Scott
Avett was asked once by somebody listening to their NPR Tiny Desk concert if he
had swallowed an amplifier, a reference to the projection of his rich, if at
times, gravelly, voice. I grinned while thinking of that figurative description
as I listened to that voice in fine form, working in union with his brother,
Seth, whose smooth tenor contrasts just enough to make every song an adventure
in style and tempo.
The
concert, set against a burning westward sky, took place on a cool June evening
atypical of the humid, Midwestern summer.
It started strongly with Live and
Die from The Carpenter, and
proceeded full-tilt boogie with Down With
the Shine, which, for a song that could be considered a waltz, radiates
undeniable energy in a live setting. Laundry Room followed suit with its
otherworldly I am a breathing time
machine lyrics, and erupting in its hoedown climax in which you see upright
bass player Bob Crawford and cello player Joe Kwon jumping up and down while
picking and strumming their respective instruments in frenetic rhythm. The energy continued with a frantic rendition
of I Killed Sally’s Lover before
slowing down a bit with George Jone’s The
Race is On and a pretty rendition of the traditional Be Kind to Man While He’s Down, which I’m quite certain I’ve heard
Old Crow Medicine Show perform live, as well.
The
climax, from my perspective, was Pretty
Girl From Chile, ebbing and flowing and culminating in Seth’s Latin guitar
solo that would likely have any individual with a little soul in his heart jumping to
its beat. The encore ended with I, and Love, and You, which is fine, if expected.
A
last note on showmanship goes to the almost indescribable knee jerks of Seth on
his guitar and Scott on his banjo in the throes of rhythm and song. Like Mick Jagger’s stage strut and Dave
Matthew’s instrumental dance silliness, I would emulate their performance
presence if I had the talent to be up there in front of thousands.
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