MC: “Paul Newman vs The Demon” reflects your rock roots, and in the context of the more acoustic-driven sounds, seems like somewhat of a departure on the record.
Avett: Seth brought it to the table. It started as more of a Spanish acoustic thing, and he wanted it to be more straight-up, hard, crunchy electric guitars and distortion. That song is a door that has been opened, because we learned what we’d like to do better and go further. Faster, louder and harder is certainly in our makeup, or slower and harder and more abrasive, maybe even something sludgy.
MC: You are prepping to tour Europe. How do those folks appreciate the Americana?
Avett: The audiences are fun. We went one time in 2007 when six of us rented a van on a very small tour. Since then there has been a lot of growth and it’s very exciting. It’s like rewinding here in the US three or four years ago, we play for 1,000 people and many more at festivals. One to three thousand is a great number because we can get intimate.
MC: Let’s talk Grammys. Even though you were nominated, you were performing elsewhere the week of the Grammy Awards.
Avett: Two shows in Madison, WI and Ann Arbor, MI, so we were booked. It was a tough call for us to not to be there. We tried really hard, but we realized we couldn’t change the dates and we didn’t know or expect the nomination, so we had three nights of crowds expecting us in the Midwest.
MC: There is a wonderful line from the song “The One and Future Carpenter.” It says, “We’re all in this together.” It seems to neatly encapsulate the Avett Brothers and your bond within the band, and certainly with your audience.
Avett: We’re all under the same sun here. Confusion is beauty and we’re looking for it and it certainly is at the root of a lot of songs.
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