If my brother and I grew up on a secluded farm playing a plethora of instruments together, I would hope the characters we respectively developed would strongly resemble that of Seth and Scott Avett. There’s something to be admired from the simple demeanor that these two exude, as their humble North Carolinian homestead roots vibrantly reflect their uncomplicated, clear-minded outlook on life. It speaks to the Avett  Brothers’ mentally sound nature that they can calmly make a song about getting murdered in public and spin it towards the consequentially eternal bonds of love that cannot be broken within their family. In a time where frustratingly ignorant song topics run rampant, the morals that The Avett Brothers promote are certainly a refreshing change of pace.

I can clearly remember hearing The Avett Brothers most notably successful single “I And Love And You” when it appeared for the first time on Boston’s once great alternative radio station, 101.7 WFNX. The DJ prefaced the song by praising The Avett Brothers for their immense potential in an underdeveloped bluegrass market supported by an outward behavior that made you want to route for their potential success. Through that initial sneak peak at their content as well as through “Murder in the City”, their keen resemblance to a dive bar virtuoso shined through as a lovable core competency. Jumping forward to the present, their 2016 album “True Sadness” was a bit of a disappointment as their conformity to an unnatural pop-based theme was a bit too fabricated for my taste. Still, temporary meritocracy is nothing a little decade-old throwback can’t fix!