Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

The Ballad of Love and Hate

Among the progenitors of “punkgrass,” the Avett Brothers are study in contrast. They can be raucous and fiery one moment, sweet and sorrowful the next. But what ties their disparate parts together is an innate understanding of the power of hooks. Whether tearing through a boot-stomping scorcher or breaking hearts with a tender ballad, their music is insanely catchy, as if defying audiences not to sing along. This Friday, June 1, they play the Midway Lawn at the Champlain Valley Exposition. John Oates — yes, that John Oates — opens.