The Avett Brothers- Murder In The City

The Avett Brothers are bit of a conundrum for me. The first time I saw them open up for BR5-49 I could not tell if I loved them or hated them, these wild-eyed romantic hippies bashing and stomping, screaming their lungs out. And there also was some gorgeous harmonies, and lyrics that rang true, an unusual thing.

This song, from the Second Gleam EP, absolutely slays me. It should be a monster hit, one of those medical shows should have it roll over one of those emotional montages, and every man woman and child should own a copy. Look, it's got it all: Musing about growing up:

I wonder who my parents loved the most
I sure did get in lots of trouble
They seemed to let the other go (as the brothers share a smile)
A tear fell from my father's eyes
I wondered what my dad would say
He said I love you and I'm proud of you both
In so many different ways

Romance:

If I get murdered in the city
don't go revenging in my name
One person dead from such is plenty
No need to get locked away
When I leave your arms
The things I think of
No need to get over alarmed
I'm coming home

Acoustic guitars, piano, harmony, family:

Make sure my sister know I loved her
Make sure my mother knows the same
Always remember there was nothing worth sharing
Like the love that let us share our name

Not many songs are good enough, real enough, that I feel the emotions and am moved by them. Buy The Second Gleam on itunes, emusic, at your favorite music store, or at least buy this song. These boys deserve it.

For more, here they are from an earlier post from when Jeff and I saw them at the Sheldon. There was no mistaking my feelings for them at that show. It was a rare magical night, starting with this very song:

The Avett Brothers- Talk On Indolence

Reminder: the Avett Brothers are going to be in Carbondale Saturday night. If you ever wondered what Nirvana's energy would be like crossed with bluegrass and lots of foot stomping, well this is the show for you. Here they are, tearing it up:


Each time I see them, my love grows a little more. The show at the Sheldon earlier this year (Here's the opening number, as posted before) was as good as it gets. I even had goosebumps when they left the stage after the main set. People kept clapping in beat, singing. And then clapping and hooting and hollering. And then they started clapping in beat to the last song again. And singing. Even though minutes had passed since the band had left the stage. And everyone kept singing and clapping in unison, until the band came back out and reprised the song, in beat with us, with our backing vocals. Amazing.

The Avett Brothers- September 6, Carbondale, IL

More on the Avett Brothers later, but for now a quick note that they are scheduled to play in Carbondale, IL at the Copper Dragon Brewing Company on September 6. This is a band that is amazing live, and I am going to take the 1.5 hour drive to see them.

Here they are at the Sheldon on May 6 of this year, playing Murder In The City as their opening number:


QUICK EDIT: Is it just me, or does this video have a "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" feel to it?