The New Bluegrass: Five Acts to Watch

Avett Brothers

Sound: This North Carolina trio — fronted by brothers Scott and Seth Avett and bassist Bob Crawford — spike banjo and acoustic guitar-powered tunes with early Beatles-esque harmonies and scuzzed-out guitar riffs on tales about paranoia and sexy girls from Chile. "Folk music is just like early hip-hop," says Scott Avett. "You're singing about where you're from, the hardships and the good times. But it's always changing. If we try to sound like an old folk record, it would be a bad move on our part because it would just sound fabricated. We gotta keep moving forward."

Story: Thanks to a devoted base of diehard fans, Avett Brothers caught the attention of producer Rick Rubin. Last year, the producer signed the crew to Columbia Records last year and is producing their major-label debut, I and Love and You due out in July. "He's put no chains on us at all," says Scott. (Read more about I and Love and You in our Spring Album Preview.)

Key Track: "Will You Return," which sounds like "All My Loving" performed at a rowdy front-porch party in the Deep South.

Expert Opinion: "The difference between their live show and their album is amazing," says Bush of the group's 2007 disc, Emotionalism. "With the CD, they hone in on songs with good melodies whereas with their live show, it's about exciting the audience. They're more like rock guys that are using acoustic instruments to make their points."