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Personally, I’ve never thought it would be possible to go wrong with any Andrew Bird album, and this is no exception. His sixth solo album, Break It Yourself, is as clever and brilliant as the last five.

Bird’s laidback yet profound sound warrants attention from listeners of all musical preferences. His music blends folk, classical, jazz, blues, and alternative rock genres into one style that is uniquely and unmistakably his own. A variety of string instruments such as the violin, glockenspiel, and guitar, along with polished vocals and signature melodic whistling, work together to create the masterwork that is Break It Yourself. The shifts in tempo and instrumental buildups that Bird produces in this album appear strategic, making for a completely cohesive and fluid journey from the first to the final track.

What has always caught my attention about Bird’s music is his lyrical creativity. This most recent release yet again displays his clever choices of plays on words, puns, and rhymes. Reminiscent of the tongue twister within the song “Anonanimal” off of his 2009 album, Noble Beast, Bird wittily plays with the lyrics in Break It Yourself’s first single, “Eyeoneye,” with back-to-back terms “ionize” and “eye on eye” in somewhat of a lyrical conundrum. Another instance, though the song is instrumental, is in the title of the album’s second track, “Polynation.” Bird also makes an effort in this album to tie in lyrical selections from past albums.

Break It Yourself is great for longtime Andrew Bird fans and newcomers alike. His music has always been my top choice for studying, so with finals just around the corner, I don’t think there’s a better time to give this album a listen.
-Michelle Tremblay

The Shins
“Port of Morrow”
Columbia/Aural Apothecary Records
4.5/5 Stars

The Shins are back with Port of Morrow, their first album since 2007’s “Wincing the Night Away.”  Well…this isn’t really the same Shins.  James Mercer is still there, so at face value things are the same, but what some may not know is that this is a band that has undergone an almost complete overhaul.  On Port of Morrow Mercer showcases some of the best, most interesting songs he’s ever penned, and as for the new members, they’re fitting in just fine.

The Shins seem to have found new life on Port of Morrow and their excitement is evident right from the beginning. The album opens with the fast paced, electro-fueled “The Rifle’s Spiral,” a cluster of synthesizers, tom-tom beats, and phased vocals.  “You’re not invisible now,” Mercer’s effect-laden, echoing voice sings in the middle of the song, “you just don’t exist.”

The album keeps right on moving with the second track, the album’s single, “Simple Song.”  A triumphant staccato guitar riff, dizzying synthesizers, and epic-sounding background vocals characterize this awesome track. Mercer, at different points in the song explores both the peaks and depths of his vocal range.  And lyrically, he is at the top of his game too. “You sure must be strong, when you feel like an ocean being warmed by the sun,” he sings.

After “Simple Song,” things slow down decidedly, and we see the mellower side of the Shins, to which fans may be a little more accustomed. The quintessentially Shins-y fifth track, “September,” shows a return to the band’s Oh, Inverted World form.

The rest of the album shows off the Shins’ endless ability to create mellow indie pop gold.  The peppy “No Way Down,” the melancholy “For a Fool,” and the falsetto vocal delivery of the jazzy, Middle-Eastern-sounding closing track Port of Morrow, are among the album’s other highlights.

On the long list of the highly anticipated albums of 2012, the Shins are the first to produce.  And they didn’t disappoint.  --Jake DeSchuiteneer

Frankie Rose
“Interstellar”
Slumberland Records
4.5/5 Stars 

This was my first time listening to anything by Frankie Rose, outside of her work in Vivian Girls, so I approached her newest album, Interstellar, with hopeful optimism, but no real expectations. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had brought expectations though; this remarkable album would have instantly shattered them.

Formerly of the bands Dum Dum Girls and Vivian Girls, Rose released her first album with the self-titled Frankie Rose and the Outs in 2009, but now she’s simply performing as a solo artist. Interstellar features just over a half hour of music on 10 tracks, all with a captivating 80s vibe.

The album begins with the title track, “Interstellar,” which starts out with an ambient tone before picking up midway with a catchy drum track, and slick synthesizer work. Rose softly sings of traveling across the universe, “travelling faster than the light / faster than the light / is the only way to be;” Rose’s lyrics hint at the mystical experience to come.

The next track, the featured single, “Know Me,” begins with a steady drum beat before a light guitar track kicks in, backed by the synthesizers, with Rose singing “…don’t know me, / I hear what they said / It doesn’t hurt me I rather be deaf,” which possibly alludes to the new direction her music has taken away from garage rock.

Other favorite tracks include “Daylight Sky,” “Pair of Wings,” “Had We Had It,” and “Night Swim.”

Interstellar is a peaceful, revitalizing musical journey by an upcoming alternative artist whose progress should be monitored closely over the next few years. If you need a calming escape from the stress of finals, look no further than this album.
-Travis Harsin

Perfume Genius
“Put Your Back N 2 It”
Matador Records
3.5/5 stars

Seattle’s Mike Hadreas, known to the music world as Perfume Genius, has a serious knack for crafting sad, sad music.  On his new album, Put Your Back N 2 It, Perfume Genius has put together a collection of some of the dreariest songs you’ll ever hear.  At points, this highly emotional effort resonates in very strong, meaningful ways.  At others, that emotion gets lost amidst murky fits of self-pity.

The album opens with the beautiful, piano driven “Awol Marine.”  “Turn toward the camera,” Hadreas sings through waves of reverb.  The delicate main piano motif that runs through the song is like the sound of teardrops falling into the ocean of vocals and resonant instrumentation that Hadreas creates.

The album’s opener being the true highlight here, there are several other songs that work quite well on Put Your Back N 2 It.  The album’s second track, “Normal Song” is a folk-guitar centric gem.  “Hold my hand,” sings Hadreas, “I am afraid.”  “No Tear” features one of the more interesting and engaging vocal performances on the album, as Hadreas’ voice is accompanied by mysterious deep backup singing in the chorus.

“Dark Parts” may be the happiest (Actually, happy may be the wrong word.  We’ll go with celebratory or hopeful instead) song on the album.  The song contains quick moving piano chords, and a chorus of subtle triumph.  “He’ll never break you baby,” sings Hadreas before entering into a chant of “Whoa’s” and “Oh’s.”

There isn’t so much that is “bad” about this album, as there is just not so much about it that is “great.”  The best moments on the album are purely and utterly beautiful, and Hadreas proves to be a very talented songwriter in a number of these songs.  At other points, however, his wallowing becomes a little bit too much to stomach.  This is not necessarily because that wallowing is annoying, but because it isn’t always backed up with interesting melodies or instrumentations that would make it worthwhile to listen to.
-Jake DeSchuiteneer

Hip-hop is constantly changing, and over the last decade, the genre has diversified wildly. Lead by Nicki Minaj, the entrance of young female emcee’s including Azaelia Banks, Iggy Azalea, and Kreayshawn into the mainstream has proved lasting and popular. But one area in hip-hop is still vastly under-represented.

Where are the gay rappers?

For the past decade, queer rap has been thriving on the outer fringes of the music world. It’s the next great musical frontier, and there has been speculation for years as to whether it can successfully enter the mainstream. A good clue that the tides are turning is the aforementioned Nicki Minaj, whose gay, male, alter ego, Roman Zolanski, has been dominating Billboard 100 for a solid year.

In New York City, the burgeoning queer rap scene is steadily gaining notice. In New Orleans, the explosive ‘bounce’ scene, dominated by gay and transgender rappers, has been going strong since the ’80s, but is just starting to break out nationally.

Each area boasts a diverse number of performers, with different styles and personas. Many of the artists from both cities cross-dress, but there are others that do not. The music is often flamboyant and assertive, but musical styles of the rappers differ, offering a wide listening range.

New York rapper Zebra Katz, born Ojay Morgan, made waves with his recent single ‘Ima Read.’ Katz does not cross dress, and ‘Ima Read’ is a track with a very simple beat and menacing lyrics. Katz and female cohort Njena Reddd Foxxx spit about outdoing rivals, rapping, “Ima read that bitch/Ima teach that bitch./Ima give that bitch some knowledge/Ima take that bitch to college.”

The track has garnered high praise from the fashion industry in particular; it was the only song played in fashion designer Rick Owen’s Paris show last month, and subsequently garnered the title “song of Paris Fashion Week” from fashion writer Derek Blasberg. No wonder; “Ima Read” is the definition of ‘fierce.’ Katz was recently signed to Jeffees, an imprint of Diplo’s Mad Decent label, and has gotten shout-outs from fellow fashion industry favorite Azealia Banks.

In contrast, Mykki Blanco, born Michael Quattlebaum, has openly confrontational talent. Quattlebaum invented the character of Blanco and started cross-dressing a few years ago. Her “Cosmic Angel” video diary on Vimeo opens with Quattlebaum on the street saying, “This is something I feel like people in the gay media period don’t talk about: teenagers harass gay people to an insane amount.”

The video shifts to Quattlebaum as Mykki, full drag on full display. Directly after being provoked by a group of Harlem schoolchildren, she stands on a street corner in front of them. “I bust it down,” she says, before going into full freestyle action. “I’m a mercenary/Break bread with nobody/If my rhymes was a gun, you’d be some dead somebody’s/I’m in the passenger of the purple Maserati/Cuz hotties sit shotty/Cuz the honeys counts the money.” The kids crowd around her in admiration, instead of judgment. They are obviously impressed.

Even though instances like this are extremely localized, they point to a growing trend of gay rap being able to break through to the mainstream. In a genre where flow determines status, gay rappers are certainly not to be underestimated.
In contrast, the New Orleans ‘bounce’ scene (also known as ‘sissy bounce’ for its proliferation of gay rappers) is characterized as highly frenetic dance music with obscene lyrics and ass shaking. Lots and lots of ass shaking. Any bounce music video or photos from bounce shows crowds of women bent over at ninety degrees and out of control.
Typically, this music and the dancing it is specifically designed for would be seen as rap culture objectifying women, but the dynamic becomes totally different considering that the man on stage is gay, not straight. In bounce culture, the dance floor is dominated by women, and straight men are often discouraged from joining the throng.

Arguably most famous bounce rapper, Big Freedia (pronounced Free-da) is synonymous with the style. In a 2010 New York Times article, Freedia’s DJ, Rusty Lazer, stated that bounce was empowering for the women Freedia performs for specifically because it is a female dominated area where the ‘threat’ of straight men is nonexistent.

Like Katz and Blanco, Freedia is making large and recent strides into the mainstream. With sets at Bonnaroo and Electric Forest music festivals this summer and tour dates all over the country, she is taking her brand of music from New Orleans into the national arena. Other gay rappers will undoubtedly follow suit.

Essential Listening:

• Zebra Katz feat. Njena Reddd Foxxx – “Ima Read”
• Mykki Blanco – “Betty Rubble”
• Big Freedia – “Excuse”
• Diplo feat. Nicky Da B – “Express Yourself”

1. Thou shalt not hold hands in Hoco.
Although Hoco may seem large, I promise you won’t get lost. In the hours where stampedes are common within the dining halls, (12:30 & 6:30) your hand holding is an additional physical barrier for everyone who’s already trying to avoid that ex-Applebees waitress who thinks it’s appropriate to carry four plates at a time.

2. Thou shalt not cuddle in the dining hall booths.
This ain’t your boyfriend’s couch, and I’m pretty sure eating with your head on his lap is a choking hazard. Chin up, chew it down, and move along to frolicking throughout the MUB like a civilized wildcat.

3. Thou shalt not take thy boyfriend/girlfriends name in vain.
You may be her “googly bear” and she your “baby boo boo” at home, but here you are making me vomit. Lock those kinky little teddy bear pet names back into that bunk bed in Christensen, and check your birth certificate for the name that is appropriate for use outside the den.

4. Respect thy singles
Public displays of affection can also flood the virtual world. Sometimes, these online displays of affection can prove hurtful for those of us who aren’t “sooo in love.” Rubbing your relationship in the faces of singles via Facebook statuses, wall posts, and make out selfies is passive aggressive cyber bullying.

5. Honour thy T-hall lawn
The moment the thermostat – or for those of us who do not reside in the 90s – your weather app, reads a temperature of over 65, herds of students swarm T-hall lawn. Your girl adorns overly revealing bikinis, and you chuck your t-shirts at some unsuspecting tight roper – but wait! Before you start sensually rubbing sunscreen on each other’s backs, just remember: This is not your own private beach. That’s not the ocean, but Main Street.

6. Thou shalt not use the wall of a house party, frat party, or bar as a vertical bed
Alcohol has been proven to blur your judgment. However, I would like to make clear that although the beer splattered concrete wall of a house may seem comfortable, it is not you and your significant other’s vertical resting ground, so stop humping to “Call Me Maybe.”

7. Thou shalt not reserve a study room as a sex dungeon.
Okay this is an exaggeration, BUT… we have all seen those couples that seem dumbfounded upon realizing that the glass walls and doors of a study room are actually a clear window into their sexual exploration. Fondling of all sorts makes the librarians and fellow students want to shush your hormones into submission.

8. Thou shalt use lab tables for experimenting with scientific solutions, not thy sexuality
Heavy petting under lab tables is not only a form of public display of affection, but also a form of public display of affliction. One excited reaction could leave you blinded by some strange substance from the periodic table.

9. Thou shalt not feed one another in the dining hall
You may call your current hook-up “baby,” but contrary to popular belief, they are not, anatomically speaking, an infant, and therefore do not need you to spoon-feed them fro-yo.

10. Thou shalt not engage in full-blown public make out
Unless you are Rachel McAdams, and Ryan Gosling just so happens to meet you at Libby’s, engaging in a Notebook-esque love scene on the streets of Durham is not only a traffic hazard, but also an eyesore. Please contain these dramatic moments within that house he built you, or rather, the dorm bunk he lofted.

Photo by Tynan Debold

By: Leah Tully

As the weather heats up in New Hampshire, students begin their quest to shed their oversized clothing, and also some pounds. This leaves us with only one option: to skinny dip.

Nothing leaves you feeling more refreshed than a quick dip into a giant pool of…guacamole! As a self-proclaimed foodie and total health nut, I have spent my summers experimenting with quick ways to turn some of my backyard barbeque favorites into healthy treats that even my bikini-clad friends will be willing to eat! Great for those scorching summer days when there’s not a body of water in sight!

Guacamole

Spice up your guac with fresh tomato salsa for a lighter version that’s just as tasty! Mash in some avocados, squeeze a little lime and enjoy! You can also try experimenting with non-conventional ingredients like mangoes or strawberries! Try this super easy, super tasty recipe that I recently came up with on a whim after I was eyeing the avocados in the grocery store!

You’ll need:

• A large bowl
• A sharp knife
• A fork or whisk
• A cutting board
• 2 avocadoes (Pick avocadoes that are soft, the softer the better, provided its not rotten or moldy)
• 1 jar of your favorite salsa
• 1 lime
• 1 bag of guacamole or taco seasoning

*This recipe yields enough guacamole for about five people.

1. Slice each avocado using a sharp knife. There is a pit in the middle so slice around the pit being careful not to cut yourself.
2. Remove the pit and toss.
3. Grab a spoon and scoop out your avocado into a bowl.
4. Next you want to mash up the avocado like you would a potato.
5. Once you’ve mashed your avocado, gently fold in your other items (salsa, seasoning, etc.)
6. Refrigerate for 2 hours then enjoy!

Healthier Hummus

You’ll never go back to store bought hummus once you grind up your own chickpeas and toss in a food processor with tahini, lemon and whatever other ingredients suit your fancy. Try garlic, tomato, basil and any other veggies or herbs you think might be good on a cracker. Use less oil by adding water to reach a desired consistency and skip the salt altogether.

You’ll need:

• A strainer
• A food processor
• A large container
• 2, 19 oz cans of chickpeas
• 1/4th cup of tahini (sesame paste)
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 can of sun-dried tomato paste or 1 bag of sundried tomatoes
• 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Water (as needed)

*please note that this makes a huge batch. If you’re making this just for yourself I would cut the recipe in half, but if you’re making it to share with your friends at a backyard barbeque, it’s perfect!

1. Start by putting your sun-dried tomatoes or sun-dried tomato paste into a food processor. If you are not using the paste you’ll want to add a splash of olive oil or water to the tomatoes to help the food processor chop them up
2. Add the garlic clove and about a fourth cup of tahini to your sun-dried tomatoes (feel free to add it whole! The food processor will tear it up for you and your hands won’t stink!). Pulse the food processor a few times until the ingredients are finely chopped.
3. Open your can(s) of chickpeas and place in a strainer in the sink. Rinsing the chickpeas to remove some of the sodium that they add for preservation.
4. Slowly add the chickpeas (about 1 cup at a time) and turn your food processor on high until you are left with a smooth, uniform texture.
5. Add in 1 tbsp of olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon as the mixture becomes thicker. You may also add water to reach the consistency you like your hummus.
6. Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.
7. Enjoy!

Creamy Spinach Dip
Make your creamy spinach dip with reduced fat cream cheese, nonfat yogurt and low-fat cottage cheese instead of full-fat cheese, mayo, and sour cream for a tasty treat that won’t weigh you down on a summer day.

Blue Cheese Dip
Pair your buffalo wings with a mixture of reduced fat sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, distilled white vinegar and a little bit of cayenne pepper instead of a store bought dressing. Make it hot or keep it cool by adjusting the amount of pepper you put in!

Layered Bean Dip
Skip the canned refried beans and try layering with black beans, salsa, reduced fat sour cream and fresh veggies like avocado, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and olives. Sprinkle with your favorite low-fat cheese and dive right in! This one is sure to be a party pleaser and goes great with a game of two-hand touch!

French Onion Dip
Forget the canned Lay’s version and create a healthier version by follow the steps of almost any online recipe, but substituting their ingredients for fresh chopped onions simmered in vegetable broth, reduced fat sour cream and plain yogurt. You’ll get the same creamy texture of your store bought favorite for half the calories!

Read more from Leah at her blog, Edgy Veggie.

When I call on a Tuesday afternoon, Jesse Rutherford is busy ordering a burrito. “If you ever want to know what I want on a burrito, you’re going to find out,” he laughs. “Cheese, beans, rice…real simple. Doesn’t get too messy.” Rutherford is genial, easygoing, and on the edge of what will likely be an extremely successful career in pop music.

He is the front man of the Neighbourhood, a little-known LA band that released two singles with accompanying well-crafted, black and white music videos in mid-March, and promptly found themselves at the top of The Hype Machine. Lying low until now, the Neighbourhood has released very little information about themselves in the past month. Nevertheless, they have gotten endorsements from major music blogs including Pigeons and Planes, Earmilk, Nylon Magazine, NME, and the popular BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe.

With gorgeous pop melodies and Rutherford’s voice, reminiscent of Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koening, the Neighbourhood is definitely one to watch over the next year. The free release of new EP “I’m Sorry” on May 7 and their Califournia tour in May is just the beginning for this immensely talented group. Main Street recently talked with Jesse Rutherford in an exclusive interview.

Main Street Magazine: You guys are coming off of a great past couple of weeks. How does it feel?

Jesse Rutherford: It feels really good. I guess the best way I can describe is that people seem to care. I mean, you’re calling me right now, so, people seem to like the music; it’s the coolest shit in the world. It’s awesome; we’re all really happy.

MSM: What was your reaction when Sweater Weather and Female Robbery attracted so much attention on the major music blogs/The Hype Machine?

JR: It’s funny, “Sweater Weather”…we had a plan for that song. It was done with our vision and everything. You know, the mystery and all that bullshit, its all been part of our plan. When it was actually happening, it was like, “Wait, hold on…really? Really??” When it got to number one on Hype Machine, it sat there for three days, and we’re just seeing our Facebook likes and our Twitter followers skyrocket. It’s unbelievable; it’s the coolest thing. We’re so excited.

MSM: After “Sweater Weather and “Female Robbery” were released, all the blogs were speculating on who exactly the band was. No one knew.

JR: As far as the mystery goes, there wasn’t a point for us to have our faces to be a part of it; it didn’t go along with the music yet. Putting ourselves in the video, it just wasn’t something we thought was essential. A lot of it was because we genuinely wanted people to hear the music. It’s cool that people just got to hear the music and see the vision.

MSM: How many people total are in the group/who are they?

JR: Actually we’re not putting out any names right now, we’re still keeping that under wraps for now. But there’s me, and then two of the guys play guitar, another one plays bass, and another one plays drums. There’s five of us total, I guess a pretty standard five piece band. Me and the two guitarists are the writers of the band. But all of us are really, really close friends. No one’s been recruited or any bullshit like that. We’re all just really, really close buddies and luckily all of our close friends know how to play music really well, and it’s fucking awesome.

MSM: How long have you been playing together?

JR: This whole thing went pretty fast. We played in bands around the area for quite a while, but separate from each other. We’ve been playing together for about eight months.

MSM: How would you say that your sound has changed over the years?

JR: I look back at stuff that I was doing… I think every artist goes through the point where you’re embarrassed with your old stuff, but I can’t see that anymore. There’s stuff that I’ve done that was like, fucking bullshit. It was awful, genuinely bad, and cheesy. But I still think that doing those stupid poppy, catchy melodies got me to the point that I’m in with the Neighbourhood now.

I like pop melodies, that’s what I like, a good pop melody. This has cool music behind it and a cool feel to accompany it. I can’t say I’m embarrassed with what I’ve done, I think it’s really awesome growth. I went from the hardcore scene originally, so I went from that to pop-rap, to hip-hop, to the Neighbourhood. I feel like I can take on any sort of music and make it great, that’s kind of what I’ve tried to do.

MSM: Describe the sound of the Neighborhood.

JR: As far as the Neighbourhood goes, it’s not a plan to be a cool, under-the-radar indie band. We don’t want that. I want to be the biggest artist in the world; I don’t think you should reach for the goal of being a cool, hip, indie band. We can’t stand any of those indie, snobby kids. We think all that shit’s really annoying. We make fucking pop music; we make popular music. The best way to put it is, the Beatles made pop music…it’s not Britney Spears, but it’s pop music. That’s what we’re doing.

We just want to make good music…we want the snobby kids to like us, and we want the fucking moms to like us. Whether anyone likes us at all, we think the music we make is fucking cool. The only band I really listen to is the Neighbourhood, honestly, whether it be “Sweater Weather” or the other 30 plus demos we’ve made.

MSM: What are some of your influences?

JR: Yeah, I don’t really listen to music. I don’t really like listening to music… my friends, when they first started hanging out with me and driving around with me in the car, people had to get used to not listening to music because I like talking and conversation, and I never really turn on music. At first, all the guys in the band were so weirded out by it.

MSM: You guys have been using a lot of social media to get going. A lot of EDM producers and rappers are actively using social media to self-promote but rock/pop seems to be a little slower to do so. Would you say social media is helping propel you?

JR: Oh, it is us. It’s everything. Our base thing is, you’ve gotta work the machine, whether it be Facebook and blogs, and social media networks and shit, or whether it’s a major label. You have to find the rules, bend them, break them…but you have to know the rules first. And we have a really, really great team behind us that really concentrates on keeping it all going. And as far as our social network goes, we post everything. It’s always me and the rest of the guys that are posting on Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. But with the blogs and everything, we’ve had tremendous success.

MSM: You said you are in charge of the visual look for the band. What does that entail and how important is the visual aspect?

JR: I take on as much as I possibly can…more than I should maybe, just because this whole thing is my child. It’s what I want to do. I don’t want to go down in history as just the fucking coolest rock star in the world. I have brands on my mind. Design and art is just as important as the music. If some has boring cover art or something on a blog, I’m really not going to check out their music, because I’m really not interested. So, I think that the art has to tell the tale of the music. Sometimes it has to be better than the music. Because if its better than the music, then, to me, the music will shine a little bit more.

MSM: Best case scenario, where do you see the band in a year or so?

JR: Um…probably the Grammys. (Laughs) I mean, honestly, I don’t know. At the pace things are going, I’m not going to say I’d be the most surprised person if we ended up at the Grammys, but at the same time, it could all fucking end tomorrow. Honestly, I don’t even know what’s going to happen. What I can imagine happening is that I’m still working my ass off a year from now and if you ask me what I’m doing five years from now, I’m still working my ass off. I live for this…my whole life, these conversations, what you’re doing right now. So I hope I’m still doing this; I hope I still love it.

Photos by Tynan DeBold

Country, folk, alternative-country, folk-rock, Americana, roots-rock, indie: The Avett Brothers have been described in many ways, and packaged with a vast array of different genre labels. The truth is they are really an engrossing combination of all of the above: emotional yet aggressive, roots-y yet progressive, modern but old school at the same time. They’re a band that deftly dodges these labels, despite being so much a product of them all.
However you’d categorize the Avett Brothers’ sound, there’s no denying they brought it in full force to the Whitt on April 17, entertaining a sizable crowd with an awesome 23 song set (with a 4 song encore) that spanned just over two hours when all was said and done.

The band came out with a high level of energy that didn’t relent all night. Both Avetts, Scott and Seth, were physically engaged during the show, jumping around the stage like it was their first show ever.

The Avetts’ most recent, and most commercially popular album, “I and Love and You” was well represented in their set list. They played eight of that album’s 13 songs to very warm reception from the crowd. But they left plenty of room for deep cuts from older albums too, pleasing the die-hard fans in attendance, and exposing the crowd to some of their lesser-known material from albums like 2007’s “Emotionalism” and 2003’s “A Carolina Jubilee.”

With a new album slated for release sometime later this year, the Avetts gave the crowd a taste of some new material as well. “Down With the Shine,” a new song that will be released on the upcoming album, was played to excited applause from fans that are anxiously anticipating the new album’s release.

Some of the show’s highlights included a crowd sing-along to what is arguably the Avetts’ most popular song, “I and Love and You” to close the show, a stellar performance of the epic “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise,” and a stripped down, portion of the set, during which Scott Avett sang a solo performance of a fan-favorite, “Murder in the City,” a song about the love that binds a family.

“I wonder which brother is better, which one our parents love the most,” sang Avett, “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.”
The song closes with a poignant lyric about family love. “Always remember, there is nothing worth sharing like the love that let us share our name,” Avett sang.

This lyric seems fitting for a band that is made up of just that: members who share their name. That theme of family, and what it is like to be in a band with a brother is just one of many topics Scott Avett discussed when he sat down for an interview with Main Street magazine, just a few weeks before their UNH performance. In the interview, Avett gave insightful answers about The Avett Brothers’ upcoming album, his musical influences, and among other things, his opinion of another emerging folkie: Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

MSM: Is this going to be the first time you’ve come to New Hampshire?

Scott Avett: No. We’ve done a venue near Lake Winnipesaukee, last year I believe.

MSM: What does your upcoming tour look like? Is it crazy? Do you have a lot of concerts coming up?

SA: Yeah we do. It does look crazy. It’s kind of on and off non-stop from next week until September.

MSM: What are some of the positives and negatives to touring in your mind? You must be on the road a lot. What is that like?

SA: Well, it’s part of what I signed up for. And there’s, of course, a part of you that misses home, being away from family and loved ones. But there’s part of you that loves what you do. And that is gratifying. It serves you as far as being away and doing what you know you’re supposed to be doing.

MSM: With your last album, “I and Love and You,” you guys gained a lot of new publicity. What was that experience like? Has life changed since that album got so popular?

SA: Well, life hasn’t. We did play for more people over the years, but we’ve continued, or we’ve kind of been on a progression since we started in 2001, when we would play for a certain number of people in one town, and then we’d come back and play for some more. The release of “I and Love and You” was just a continuation of that. We just watched some numbers grow. But life has continued to move forward, as it did before that. So, it hasn’t changed in any drastic way.

MSM: One of the coolest moments must have been your Grammy performance with Bob Dylan and Mumford and Sons. What was that like? That must have been unreal.

SA: It was. It was very unreal to be on stage with Bob Dylan, to be in a practice space with him, and watch him work out our performance, and interact with the producer, T-Bone Burnett. Then going on to the night, where we performed, and the excitement of it all was awesome, and the experience was awesome as a whole. But it was as surreal as you could imagine, Bob Dylan being such an influence, inspiration and hero of ours.

MSM: You have an album coming out soon. Have you guys decided on a release date for that album yet?

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SA: We haven’t thought of an exact date. It looks like it will probably be by August. That’s kind of the best that I can get you right now. We’re finished, and we’re just hammering out some loose ends that we have with it.

MSM: What would you say fans can expect from the new album? With “I and Love and You” I think you guys moved in a direction toward more grandeur and bigger production. Is that a trend that has kept going through this new album?

SA: If that’s the trend, I think that it’s headed in that direction still. We’ve tried to let ourselves grow naturally, and I think that growth has equaled broader views in how we write and how we put together songs, and how we’ve recorded. How we view writing, and how we view our travels in the world, they all come through in those songs. I think that equals the bigger sound and the bigger nature of the songs and the music. So, I think that this record will be seeing the next step in that, from “I and Love and You.”

MSM: What’s the songwriting process like in the Avett Brothers? You and [brother] Seth [Avett] share singing duties. Who does the majority of songwriting? Or is it a collaborative process?

SA: It is. I think I can describe it in hindsight. It’s hard to really say, or to project how we’re going to write anything. I can tell you that, in hindsight, as you watch a song finish, that there is really all-hands-on-deck, equal input to complete the songs. The songs start in many ways, and Seth and I have maintained to move when inspiration pushes, and write when we feel the need to write, be open to inspiration when it comes, and document that the best we can. And let those documentations let those pieces of songs turn into songs if they will. We try to do it as naturally as we can.

MSM: When you guys performed a new song, “The Once and Future Carpenter” on CMT Unplugged last year, Seth (Avett) said you wanted to “present a current version” of where you’re at musically. Do you feel a certain obligation to your fans to do this?

SA: Yeah, and for ourselves. I mean, it’s really healthy for us. We’d have to say that we’ve been probably guilty on this one of holding back quite a bit of where we are now, because these songs have kind of become these works that have been very precious and very delicate, and something that we’ve worked on in very intense, focused ways. We have not presented them as readily as we have in the past. Now, but there are several of the newer songs like, “The Once and Future Carpenter,” “Down With the Shine,” “Never Been Alive,” and a song we’ve been playing. I’m not sure what the title of it is yet, we’re still working on that. There’s several of the newer songs that we do play, but there’s more that we’ve kept back, and I think that’s because we don’t feel like they’re finished yet. But we do feel obligated to ourselves, and our fans, to keep updated as well as possible.

MSM: I read that you have recorded 24 new songs. How do you choose which ones make the cut for the new album? Is a double album something you’ve considered?

SA: Well, that’s the process that we’re in right now, as we speak, back and forth comparing and contrasting the conceptual views in regards to sequencing. Something like half of those songs. We’re not sure what the number will be, but something like half of it, because we do believe that there’s an amount of songs that is digestible, for you or me or anybody else. We don’t want to over-do that. We do hope to release the songs beyond what will come out on the album in the future. We’ve had conversations about that. We’ve spent a full year and two months on this album. We started recording it last January, and it is now finished. It won’t be a double album initially.

MSM: For “I and Love and You”, you worked with Rick Rubin (producer), and he’s producing your upcoming album as well. What has it been like working with him?

SA: Well, we’ve become great friends with Rick, luckily. You know, when you go into a business agreement with someone, you don’t have to become friends. You might just be really good business partners, or be able to deal well with each other. But with Rick, luckily, the business was kind of the last thing we all really want to talk about.. We all want to talk about first and foremost, ‘how’s everybody doing?’ and, ‘What’s up, everybody?’ And then the most important topic of conversation is always songs and music, and art, and creating. That’s why we wanted to work with Rick. That’s why we wanted to do a business agreement with Rick, because those we’re the priorities. And we’ve kept those the priorities, and it’s been very good for us, and very translatable for us. So, our friendship has grown with Rick. That being the case, there’s a freedom in friendship, where people care about each other and they look after each other. So everybody’s freer. They’re freer to do what’s right for them, because they’ve got people around them looking after their interests, or for them. I think all of us agree that that’s what friendship is about. That’s what caring and love is about. So, those being a part of our relationship with our producer, that doesn’t feel like it’s probably the norm, you know? A lot of times, you work with a producer, and if it goes well, cool. You might do another thing. If we don’t work with Rick, that’s cool. I’ll keep up with him either way though, because conversation is good, and we care about each other, and we really enjoy making things together. We really see eye to eye on a lot of it. He’s done great things to teach us a lot of things. I’m sure we’ve taught him things. I couldn’t tell you what that was, but it’s been a great exchange. We’re very, very excited about what we’re going to unleash here very soon.

MSM: What is it like being in a band with your brother?

SA: My perspective is whenever things would get tense, if things are tough, or if there’s a debate, we have to just pull each other in tighter and communicate on yet another level. Sometimes when things feel unfixable, or impossible, we just work on it together, and talk through it. That’s caused us to continue working together and continue the old Will Farrel trick, “keep truckin.’” And it’s been good for us, through the hard times, and through the easier times, it’s all good. It’s much more complex than just being “all good,” but one day at a time, we try to just keep moving forward and progressing together.

MSM: You guys have been described as country, alternative country, folk, folk-rock. How do you describe your sound? Or is that something that you don’t try to do?

SA: Well, you know, I don’t because I’m not a writer. I’d encourage you to come up with the best that you can, and it’s probably not that difficult. It’s probably something very simple. You know, maybe somebody should just say, ‘they’re just songwriters. Maybe they’re just poets.’ If we’re lucky, we’re poets. Maybe we’re just artists, and we just make things, and for the time being music is one of the things we make. Maybe, eventually we’ll build houses, or maybe we’ll make playsets for kids instead, I don’t know. But we try to be craftsmen of some sort. That’s kind of the movement, the need to make something. I know, personally, that I can say that that’s been the priority. And music has been something that I’ve had quite a bit of joy in making, and there’s beautiful challenges in it. As long as I’m moved emotionally, there’s a need to do it. As long as I’m breathing, and observing, I’m affected, and as long as I’m affected, I write for some reason. Sometimes I don’t really know why. A lot of that other stuff, the industry of it and everything, the genre, the title and the names of it, they’re so very far from what the root of it is. I think [Bon Iver’s] Justin Vernon has talked a little bit on that in a very articulate, and very good way. As far as genres are concerned, it’s such a mixed bag now in the world, and there’s so many great bands. It’s sort of irrelevant what they are, and that’s a beautiful thing.

MSM: Are you a Bon Iver fan?

SA: I am. I really am. I haven’t listened to the new album (2011’s “Bon Iver”) yet. I’m kind of saving it. I’ve heard great things. I’m very excited. I spoke with Justin [Vernon] at the Jimmy Fallon show. We got a chance to speak and say hello. [Bon Iver’s] first album, “For Emma,” just…It’s such a moving album, and it’s so pure. That’s my translation of it. The purity, for me, communicating with the songs was just beautiful. I loved it very much. I had a very close relationship with it. I thought it was beautiful. I’m looking forward to the new one, I’m just not ready to digest yet (laughs).

MSM: Who are some of you’re greatest musical influences?

SA: You know, I’ve answered this lot’s of times, and it changes a lot. It’s kind of funny how I’ve idolized different people at different times. There’s sort of this kid in me that just always comes back. Different artists at different moments I’ll look at and be like, ‘I want to take something from that,” or ‘I want to do that’ or ‘What’s my version of that?’ You know, it’s funny. Earliest on, Daryl Hall was somebody I looked at, and was like, ‘I want to be just like him.’ Michael Jackson, I wanted to be just like him. But as I got older, and started getting different tastes, even though their music is terrific and they’re brilliant musicians, artists, creators, everything, I really was affected for years by Mike Patton from Faith No More and then onto all of his different projects. He was somebody that I admired, and he continued to do things that made me admire his liberty, and his aggression, but yet his refinement too, which is awesome. He never got held down by anything. So, Mike Patton was huge for inspiration to me. Will Oldham is a huge inspiration to me, his freedom in songwriting, and his unchained sort of approach. Bryan Adams to me, over the years has been a pretty free and unchained artist that’s just made beautiful songs. “Strawberry Wine” is one of my favorites from him. Of course there’s the moments where you go back and you just can’t help but listen to [Bob] Dylan over and over and over. Townes Van Zandt as a songwriter, as far as a pure, damaged documenter sort of, like, he documented the sadness so well and so direct. He meant a lot. Lately, there’s been a sound, with a guy like Jerry Jeff Walker, that I have looked at as very easy to relate to, very strong, and sort of down home, yet worldly mixture. Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Charlie Poole, you know it is a big question and I could answer it with lot’s of people.