Indie folk veterans The Avett Brothers are stopping in Newport this September.
With over two decades of music under their belts, The Avett Brothers show no sign of slowing down. Their 2024 self-titled release continues their evolution through a mix of folk, country, indie, punk and bluegrass. On the record, each style shines. Take, for instance, the slow-burning, seven-minute ballad “Cheap Coffee,” which follows the almost pop-punk energy of “Love Of A Girl,” a track that seems to nod to Elvis Costello’s “Pump It Up” and Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues.”
Prior to their self-titled album, the band was busy with Swept Away, the Tony-nominated musical built around songs from 2004’s Mignonette. The production tells the haunting tale of a 19th-century whaling crew shipwrecked at sea — a tale of love, adventure and even cannibalism.
In the early aughts and 2010s, folk was experiencing a major resurgence, with Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers leading the way with their signature “stomp clap” sound paired with anthemic vocals and aggressively strummed acoustic guitars. And with the ubiquity of wide-brimmed hats, Wellingtons, suspenders, beards and button-downs, it was clear that indie folk had entered the mainstream. In 2008, The Avett Brothers stepped forward with their major label debut, I and Love and You, produced by Rick Rubin. The album smoothed out some of the band’s rougher edges, leaning into a more accessible pop-inflected sound. Its title track showed just how deftly the band is able to balance sweet sentiment without managing to sound saccharine.
Listening back now, there’s a certain nostalgia in lyrics like “Your life doesn’t change by the man that’s elected,” a reminder of a time that felt markedly apolitical. And maybe that’s part of their enduring appeal: The Avett Brothers remind us what good songwriting is all about — pure emotion, introspective lyrics and, yes, even the occasional stomp and clap.
The Avett Brothers play MegaCorp Pavilion on Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. More info: promowestlive.com.
This story is featured in CityBeat’s Sept. 3 print edition.