news-record.com

"I've been campaigning
to prove what I am and what I'm worth - not monetarily, but in terms
of human value.
I know what I'm capable of.
I see the potential.
I'm not there, but I see it."

- Scott Avett

Imagine spending a month in Malibu and not going to the beach, even once. You'd either have to be severely allergic to the sun or obsessively immersed in some other activity.

In the case of Scott Avett, working on the next Avett Brothers record kept him from hanging out with the beautiful people on the golden sands of Southern California. He simply had no interest in it.

"When we get into work mode, we usually go at it 10 to 12 hours a day," says Scott from his home in Concord, N.C. "I mean, some of the guys did hikes to the beach and stuff, but for me - kind of like when we're on the road - I won't do recreational anything, because I don't want to take any energy away from what I'm doing."

The Avett Brothers are musicians first and party animals - well, they're not into partying at all anymore. They decided more than a year ago to eliminate all extracurricular misbehavior from their road life.

"When we cut drinking and partying out of the road, we saw the arguments between us go from ten to one," Scott says. "We just took that out of the equation, and our operation has done much better. It's been impressive, because we're working harder than we ever have."

So why, then, record in Malibu, which isn't exactly known for its subdued, straitlaced ways? Here's the short answer: Rick Rubin.

Rubin is one of the nation's hottest producers and talent scouts. The co-founder of Def Jam and founder of American Recordings, he's been instrumental in the success of such bands as Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Beastie Boys, and he's helped musical icons such as Johnny Cash and Neil Diamond rediscover their mojo by bringing them back to basics.

He's made hit records for acts as far afield as Dixie Chicks and Kanye West, and his most recent production is Metallica's "Death Magnetic." In an industry filled with fool's gold, Rubin has the Midas touch, and he identified something in the music of the Avett Brothers - a unique blend of acoustic instruments (including banjo), punky energy and honest, self-revelatory
songwriting - that piqued his interest.

* * *

Rubin lives and works in Malibu, so the brothers headed out there to cut their fourth full-length album at a studio called the Document Room. The Avett Brothers - siblings Scott and Seth, along with bassist Bob Crawford and cellist Joe Kwon - instantly struck up a positive working relationship with him.

"Rick told us, in so many words, that he's here to bring out something that neither of us alone could figure out," says Scott. "The respect between the two of us is mutual, and anytime we get into a situation where there has to be a compromise, it's made so gracefully.

The grace just flows through the room."

The album doesn't yet have even a working title, but the brothers have laid down 18 tracks so far. Given their propensity to load up their discs with songs - each of their previous full-length releases has contained from 14 to 18 of them - the new one will likely be a mother lode of new material . Scott and Seth are prolific writers and, as manager Dolph Ramseur notes, "They don't like to sit on songs."

The targeted release date for the album - their first for a big label - is June.

The Avetts came to Rubin's attention via an A&R ("artists and repertoire") person at Columbia Records, who forwarded him the brothers' last album, "Emotionalism." Rubin reacted by searching for YouTube videos of the Avett Brothers to check them out live. Even though the Avetts' had a well-oiled in-house operation, releasing albums on their own Ramseur Records, they were willing to take the next step, provided it was the right one. Rubin fit the bill.

"Artistically, we knew that he could teach us," Scott says. "Even if we stumbled and made a bad record, we would at least learn from it and there would be a reason behind it. Looking at the big picture, beyond one record, that's more important to us."

It's highly doubtful that the Avett Brothers, with all their creativity and focus, are making a bad record, especially with the stewardship of Rick Rubin. They've been putting in long hours in the studio, with Rubin overseeing sessions for five to seven hours a day and the Avetts continuing to work on their songs beyond that. That explains their sunless existence in the playground of Malibu.

* * *

In addition to their leap to a major label, another big change is afoot in the Avett Brothers' world as Scott and his wife, Sarah, await the arrival of their first child. It will be a daughter, and she's already a few days past her due date of Oct. 13. This is causing some concern for Dolph Ramseur, who frets that they have some dates coming up in Florida. He's less worried about the gigs than having Scott away from Sarah with the birth imminent.

From the beginning, this has been an atypical business relationship. There are no legal documents between them, just handshakes and trust. One of Ramseur's best pieces of advice was inspired by the example of NASCAR, one of whose premier racetracks (Lowe's Motor Speedway) is located near their hometown of Concord.

"Take someone like Richard Petty, who would sign autographs until nobody wanted one," says Ramseur. "All those NASCAR guys have something going on with their fans, and people latch onto these guys and stick with them.

"I remember telling the guys, 'Look, we've got to have that Richard Petty kind of approach. Be real and honest with our fans, and it's gonna pave a good road for us. Just be yourself. It's just North Carolina 101, and if you do that, people are going to notice."

They already have. The Avett Brothers sold out a 7,000-seat outdoor venue in Cary this summer. Further from home, the Avetts' recently played in Seattle for 3,200 rabid fans who knew every word of their songs. The Avetts' latest release, a six-song EP entitled "The Gleam II," placed at No. 82 on Billboard's Top 200 album chart - a remarkable showing for a self-released record with a minimal marketing budget.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Avett Brothers remain tightly focused on following their muse, and nothing is likely to throw them off-track. You can't manufacture their kind of talent, and it's backed up with a healthy measure of self-awareness.

"I've been campaigning to prove what I am and what I'm worth," Scott says philosophically. "Not monetarily, but in terms of human value. I know what I'm capable of. I see the potential. I'm not there, but I see it.

"In a way, I'm already there in my mind. Always have been. Since I was eight years old and lip-synching to Hall and Oates, I knew that this was an exchange that I was in for. And I try to keep my posture positive. I think we're all good at that."

Parke Puterbaugh is a freelance contributor who lives in Greensboro. Contact him at parkeputerbaugh@earthlink.net.