The D.C. area has lucked out this week. Just days after the Avett Brothers rocked the 53rd Grammy Awards — playing with Mumford & Sons and the legendary Bob Dylan — they’ll hit the D.C. area with some of their classic songs, plus some new ones from their upcoming album.
| Onstage |
| The Avett Brothers When: 8 p.m. Friday |
| Where: DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW |
| Info: $35; 202-397-SEAT; ticketmaster.com |
“Some of the songs we’ve played for two years, we’ve worked some newer ones in too and we’re also holding a few back,” said upright bass player Bob Crawford of the band’s upcoming concert. “This is our 10th year together and every year that passes, we get better and more comfortable and grow as a family.”
Whether you call them bluegrass, hillbilly punk or even alt-country, you’ll find the Avett Brothers are tethered to roots music, though their sound does have a contemporary flair. Though many bluegrass musicians and fans don’t like to see format shifts, some of the biggest names in the genre including Del McCoury have openly supported the band for years. That’s allowed the band to move easily through the music world, playing everything from the annual DelFest in Cumberland, Md., to the Grammys in L.A., and gain new fans for their band and the bluegrass format.
“Bluegrass has a lot of traditionalists. That is what makes Del special,” Crawford said. “No one else sounds like him with his edge and his style, yet [his music] is as fresh as the Avett Brothers. The roots of his music are strong, but the branches reach out [to bands with more contemporary footing].”
Of course the Avett Brothers don’t need to look any further than Jim Avett, the father of the band’s co-founders, Seth and Scott, for inspiration.
A welder by trade, Jim Avett is a noted songwriter and entertainer whose music is reminiscent of the sounds by Bob Dylan, Merle Haggard and Tom T. Hall that he shared with his sons.
He instilled the love of music in his sons while cautioning them that with all of their talent, they may not reach a national platform.
“I told the boys early on,” Jim Avett said in an earlier interview, “play it the way you play it, and if it’s good, if it’s entertaining, then folks will come to hear you. If not, then we’ll sit here on the front porch and entertain ourselves.”
