by Jedd Ferris

Two North Carolina brothers, Scott (banjo) and Seth Avett (guitar), grew up steeped in old-time string band music, but they’ve also been unable to ignore the distorted power chord angst of their youth. Their sound is pre-bluegrass front-porch hollers with irresistible ragged harmonies infected with Nirvana screams.

The group-augmented by stand-up bassist Bob Crawford-practically lives on the road, but they have also been quite prolific in the studio, releasing three albums in less than four years. Their latest, "Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions," just dropped in February on the small indie Ramseur Records with national distribution from Sony. It’s the result of two weeks holed up in a western North Carolina lake house. From the very first track, “Talk on Indolence,” you can see where this Civil-War-tradition- meets-punk-purpose string band is coming from: sometimes raucous, sometimes hopelessly romantic, perpetually dishing out a rock ‘n’ roll realism that’s bound to spread far beyond the old home place.