Independent Weekly

Raleigh
THE AVETT BROTHERS
N.C. MUSEUM OF ART—The ambitious programming at the N.C. Museum of Art has long provided a comfortable outdoor summer spotlight for stellar national and native performers, and this year opens with a perfect three-piece clang. The Avett Brothers, by now, should be no secret: This year, they've played the main stage of California's mighty Coachella Festival, followed by a performance on Conan O'Brien's show and a launch into The Billboard 200 with their fifth album, Emotionalism. Emotionalism isn't the Brothers' best album to date, but it reflects a more refined approach to songwriting and record-making, indicating that the Brothers could actually have a long, dynamic, developing career ahead. That's a good thing, too, as they and their label, Concord-based Ramseur Records, are a pair of this state's new artistic treasures. Tickets for an 8 p.m. start are totally worth enriching scalpers. —Grayson Currin