CONCORD — Ascending from bluegrass darlings of North Carolina to internationally acclaimed, serious folk rockers, the Avett Brothers have checked many boxes: Grammy nominations, nearly topping the Billboard charts, working with the likes of Rick Rubin, even having their own Broadway production. The outfit — anchored by brothers Scott and Seth Avett with mainstays Bob Crawford and Joe Kwon — has climbed the mountain and planted the flag. Rootsy bluegrass, old-time authenticity, pop sensibility, and the desire to expand their sound into different directions and push creative curiosity into uncharted territory have served them well. Avett Brothers fans carry a devotion that meets somewhere between Deadhead and megachurch member.
Their latest release finds the band with what some might call a strange bedfellow: Mike Patton, whose group Faith No More dominated MTV in the early ’90s after the 1989 release of “The Real Thing.” For those too young to remember, the video for their anthem “Epic” ended with a fish flopping around gasping for breath, a visual representation suitable for Faith No More’s ethos as a punkish, pre-grunge California hard-rock band — polar opposites of the Avett Brothers’ dulcet harmonies and forays into exploratory jams.
Patton’s main project, experimental rock band Mr. Bungle, combined everything from thrash metal to avant-garde jazz, ska and disco, with Patton’s vocals often employing extended techniques such as death metal growls, crooning, rapping, screeching, gurgling and whispering.
In their collaborative album, “AVTT/PTTN,” that glaring contrast becomes null and void. The punks and the hippies can get along after all. The nine-track release unfolds delightfully, wherein Patton’s immutable vocal depth and versatility make fast friends with Seth and Scott’s wispy confessional folk and the acoustic stamp the Avett Brothers have perfected. From the haunting, measured echoes of the gut-punching opening track “Dark Night of My Soul” to the rousing “The Ox Driver’s Song” — a traditional work song evolved from actual cattle-driver calls — the record escapes the identity of who’s behind the microphones. Artists find each other for a reason, genres be damned.
Both Scott and Seth came up in the MTV generation, like millions of young Americans who watched in awe and had their minds opened and musical palates shaped by bands like Faith No More.
“Mike’s part of our DNA, like the fabric of our youth,” Scott Avett said in a press release. “Literally, we studied him. He’s a dear friend now, but when we were younger, I was imitating him. … This is what art is. This is what making it is supposed to be: in secret and with no ambition.”
The partnership developed organically, rooted in longtime mutual admiration between Patton and the Avett Brothers. They began trading song ideas, which culminated in the cowriting of all nine tracks. Patton and Scott Avett coproduced the album alongside engineer Dana Nielsen, resulting in a work that is unique and distinct from either artist’s existing catalog yet fundamentally dependent on both their contributions.
While they may not be immediately obvious collaborators, the partnership offered both artists a chance to explore a new creative landscape. Considering the etymology of country music as a core storytelling tradition — one that often uses myths, history and humor as a mask for sincerity — Patton’s style aligns perfectly. The resulting music on “AVTT/PTTN” lies at the crossroads of this tradition, where the interplay of their respective styles is likely far more blurred than it appears on the surface.
AVTT/PTTN 2026 tour
March 28 — Big Ears Festival; Knoxville, Tenn.
April 9 — Louisville Palace; Louisville, Ky.
April 10 — Louisville Palace; Louisville, Ky.
April 11 — The Pinnacle; Nashville, Tenn.
April 14 — Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium; Chattanooga, Tenn.
April 16 — North Charleston Coliseum; North Charleston, S.C.
April 17 — Steven Tanger Center for the Performing Arts; Greensboro, N.C.
April 18 — Township Auditorium; Columbia, S.C.
May 8 — SF Masonic Auditorium; San Francisco, Calif.
May 9 — Vina Robles Amphitheatre; Paso Robles, Calif.
May 10 — The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park; San Diego
May 12 — Arizona Financial Theatre; Phoenix
May 14 — Moody Center; Austin, Texas
May 15 — Winspear Opera House; Dallas, Texas
June 10 — Wang Theatre; Boston
June 12 — Kings Theatre Brooklyn; Brooklyn, N.Y.
June 14 — Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena; Baltimore
June 16 — Artpark Mainstage Theater; Lewiston, N.Y.
June 18 — Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica; Cleveland, Ohio
June 19 — Hill Auditorium; Ann Arbor, Mich.
June 20 — Genesee Theatre; Waukegan, Ill.
