the avett brothers

It takes a whole lot for me to drive all the way up to Dallas just to catch live music (I can only think of one other time I've done it, actually, and that was for Radiohead), but when I found out that The Avett Brothers where coming through Texas, but skipping Houston altogether, I had to figure out my best plan to catch them. That was back in September, when The Avett's were originally supposed to play Granada Theater in Dallas' Arboretum, close to downtown. Unfortunately, some guy named David Letterman decided he wanted to expose them to a national audience on his television program, but the day he wanted them to guest was the same day as their show in Dallas. I received this news two days before I was about to see them at Outside Lands, so it didn't really disappoint me at all because it gave me a few months in between shows rather than just two weeks as originally planned. My friends, though, they were not too happy. Bacon, Mrs. Bacon, Hash Browns and a few others in our group were very displeased that it would be another four months before they'd have a chance to see them, but with the extended wait period, it made this show even a bit more special for all – anticipation was busting out of the Granada's seams in the moments leading up to their performance.

Read all about the show, and check out a ton of Hash Browns' incredible photos after the jump.

While we were getting our swerve on down in New Orleans during the Voodoo Experience, there were plenty of other options around the nation to get your Halloween music fix. Phish was in Cali, rocking some Stones; Nirvana and Meat Puppets were being served up by Widespread Panic in Austin; Monsters of Folk were getting their KISS on in Louisville. All the while, our favorite indie-grass group, The Avett Brothers, took over the World famous Ryman Auditoreum in Nashville, TN for a night of shenanigans. To open up their set, Scott and Seth Avett and bassist Bob Crawford appeared behind a drawn curtain in full-on, elaborately designed Three Amigos outfits, while starting their set with the movies famed theme song. While it certainly isn't Martin, Chase and Short singing, the Avett's definitely do the song justice – even including the ridiculously elongated "a" towards the end.

I love that they got Asian cello player Joe Kwan to play Jefe. So funny!

What would a week on BOT be without a bit of Avett Brothers content? A pretty shitty one, if you'd ask me. After perusing YouTube for some tasty footage of some of my favorite bands, I came across this gem from NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series. It features The Avett's crammed into a tiny office space, performing three tunes for just a small group of people. I was first attracted to this video because of its inclusion of my new favorite tune, "Laundry Room," from their forthcoming LP, I and Love and You. The next song is a new one of theirs that was written after the recording of IaLaY, tentatively entitled "Down With The Shine" – you could definitely imagine some serious swaying involved in future audience participation during this tune. Finally they close with The Second Gleam's lullaby, "Bella Donna," which would be welcome in any performance if it were I who was making the decisions. It's another quality effort from the North Carolina quartet – I recommend giving the fifteen minute video a watch.

NPR has plenty of Tiny Desk Concerts from some of our favorite bands including Dr. Dog, Thao Nguyen, The Swell Season and several more on the series' official website. Once again, NPR proves to the world how much ass it kicks.

The more and more I listen to The Avett Brothers, the deeper my infatuation grows. I'm not sure what it is, but I've developed a serious man-crush on the Brothers. The Avett's music is stunning on record, but is a whole different animal in the live format. Their set at Mulberry last fall turned me into a true believer, and seeing them again earlier in the spring clinched them as one of my top five favorite live bands.

Recently The Avett's performed a set a the Newport Folk Festival, but also took the time to hang out with Paste Editor Jay Sweet and Ice Cream Man Matt Allen to perform a stripped down version of their new single (and freaking brilliant tune), "I and Love and You" from their forthcoming LP. Check out the clip below, but be sure to watch it full screen.

Toast and some friends had the opportunity to catch the Avett Brothers with Railroad Earth at Omaha's Slowdown last night. They had nothing but glowing reviews, and even were dealt a request for "Murder In The City," which I told them to ask for earlier in the day. The full Toastalicious review will be hitting the front page shortly.

Dave Matthews Band made an early trip to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and brought along The Avett Brothers to support. The khaki shorts, flip-flops and over-bronzed co-eds were in abundance for their yearly summit of stoned swaying and drunken sing-a-longs.

Read all about the show after the jump

Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Bruce Springsteen has been showing up everywhere as of late. His Superbowl half-time appearance, his oscar-nominated song for the movie The Wrestler, his new album on shelves, and his name topping two of the largest festivals in the world – Bonnaroo and Glastonbury – are only a few of the things The Boss has been up to. To keep up with the massive PR blitz, his website is now offering a viral video series – Hanging Out On E Street – which contains Boss-related interviews and performances from a host of both established artists and young up-and-comers. I couldn't keep myself from checking out this video from The Avett Brothers, who perform a rowdy version of Springsteen's "Glory Days."

Several other performances are now available at Bruce Springsteen's official website, including performances and interviews by Wyclef Jean, Ted Leo, Juliana Hatfield and the Bouncing Souls. More artists – including Nicole Atkins, Pete Yorn and Tegan & Sara – will also be added to the video series in the next few weeks.