The Avett Brothers

Some friends and I went to the Canopy Club Sunday night to see the Avett Brothers perform. This folk-rock trio put on a very good show -- mixin' it up between a lot of different musical styles and innovative sounds, in addition to just the jumping-screaming-smiling kind of energy they wore.

I definitely liked when they'd slow it down a bit, and invite Joe Kwon and his cello to join them. Favorite song is definitely "Weight of Lies" on their Emotionalism album.

Even down to their look, they just have a great style about them. I thought, instead of trying to describe them to you, I'd just post what they wrote under the "bio" link on their website ...

"It costs nothing to be honest, loyal and true."

If you put your ear to the street, you can hear the rumble of the world in motion; people going to and from work, to school, to the grocery store. You may even hear the whisper of their living rooms, their conversation, their complaints, and if you're lucky, their laughter. If you're almost anywhere in America , you'll hear something different, something special, something you recognize but haven't heard in a long time.

It is the sound of a real celebration.
It is not New Year's, and it is not a political convention. It is neither a prime time game-show, nor a music video countdown, bloated with fame and sponsorship. What you are hearing is the love for a music. It is the unbridled outcry of support for a song that sings to the heart, that dances with the soul. The jubilation is in the theaters, the bars, the music clubs, the festivals. The love is for a band.

The songs are honest: just chords with real voices singing real melodies. But, the heart and the energy with which they are sung, is really why people are talking, and why so many sing along.

They are a reality in a world of entertainment built with smoke and mirrors, and when they play, the common man can break the mirrors and blow the smoke away, so that all that's left behind is the unwavering beauty of the songs. That's the commotion, that's the celebration, and wherever The Avett Brothers are tonight, that's what you'll find.