The Avett Brothers

Three-time GRAMMY Award nominees The Avett Brothers made mainstream waves with their2009 major label debut, I And Love And You, which landed at #16 on the Billboard Top 200 & garnered critical acclaim. In 2012,The Carpenter hit #4 on the Billboard Top 200, followed byMagpie And The Dandelion in 2013, which debuted at#5 on Billboard’s Top 200. In 2016, the band was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. 2017’s  documentary May It Last:A Portrait of The Avett Brothers (co-directed by Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio) chronicles the process of writing 2016’s True Sadness (which debuted at#1 on Billboard’s Top Albums chart, #1 Rock Albums, #3 on the Billboard 200, and scored 2 Grammy noms). The film was released theatrically & on HBO to rave reviews & is now available on DVD/Blu-Ray/VOD.

In 2019, the band released their 10th studio album, CloserThan Together feat. single “High Steppin’” which reached #1 on the Americana Radio Singles Chart. Newest album The Third Gleam (August 2020) debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Americana/FolkAlbums chart, #1 Rock Albums, and #1 Vinyl Albums. Single “Victory” hit#1 on the Americana Radio Singles Chart. Also in 2020, The Avett Brothers played 2 sold outdrive-in shows at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the span of three months and ended the year on a high note with a livestream of their 17th annual New Year’s Eve concert. An estimated 150,000 fans watched the show, which featured a full-band performance and an impressive lineup of special guests. Coming in 2022:Swept Away- a musical inspired by & featuring the music of The Avett Brothers.

Trampled by Turtles are from Duluth, Minnesota, where frontman Dave Simonett initially formed the group as a side project in 2003. At the time, Simonett had lost most of his music gear, thanks to a group of enterprising car thieves who’d ransacked his vehicle while he played a show with his previous band. Left with nothing more than an acoustic guitar, he began piecing together a new band, this time taking inspiration from bluegrass, folk, and other genres that didn’t rely on amplification. Simonett hadn’t played any bluegrass music before, and he filled his lineup with other newcomers to the genre, including fiddler Ryan Young (who’d previously played drums in a speed metal act) and bassist Tim Saxhaug. Along with mandolinist Erik Berry and banjo player Dave Carroll, the group began carving out a fast, frenetic sound that owed as much to rock & roll as bluegrass.

Trampled by Turtles released their first record, Songs from a Ghost Town, in 2004. In a genre steeped in tradition, the album stood out for its contemporary sound, essentially bridging the gap between the bandmates’ background in rock music and their new acoustic leanings. Blue Sky and the Devil (2005) and Trouble (2007) explored a similar sound, but it wasn’t until 2008 and the band’s fourth release, Duluth, that Trampled by Turtles received recognition by the bluegrass community. Duluth peaked at number eight on the Billboard bluegrass chart and paved the way for a number of festival appearances. When Palomino arrived in 2010, it was met with an even greater response, debuting at the top of the bluegrass chart and remaining in the Top Ten for more than a year. Two years later, their crossover appeal landed them at number 32 on the Billboard 200 pop charts upon the release of their sixth album, Stars and Satellites. In addition to major bluegrass and folk festivals, they began showing up at Coachella, ACL Fest, and Lollapalooza. The official concert album, Live at First Avenue, followed in 2013, recorded at Minnesota’s most famous venue. A year later, the band returned with the darker-toned Wild Animals, which bettered its studio predecessor on the album charts, reaching number 29 on Billboard. Countless tours with bands like Lord Huron, Wilco, Caamp, Mt Joy and Deer Tick to name a few have followed. 2022 will see the release of the band’s latest body of work called Alpenglow which was produced by Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.