’t. Growing into this, the rawness is because we couldn’t afford or we didn’t know any different. That’s just an honesty about that. If we could have gone into a really great studio right when we started and had people that really knew what they were doing, instead of us trying to produce ourselves all the time… (laughs) People appreciate that and they like that because they get to see it develop and it is a beautiful thing. I watch other artists develop and learn as they go and that’s just an awesome thing, but at the same time, they change and improve whether you like it or not. I think a big thing, Jeff, is people aren’t very good at deciphering between good and bad in what they like and what they dislike. You and I, most of the time people who are involved in any kind of literature, visual arts or music — if you are involved a lot and you are educated in it — I mean if you are educated by experiencing it a lot, I don’t mean formal necessarily — just because I don’t like it, doesn’t mean it’s not quality. I can still stomach it. If it’s just not to my taste, but it’s still great. A lot of people they just don’t discern the two and think if they don’t like it, it must be bad. That’s something that we’re changing. Some people just kind of lose touch. The whole sell-out thing or the whole movement of they changed and did this to the band or that to the band. It’s a good thing, whether you like it or not.”
I’ll be honest with you. When I first heard one of your albums, I was kind of like, “OK, I got it. There’s a bit of an edge to it, but what’s the big deal? Why is there so much of a buzz going around these guys?” Then I saw you live and though, “Holy shit! Now I get it!”
“That’s appreciated.”
Do you get a lot of that — where people might assume more energy from your CD or even less energy at your live show?
“Totally. We’ve also gone back and forth with trying to chase down what it is live. We’ve gone in with a lot of approaches as far as standing just like we do on stage and recording like that and recording live to try and capture that. I’m at the point right now where the recording needs to be a different thing and we need to consciously improve upon that as we grow. As far as live, it needs to change and move to, but it’s always going to be a different thing. You just do the best you can with both of ’em. As long as you do, I don’t guess you can really complain. I guess I can totally understand that. There are bands looking back… You see what The Police are now, right? I don’t know what they’re like live, but if you look at old footage, whether you’re a Police fan or Sting fan or not, I mean, they rock. When I was a kid I liked them, and I haven’t gotten into them in a while, but I remember seeing clips where I went, ‘This is a punk rock band. This band is just killing it.’ That’s a good example. The records were much more controlled.”
Even when you play live, if you’re just listening to it, there’s still a calm overtone at moments, but watching you guys play, you get the physical part of it and see that energy coming through.
“Sure, sure.”
It translates easier live where when you’re listening to it, you’re not seeing that energetic aspect of it.
“Yeah, I’d be lying if I said there aren’t some of those aspects that I’ll probably be forever trying to get down in audio form. For sure …”
I was going to ask — Why do you think there is that difference? Is it just the energy of being in front of a crowd and not being in a studio playing the same song 400 times?
“(laughs) I’m sure. I’m sure it has to do a lot with that. I think there’s a big difference, just like I said. I think if you go in and sit down and start playing an instrument, it’s just not the same thing. With Emotionalism, we did stand, just like I said, in the same order we do on stage and we delivered it live and it did help in that improvement. There’s more things to do toward that. We’re also … I think you once again run into a thing where entertainer, artist, musician, songwriter — these are all … they can be the same thing and they can also be cut up. The entertainment section of it becomes this whole other animal and there’s this urgency and anxiousness that I definitely have in the company of an audience. It’s … I wear many masks, many hats. That’s a different person than me when I’m going to Lowe’s to buy some timber. It’s just a different person, it really is. It’s very contained and you can become something very different and let it take you to that place.”
Well, you guys are also known for your live show. Does that put pressure on you, too, since people are expecting a high-energy show?
“It does, and sometimes we may consciously go the other way because we know we’re backed into a corner with that and we need to set it straight. Rooms dictate that, too. The rooms and the crowds — sometimes we just allow it to dictate it and go with what is called for. We love playing theaters and in a theater you can control which way it’s gonna go. You can go to both ends of the spectrum. It is something that has a limit on it as far as consecutive days that you play and you have to dig and find that inspiration. We’ve not had a hard time finding that. This has been a huge year and a lot, a lot of work that we’ve done, but we’ve managed to find it and sometimes when you didn’t think you would.”
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.”
With everything that’s going on, there’s always talk that you should get on a bigger label. From my point of view, as an outsider, it seems like they go hand-in-hand where everything is stripped down and kept kind of basic. Is that how you feel about it?
“We know that what we’ve done has worked for us because we’ve taken it day-by-day, small decision by small decision and it’s equalled one big decision that’s worked for us. It’s kind of the blueprint that works for the times right now. If there’s anything I can say about all of that and how we put out music and how we care about business, the one thing that is no matter what important is that Seth and I make decisions business-wise based on the art as the priority at all times. Whatever is good for the next step for the art — the art and the music is driving the bus — if that’s the right thing — be it major label, be it smaller label, be it TV shows or no TV shows — that’s the decision we make and the rest follows. That’s the bottom line and that’s the one we have to stick by. We can’t ever — I mean, at this point, nothing else can be the deciding factor. If anyone was to ever question that or criticize it — which they have the right to do — we always… there have been a few no-brainers, but that’s a no-brainer for us. It’s always the art is the nucleus of the thing and what’s right for that is right for us to do.”
Have there been moments like that where opportunities — a label or TV show — where you just had to say it’s not right?
“We have passed on a number of situations. TV shows and promotional opportunities are tools that should help if you treat ’em right. You don’t need to shoot yourself in the foot and we try not to do that. Wisdom is more important than pride — we’re working on that. (laughs) We don’t have any of it yet, but we’re trying to take each little piece that we can. The only time we would turn something down is if we felt it was not integrity-filled and if we felt it might question a tasteful move. We want to keep the integrity and taste at a level and continue to push beyond.”
Looking back over this year, you’ve won some awards, had a nice photo in Spin, were on Conan O’Brien — what have been some of the highlights for you guys? Was there any moment that stood out to you?
“All the awards and the TV show — those things have been really, really exciting. They’re things that when you’re 10 you dream to do, however, the more you do them, the less you’re impressed by some of that stuff. Not to downplay it ever. I’d never get up there and say, ‘This is nothing.’ If it has integrity, I will be thankful for it. Now, our priorities have changed a bit. Like I said, the nucleus of the priority being the art — seeing a chance for that to take and go to new direction and see new heights. That’s what I’m excited about and that’s what I’m seeing all these opportunities allowing. One point, it’s been a big year and there are a lot of points and they’re all about on the same level. Playing in Seattle in front of a crowd of five or six thousand people and seeing them react is priceless. Selling out a room in San Francisco. Those kinds of things are just seeing evidence of our work.”
So how much time are you putting in up in Winston-Salem? What’s your schedule?
“We’re just putting in four or five days. We’re putting in quick sketches of songs. We’re spending however many days it takes. We have four or four-and-a-half scheduled. If we fall on something that needs to be done, we’ll extend that. It’s about just getting the ideas down and not trying to perfect them. Things are happening in great ways — things you don’t expect. After this, we’ll lay low through Christmas. I’d say we’re shooting to be recording the main record in February if all goes as planned and aiming for a record to be out some time in the summer. I’d like to see it in July, but that’s up in the air right now. The promotion stuff has to be taken care of.”
So, you’re working on this album and you’ve got a lot of dates already for next year. Is that about right?
“Yeah, it looks that way. (laughs) We really are trying to pull back and spend more days in the studio and get to where it’s time to tighten the screw and really put as many recordings together as we can. Seth and I have gotten into a thing where we have too many songs that we can’t focus and we have to start putting ’em to bed. Once you stay on the road that much and continue to write, if you don’t complete any, it gets kinda stressful.”
Is it just a matter of getting them down and out of your head, even if you don’t release them?
“Totally. Maybe they will release them, maybe they won’t.”
The Avett Brothers will play the Belk Theatre on December 31 at 9 p.m. Tickets are sold out.
This article appears in Dec 26, 2007 – Jan 1, 2008.
