you know i remember seeing the avett brothers for one of the first times several years ago in an apartment at the wilmont, which a very old apartment building in downtown raleigh. i was afraid the floor was going to fall through...but had to stay none the less...the sound had drawn me in...and has never let me go...which i am very thankful for. i remember being one of 10 or 15 people in the audience at shows...and then i remember realizing that they were getting big. from the first song i heard...i related to it more than anything ever before and since. their music just grabs a hold of me and rips my inner being apart and interprets everything it thinks and feels. for everything i have ever felt in my life or gone through...the avett brothers have 20 beautiful ways of expressing it. i remember the first time i saw them with a really big crowd and it amazed me how the crowd flowed with the brothers...i mean let's face it...there are some really sad songs, some really happy ones and everything in between...but no matter what...their audiences always hang with them and never get stuck in between. i believe that this energy...that is truly felt...is what ultimately made me a fan. the connection between the avett brothers and their audience is undeniable.