The other day a CD came in the mail. It's title - AVTT/PTTN. I made the assumption AVTT had something to do with the Avett Brothers. I couldn't figure out PTTN. A deeper look revealed it was Mike Patton, the former front man of two '90s metal projects, Faith No More and Mr Bungle.
From North Carolina, Seth and Scott Avett of the Avett Brothers have been staples on Open Air and JPR's Folk Show for about 20 years now. Growing up however, they were more likely to be listening to Faith No More than Bill Monroe.
After his initial fame in the '90s, Patton founded and still runs Ipecac Recording while working on various metal/experimental projects and doing voices for video games. He's also been a vocal critic of the record industry throughout his career.
In 2019, Scott Avett mentioned in an interview that he was a fan of all things Patton. Hearing that, Patton reached out and suggested that they work together. They began trading demos remotely which eventually led to AVTT/PTTN.
In order to find his place in this unlikely trio, Patton approached it as if he was a long lost cousin of the Avetts, or the weird sibling living in the basement. His musical depth adds dimension to the Avett sound while their storytelling style gives Patton a different pallet on which to experiment.
The result is unmistakably Avett - a mostly folk-based collection, but with expansive instrumental work backing it up and a couple of rockers to entice the Faith No More fans. It was a fun surprise that I look forward to exploring further in the coming weeks.
Hear it on Open Air - weekdays 9am-3PM on the Rhythm and News Service.
