The Avett Brothers

(Above: The Avett Brothers [L-R]: Scott Avett, Bob Crawford, Seth Avett)

“Load in, load out, get down, get out Drive home, too late, my mind stays crooked and my back stays straight I’m a hard, hard worker every day…”

AT THE CRACK OF DAWN on a breezy September morning, Avett Brothers manager Dolph Ramseur and I cruise through the North Carolina countryside near Charlotte, on the way to meet the band for a two-day trek halfway up the East Coast and back.

When we pull up to Seth Avett’s house, he, his older brother Scott and road manager Dane Honeycutt are packing banjos, guitars and other assorted gear into the back of their well-worn 15-passenger Ford E-350. As I get closer, I notice a faded Danzig sticker on the back. Dolph introduces everyone—except for bassist Bob Crawford, whom we’re picking up later—and we all hop in the van bound for Chestertown, Md.

“Ready for the long haul?” I ask.

Seth chuckles, “After 18 hours from Wisconsin, eight hours doesn’t seem so long.”

The Avett Brothers have loaded this van hundreds of times over the last four years while bookin’ it across the continental U.S., trying to win new converts one dive bar at a time. But recently, the young acoustic trio has been picking up steam (or van exhaust, as the case may be). Its unique sound—a blend of punk- and hard-rock intensity, old-time country, folk and blues, calypso, top-notch songwriting and ragged-but-true harmonies, all delivered with Johnny Cash sincerity and bolstered by an unequivocal work ethic and madman live show—is finally gaining an audience. It seems every time the Avetts play, crowds buzz. Next time they’re in town, the audience doubles, and everyone suddenly knows all the lyrics.