Out & About: The Avett Brothers in the Dominican Republic

Have you ever had a song grab you by the ears? I remember the moment I first heard the North Carolina group The Avett Brothers, (TAB) on a dark Thursday night in November listening to DJ Greg Vandy's (online) radio show The Roadhouse on kexp.org. Featuring traditional bluegrass instrumentation, with an undercurrent of punk energy, the song was "Shame" from the Avett Brothers fifth independent release, Emotionalism. It had a propulsive beat and haunting lyrics and was located firmly in my favorite musical wheelhouse - acoustic-based Americana.

Since that first listen in 2007, I have greatly enjoyed seeing TAB in concert a dozen or so times. With Scott Avett on banjo, vocals, piano and sometimes drums, younger brother Seth Avett on guitar and piano, bass player Bob Crawford, and Joe Kwon on cello, make up the core of TAB. Fiddle player Tania Elizabeth, drummer Mike Marsh and sister Bonnie Avett-Rini on piano fill out the touring roster and appear on the group's latest release Closer Than Together, which came out in September, 2019.

So when the group announced their third At the Beach festival last winter, all of my Avett-fan related Facebook groups went crazy with anticipation. The four-day festival had two previous outings, both held in Mexico, but the 2020 festival was scheduled for Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. Thanks in part to the online fervor, I was seized by a "life is short" feeling and booked the trip.

And what a trip it was! Held at the fairly enormous Hard Rock Hotel, the rooms were spacious, the staff was gracious, and the white sand beaches were like nothing I'd ever seen before. There were snacks and cocktails available at check-in, and my fellow fans were as friendly as I'd come to expect from my many previous shows.

The festival kicked off with the American folk rock band Dawes, a group I'd only been lukewarm about before, but they performed with verve and seemed energized by the crowd. The Avett Brothers put on a blazing two-hour set to close the first night.

The schedule for the four-day event had a wonderfully relaxed pace with concerts at the Eclipse Pool stage starting at 2:30 p.m. featuring solo acts, 4 p.m. concerts at the stunning Beach Stage featuring smaller-sized bands, and the main stage concerts in the center of the complex starting at 8 p.m. Just to be clear, there were concerts one viewed while swimming (or standing) in a pool, and on a Caribbean beach!

Highlights from the festival included a rousing and dramatic performance by the band Shakey Graves, led by Alejandro Rose-Garcia of Austin, Texas. Previously a one-man band, his full line-up amplified his heartfelt lyrics and guitar playing. An amazing duet with his girlfriend closed the show and had the audience singing along, amusing fans to no end when they later realized it was a Backstreet Boys tune.

Two sets from the Beach Stage I loved, were the Wood Brothers, comprised of guitar virtuoso older brother Oliver, and his bass-playing younger brother Chris, their harmonies, energy and musicianship were extraordinary. The duo Mandolin Orange, featuring Andrew Marlin on mandolin, and Emily Frantz on violin and guitar, played a lovely set with the waves lapping on the beach and my toes nestled in the sand.

A thoughtful, often-depressing (she cheerfully admitted) set from Emmy Lou Harris included a couple of tunes from Gram Parsons of Flying Burrito Brothers fame. A treat to hear from this mom who named a son Graham in his honor.

The highlight for the whole event was of course my beloved TAB. Scott's energy, playfulness, banjo, guitar and piano playing along with his dramatic vocals-which include a warm bass range and a delicate falsetto, never fail to make me happy. Seth Avett's voice is at times a siren, or a lullaby, a bright tenor in the fast songs and a yearning plea in such songs as "I Wish I Was" and "No Hard Feelings." On acoustic guitar or truly rocking on electric, Seth's musicianship, along with the rest of the bands' playing, all coalesce with energy and feeling.

Although I would have appreciated just a touch more diversity in the line-up, the warmth and friendliness of my fellow fans was truly remarkable. In fact, most of the acts commented on what a warm welcome they had received, and how gracious the audience was.

Your chance to catch TAB in the Northwest include a show in Seattle on May 15, one in Portland on May 16, and in Boise, Idaho on May 19.