The Avett Brothers

“I and Love and You”
from the album I and Love and You
2009
iTunes

Thanks to Rick Rubin’s “YouTube research,” North Carolina trio Avett Brothers went from finger-pickers in their Concord, North Carolina hometown to the super-producer’s new favorite band. The LP Rubin discovered, Emotionalism, wasn’t their debut, though — “It was maybe our eighth or ninth release,” says Seth Avett, counting records he and brother Scott had recorded with their previous hard-rock band, “and at this point the dreams of being a rock star have been put in perspective.”

But it was a boost that put the Avetts’ career on the fast track. Rubin produced their major-label debut (and fifth overall release as the Avett Brothers), I and Love and You, released in September, bringing out the group’s twangy harmonies and banjo-picked acoustic grooves. On the record the brothers (along with bassist Bob Crawford) tackle love, heartbreak, and the honest stories of their lives. “Folk music is just like early hip-hop,” says Scott Avett. “You’re singing about where you’re from, the hardships and the good times.”

Looking back at their first band Nemo, the brothers describe their Mars Volta-like aspirations as a rebellion against their roots. “We wanted to be that kind of mobile, dynamic band,” Scott says. “We were heavily influenced by Mr. Bungle — the metal and the hardcore.” But twice-weekly jam sessions wound up bringing the Avetts to bluegrass. “You noticed that something was happening, and I think what was happening was Seth and I were much more natural in this acoustic sort of form,” Scott says. “I think we weren’t hiding behind anything.”