Two weeks ago we looked at the Avett Brothers’ best covers. At the same time, guitarist Seth Avett was busy covering Elliott Smith live in Oakland. He did so before back in May with “Angeles,” but this time he teamed up with the tour’s opening act, Jessica Lea Mayfield, to turn Smith’s “Twilight” from a basement whisper into a countrified, though still melancholy, duet.
The sound quality of the fan-shot video is mediocre, but even still, the combination of Mayfield’s sweet voice, reminiscent of Zooey Deschanel, and Seth’s hushed accompaniment, is intriguing. If Smith’s version is a portrait of loneliness, the Avett/Mayfield take has the sound of a relationship unraveling. Check out the video below.
Check out more from Seth and the band at their website, and Jessica Lea Mayfield on her website and Myspace
