Avett Brothers, Travelin McCourys solid part of Harvest Music Festival

review by Peter Lewis

While there are many scheduled bands appearing this coming week at the Harvest Music Festival on Mulberry Mountain, they will all be hard pressed to match the vigor and virtuosity of The Avett Brothers.

Formed in 2001 as an acoustic outgrowth to a punk band, the group is based around two brothers, Seth (guitar) and Scott (banjo), and is augmented with Bob Crawford (stand up bass). Out of this unlikely birth the group has become a spectacular trio, one that blends both the past and present.

This duality between past and present is most noticeable in their series of “Pretty Girl” songs. While the inspiration for the series was born from Jimmie Rodgers’ “Blue Yodels,” the finished products are a diverse and progressive lot. From the harmoniously apologetic Appalachianism of “Pretty Girl from Annapolis” to the tough posturing and driving mid-song gear changes of “Pretty Girl From Chile,” each song in the series is a stand alone sentiment lyrically and musically. Yet, despite their singularity, there is a connectedness beyond the title in each. They are all a manifestation of their creators.

After several years self-producing albums on an indie label, the band is set to release “I and Love and You,” a new full length album, on Rick Rubin’s American Recordings Label, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment. There is a natural progression to be found from the rougher hewn early albums like “Four Thieves Gone” through the more polished later efforts of “Emotionalism” and “I and Love and You.” Scott Avett affirmed this in a recent conversation: “Those who are familiar with our records are going to hear a progression in everything because that’s just learning as we work.”

The fruits of their labor are certainly paying off. Though the group is maturing into a fuller sound, they still retain a youthful, almost innocent eye as songwriters. It is this earnestness in the face of a cynical social landscape that many listeners find so appealing. Scott readily acknowledges the thin line they walk.

“You have to watch what your subject matter becomes … that earnestness can easily become alienating,” he explained.

Far from alienating, the Avett Brothers have in fact created a large and rabid following. Their unique blend of influences, from blazing punk to country standards, has created an almost indefinable, yet distinctly gorgeous sonic fusion. This amalgamation hits hardest during their fervent and raucous live performances.

While seeing them in person is highly recommended, it is merely a facet of what defines the band. It is their exceptional drive to create that makes the brothers such unique figures in the music scene today. While Seth fills his free time with a solo side project known as “Darling,” Scott retreats to the studio. As their popularity has increased, Scott has found less and less time to visit the studio. To combat this, he’s adapted.

“I go in and try to work fast. … I take advice from what I’ve read about the painter Caravaggio, who for legal reasons was on the run for parts of his life. He had to paint fast and on the move. Reading about that, it showed me that you can paint fast and paint on the move so I try to do it quick and try to make that time in the studio very productive.”

It is rare to find such honesty and depth of insight in artists today. Bravely, the Avett Brothers seem to possess a vision of art that sits in contrast to much of the industry. Yet, they methodically propel themselves forward as people recognize the earnestness and attach themselves whole heartedly to the band.

Don’t let their train pass you by. The Avett Brothers will perform on the Main Stage from 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., on Friday (Aug. 14).

TRAVELIN MCCOURYS
Based around Ronnie and Robbie, the talented scions of the legendary Del McCoury, The Travelin’ McCourys are set to showcase their burning brand of bluegrass at the Harvest Music Festival on Thursday afternoon. Of late, the group has been garnering rave reviews in response to their unique performances with The Lee Boys, a sacred steel group from Florida.

The celebrated bluegrass outfit performs Aug. 13 at Noon on the Downhome Stage.  Following this performance, the Travelin’ McCourys will perform with the sacred steel outfit, The Lee Boys at 4:00 p.m. on the Main Stage. This electrifying fusion of styles is not to be missed. It is sure to be one of the many highlights at this year’s festival. Though this is the band’s first visit to the Harvest Music Festival, Ronnie McCoury says the band has been “playing Arkansas for years and years and years, from small festivals throughout the state to clubs in Little Rock.”

I recently spoke with Ronnie McCoury to discuss, amongst other things, the birth of The Travelin’ McCourys.

Peter Lewis: How did The Travelin’ McCourys come about?

Ronnie McCoury: Well, we come about somewhat out of necessity and also just wanting to do a little something different. You know, my father is 70 years old and he’s also kinda pushing us out of the nest a bit and … prepare for the inevitable.

Lewis: So he’s wanting to take a bit of a rest?

RM: You know, he’s not ready to rest (laughs).

Lewis: He’s still going strong?

RM: Yeah, he is. This is his 50th year. And because it’s his 50th year, there’s kinda been a push and a lot of people are wanting to see it. So, we’re working hard, you know? It’s a good thing. It’s also affording us the opportunity to step out and do some other things and not solely depend on that.

Lewis: Because everyone in the Travelin’ McCourys also plays in the Del McCoury Band?

RM: Yeah, it is. We’ve been using a couple different guys on guitar, trying to figure somethings out.

Lewis: How exactly did the partnership with the Lee Boys come about? I saw you and them both at SXSW this past year, and I was curious how that arose?

RM:  Well, what did you think about it?

Lewis: I enjoyed it. It was definitely unexpected, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, honestly.

RM: (laughs) Well, I’ll tell you how it came about. We have a festival, Del Fest, and it takes place in Cumberland, Maryland. This is only our second year this year, but last year we partnered up with a company out of California that has put on some festivals called High Sierra. We all sat down to talk about the talent we were going to have. They brought up the Lee Boys and booked the Lee Boys. I really didn’t know much about them at all. So, at the festival, the Lee Boys are there. I’m just playing with all kinds of people, running around at the festival. Someone told me to get up on stage and play with the Lee Boys. So, I met them on stage. Played a couple tunes with them. They hung out all weekend and played some more with us. That’s how it all started. Fast forward to December, we were playing in Asheville, North Carolina at Warren Haynes’ Christmas Jam and they coupled us together. We hadn’t really done anything in several months, got together and man, everybody just really loved it. Next thing we know, we just decided we’d try something. And that’s how it got started. We’ve done quite a few dates together, and quite a few more coming up. Actually been in the studio trying to do some stuff as well. So, it’s … we’ve really grown to appreciate each other and become really good friends. There’s a lot of things in common that we have, besides music. They’re a family, you know. They know what it’s like to grow up together and play in a band.

Lewis: Is it tough playing in a band with family members?

RM: You know, I can’t speak for the Lee Boys, but I’ve been playing almost 30 years now in my dad’s band. And my brother’s right behind me just a couple of years. I can’t really say that we’ve ever had a bad time and didn’t get along. I tell ya, the hardest years for me were teenage, early 20s … trying to figure out your life. Is this really what I wanna do all the time? Even though in the very beginning when I was really young, it’s all I thought about. It’s all I wanted to do. I grew up playing a lot of sports and had a lot of buddies we hung out with all the time. Off they go to college, that was probably the weirdest time in a way. Thinking, “maybe I should be doing something like that.” But I didn’t and never turned around.

Lewis: You first picked up the mandolin when you were what, 13 or 14?

RM: Yeah, I got a mandolin when I was 13. I had it for six months and my dad put me in the band, just mainly playing rhythm and learning that. My brother started on the bass. I was 13 or 14, I got four years on him, and he was 15, I think, when he started on the bass. Played it a year before he went to the banjo. We were pretty young.

Lewis: There’s got to be a unique set of pressures growing up as what some might call “Bluegrass royalty.” You touched on it a bit earlier when you spoke of your ambivalence in your early 20s, but is there pressure still to carry on this legacy?

RM: Well, yeah … there is, in a way. Just because of how my dad has risen. Back when we started, we weren’t really doing a whole lot. My daddy had kept his day job and never really thought about where we could take it. Seeing him rise up, and all of us do it together, it’s really great. He’s reached the legend status.

Lewis: Well, you guys are right there with him since you’ve been there the whole way. I was curious if playing with the Lee Boys, though it was serendipitous, was a way to broaden your musical horizons without alienating some of the purists fans out there, or if it was even something you thought about?

RM: We’ve always done quite a bit of collaborating with people through the years. And enjoyed it. It gets you out of the norm. Something like this, that just came about, it didn’t take us too long to figure out this is really special and we could do more with this. There are always going to be people who don’t like things. And most of them usually let you know it. (laughs). It is an outlet for us to do something different and at the same time play our same instruments. They’re great musicians on their own (The Lee Boys) and I think we are, put it together and it is really something special.

Lewis: So you have been spending time in the studio together.  Does that mean we can be expecting an album soon?

RM: Well, we’ve been in the studio figuring some things out and seeing how it works. It’s been great. Now, we’re just deciding what we’ll do … but it’s gonna be good.

Lewis: Is there a timetable on a release date or anything?

RM: Not at all. We just wanted to see what we could do. You know, we did a lot more gigs in the early part of the summer because we’ve both been so busy. And I do think that if we get any of this stuff out on a record that we’ll all be a lot busier.