The Avett Brothers Lure Rick Rubin With Earthy Mix

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Over the course of a decade, the Avett Brothers (lead by Scott and Seth Avett) have perfected a blend of bluegrass picking, country harmonies and rock & roll energy.

The mix of influences present in the band's rootsy work has inspired terms like "folk-punk" and "grungegrass," though the North Carolina siblings avoid such labels. The unique sound also attracted Rick Rubin, who signed the band to Columbia and is producing their major-label debut, I and Love and You.

They transcend the genres they're coming from," says Rubin, whose own eclectic body of work includes Slayer, Neil Diamond and Jay-Z.

The brothers crafted their sound on five independent albums released through Concord, North Carolina's Ramseur Records. For their major label debut, the band toiled with Rubin in Malibu and Asheville, North Carolina — a time they called "an experience defined by heightened levels of commitment and conviction." The sessions yielded cuts like the poppy "Slight Figure of Speech" and the autumnal, Wilco-style title track. The brothers are road testing the material at SXSW this month and are gearing up for summer dates with the Dave Matthews Band.

Despite the band's earthy sound, Scott Avett says "I and Love and You" was inspired by an unlikely classic Rubin production: the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik. "But without the heroin addiction," he adds.

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