For the fourth year in a row, two Southern legends from the Carolinas teamed up for a high-profile concert where all proceeds go to three nonprofits that support families and children.
The Avett Brothers and Cheerwine’s “Legendary Giveback” events have raised more than $175,000 for charities heading in to the forth installment, and this year’s new beneficiaries were The Love Kitchen, Knoxville’s darling hunger agency, The Empty Stocking Fund, a Knoxville News Sentinel charity in its 103rd year of existence that feeds families and provides toys for children, and Caps for Kids, which gives hats to adolescents or children diagnosed with life threatening illnesses.
BLANK caught up with the Avett Brothers to talk about the show and how the band has grown in to one of the largest touring acts in the country.
BLANK : What brought all of this about? After this year you’ll have raised around a quarter of a million dollars for these charities.
Scott Avett: I did some commercials for Cheerwine for radio and that’s kind of how the friendship started. We are both in North Carolina and (the charity concert) was a good reason, a really good reason, to join forces (again).
BLANK: With the ride that you’re on, touring constantly and recording and the like, are you ever able to think about the people you’ve helped through these benefit shows?
Scott A: When someone comes up and says that you’ve changed their life, you believe it, but you don’t go any further than that. You certainly don’t walk around patting yourself on the back. We don’t think about it too much.
Bob Crawford: Any amount of charity that we are able to take part in, it’s not solving any problems. We’re pushing the ball forward a little bit. I always look at it like a football field…We’re good for so many yards, and it’s going to sooth a little bit, but we’re not the cause of anything.
BLANK: How important is it to give back a little bit when you earn success as a band? And how different are these shows from the others?
Seth: Conceptually, these shows are charity based so they are symbols of giving back, so in that realm, it is some of the more important work we can do, but the connection we have on a nightly basis is pretty substantial. The songs tend to bring about a lot of feeling and serious conversation. We are very fortunate to feel a very deep connection every night. In that regard, these shows have a different structure in terms of where the money is going, but they are not a departure from the level of sentimentality that we often find ourselves blessed with.
BLANK: How important is it to you guys to enjoy the ride and be present throughout the journey?
Seth: Scott will often say before we go out, “We should have fun tonight,” as if it’s a new concept or something, and as far as I can tell it’s a very genuine and it seems like an original idea to him each time. But if you don’t say it, sometimes it gets lost in the mix. If we’re having fun and we’re being inspired then we’re doing this correctly. If we’re not taking it as it comes, it won’t be fun for the people who support us and it certainly won’t be entertaining. We try to take everything in small amounts and try not to get too overwhelmed.
BLANK: You gents have come a long way from playing Wednesday nights at the Preservation Pub. It seems like Knoxville had been pretty good to you over the years. Is that why you keep coming back?
Seth Avett: (Laughs) We had to come a long way to get to play (Preservation Pub).
Scott Avett: It’s kind of an extension for us. There’s the gorge in the middle but you might as well be in the North Carolina Mountains. It’s another hometown for us. People talk the same. We are still among what is most familiar to us. Knoxville, as wonderful as it is, is not exotic to us. It’s a natural and easy place to love due to the support we’ve gotten here.
BLANK: Is it nice to have a place on the road like Knoxville so close to your homes?
Scott: If Knoxville was across the country we would still be here a lot. It’s not a question of convenience. Though it’s very nice that it is en route to so many places, the connection has been so good that we’d be making it happen no matter where Knoxville was.
Seth: By the time we hit Knoxville on our way back from a tour, we’re definitely feeling warm and fuzzy, knowing that we’re almost home.
BLANK: You’ve been champions of the festival scene for years. What are some of the things you like about the festival scene and the differences between those performances and regular shows?
Scott: We like variety. We often share with each other what type of show we like and say, “Oh, if every night was like this,” but in reality we really love the fact that each show is different. Festival shows are good at grounding you and putting you in your place as far as dealing with elements and throwing caution to the wind and still having fun. The feeling of the stage of Memphis in May or Bonnaroo and how I bounce off the crowd is very different from an arena or theatre show.
Bob: Our schedule is different on a festival date. On a (regular show date), we show up around 11:00, maybe go exercise and go to a record shop or get some coffee. At a festival, you show up, there’s no sound check, whatever can happen will happen, whether it be good or bad. It puts you in a different vibe.
BLANK: How would you describe the evolution of the band over the years?
Scott: It’s been an extremely thoughtful process. It’s been very slow. Every member that has come either on or off stage has been one that we felt like we needed.
BLANK: Is it hard to add pieces to something that’s already working?
Scott: Not if it’s the right person. You don’t want to hire a great musician and then tell them every single part to do. You want to get the person that intuitively understands when to flourish and when to be muted, so we’ve had really good luck with finding people who understand the swell of the music.
The Avetts sold out show was a success on every level and the five year anniversary of the Legendary Giveback is in store for 2016. The band has already been announced as a headliner of a handful of festivals this coming summer, including Forecastle Festival, held on the waterfront in downtown Louisville, KY in mid July.
