The Avett Brothers Share Dad’s Best Advice During ‘CBS This Morning’ Profile [WATCH]
The Avett Brothers, comprised of brothers Scott Avett and Seth Avett, Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon, have been together for years ... and it's a piece advice from the Avetts' father Jim that has driven them to success. The "Ain't No Man" singers recently sat down with CBS This Morning to discuss their path from the small-town shows in their early days to their recent ninth studio record, True Sadness.
"We always thought a lot of ourselves early on -- more than we should have. You know, small crowds, we thought they were Madison Square Garden," Scott Avett says with a laugh, as his brother interjects, "That baseless confidence, it can really come in handy."
Baseless or not, that confidence was inspired by words of wisdom from Dad: As Scott Avett recalls, "He used to say, 'No matter what you do, you'll be the best at it.' He said, 'If you collect garbage for the city, there's nothing wrong with that -- just, you will be the best at it. Just be the best.'"
The Avett Brothers formed in 2002. Crawford auditioned in a parking lot ("Banjo, guitar and bass in the parking lot," he recalls. "Played about four or five songs."), while Kwon, who officially joined the band in the late 2000s, remembers first seeing them play and thinking, "My God, they're like Muppets bouncing around onstage." It was their 2009 record I and Love and You that really brought the Avetts into the spotlight, but that doesn't mean it's been smooth sailing ever since: Two years later, Crawford required some time off because his 22-month-old daughter, Hallie, was diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain tumor.
"There's so many memories of these guys coming from very far away and just ... sitting in her room, sitting in the waiting room, outside the pediatric intensive care unit," Crawford says of his bandmates' support. "I'll never forget that."
The other Avett Brothers have gone through some hard times, too -- notably, Seth Avett's divorce from his wife Susan, which received much tabloid attention. From their split came True Sadness' honest "Divorce Separation Blues."
"I was driving up through the snow ... and it kind of hit like a bulb, and the verses started flowing through," Seth Avett explains. While he admits that he thought, "Is this something we share with the world or not?" he says, "That's a conversation for a majority of the songs I write." Including "Divorce Separation Blues" on their new record was "a given."
"Our dynamic with the audience is not shallow," Avett adds. "It's not a selfie and then forgotten."
In addition to their interview, the Avett Brothers also performed on CBS This Morning. Readers can press play below to watch them play True Sadness' title track.
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