It’s not too often I come across some music that really moves me. I’ve got a lot of varied music in my small collection, but haven’t been compelled to add anything new over the past few months. Thus, when flicking through the channels shortly before bed this past weekend, I stumbled upon Austin City Limits (almost never a bad show), saw the night’s lineup contained a group named “The Avett Brothers“, and didn’t think much of it.

The Avett Brothers

Austin City Limits has done me well over its years. It’s given me exposure to some of my favorite artists – like Lyle Lovett, Gillian Welch, Jamie Cullum, Old Crow Medicine Show, Ben Folds – and epitomizes that music is best when experienced live. The program emphasizes the use of acoustic instruments over heavily-amplified ones and features artists who not only perform music well but are also at the foundation of its creation, with writing and arrangement duties. It also shows off the talent of true “entertainers” who know how to take a crowd through a journey with their music. The artists who show well on the program illustrate that music goes beyond its simple sounds and needs to be seen how it is expressed by an artist as much as being heard to truly enjoy it.

When it comes to musical styles, I’m all over the place. I generally stick to a singer/songwriter focus but really do not care which musical genre this falls. This can be found in rock, punk, folk, alternative, jazz, bluegrass styles – just about anything (sometimes even in really good pop songs). I find myself drawn to finding new music via podcasts and other online resources instead of purchasing music that I am stuck listening over and over.

Thus, television programs like The Grammys or the AMAs don’t really excite me and present artists who are overly commercialized and are often a small part of the creation process (can you say “Adam Lambert“?). Although I understand that they can produce some highly successful commercial music, it doesn’t appeal to me the way a hard working guy/gal with a simple guitar and stories to tell.

When I saw The Avett Brothers on Austin City Limits this weekend, I knew that I had found a gem. If you haven’t heard of them before, here is a nice video captured for an NPR program called All Songs Considered – Tiny Desk Concert. It features three songs and illustrates their dynamics in style quite well.

It’s a group like that has all the elements that I really enjoy in music. First, they incorporate a stand-up bass. To me, there is no greater, penetrating sound than a hand-plucked bass. It rounds out music in such a way that you can’t help but feel it deep inside your chest. They also use a cello which I think is a perfect complement to an acoustic guitar. A cello can “sing” behind the plucky melody of a guitar and add a great context to the music. Thirdly, they use percussion without needing a dedicated drummer. As having some past experience with drums, this should probably bother me, but The Avett Brothers use their separate bass drum and hi-hat in such a great way to add color to their music – it’s hard to complain. Finally, they use family to provide a natural blending of harmony to their voices. The two brothers – Scott and Seth – bring together different inflections in their voices but come together with their third interval harmony that gives immediate “americana” labeling to their songs.

I immediately bought their latest album – I and Love and You – from iTunes. It’s pretty mellow compared to some of the live stuff I’ve found online, but is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It’s fun to stumble upon something that can quickly open my eyes and breathe some life back into my love of music.