4/29/16
Pam and I went to the Greek Theatre to see an opening act – The Milk Carton Kids. When we bought the seats, we had never heard of the headline act, The Avett Brothers. This is a pretty unusual situation for us, but of course there is a reason for it. We first heard about The Milk Carton Kids thru a friend because one of the Kids is the son of a mutual friend. Since then we have seen them several times, usually at the Coronet Theatre on La Cienega, a tiny, intimate venue well suited to their understated indie folk songs and dead pan shtick. To be honest, we went the first time because of the relationship. We keep going back to see them because they are GOOD at what they do. In fact, they have received a Grammy nomination, so we are not alone in thinking they are good. I realized that they were real a couple of years ago when I was at a graduation party in San Diego and the subject of music genres came up. I have eclectic taste in music, so these conversations are fun for me. I was speaking with a person I had just met who had no connections that would link him to our friend. We were talking about Americana and then we got to Folk music. Out of the blue he volunteered that he had just gone to a Milk Carton Kids show the night before. Furthermore, he said it with the expectation that I should know who they are. Thankfully, I did.
While Pam and I love our country shows, we enjoy folk music, and we were treated to a gallon of it by the Milk Carton Kids that night. We were excited to see them at a big venue, and we were not disappointed. They played their acoustic guitars for 45 minutes and never missed a chord or a note. The duo sings folk ballads. They do not go up tempo or get loud. Hell, I have never seen Joey, the deadpan member, ever smile or even look directly at the audience. Their lyrics actually have meaning and the songs tell intricate stories. They couple this with a Smother’s Brothers banter that lightens the mood between the songs. We were left wanting more when their set was done.
We had no idea what to expect from the Avett Brothers. We had not done much research on them. Even Pam, who scours the internet for information on most artists we see, did not do a deep dive. Sure, we listened to a YouTube video, but that was about it. It turns out that we should have done more research. In this era of gender identity issues, the Avett Brothers are the perfect band, as they have genre identity issues in spades. They play a mix of every genre from bluegrass to punk. From honky tonk to ragtime. From pop to indie rock. So listening to one song on YouTube did not prepare for their show, which was just off the charts FUN. From the opening notes, we were on our feet, moving to the pulsing beat I have reached the age where I enjoy sitting and listening to concerts. Not at this one. Despite their genre identity issues, these guys can ROCK. They are pure entertainers and were a joy to watch. I am pretty sure we will see them again if they are in LA.