Avi Kaplan lives deep in the forest near the Tennessee run of the
ancient Natchez Trace trail. His rural cabin is worlds away from Los
Angeles, his hub for six years as he toured the world with Pentatonix.
Now, surrounded by farms and forests just a stone’s throw from
Nashville, the kid who grew up listening to folk music among the
California Sequoias is content. “I’m finally writing the music
that is in my heart,” Avi says. “It’s actually the music I’ve
always written. I’ve just never had a chance to show people.”In
2017, Avi stepped away from creating after years of rushing from
stadium to stadium at a frenzied pace––an experience he calls
“beautiful,” but one that also left him physically and
artistically depleted. Since returning to music on his own terms, the
songs have poured out of him, ready for foot-stomping music halls and
serious listening rooms alike. He has also liberated his vocals, once
so famously known as the perfect power-bass, to reveal a nuanced
voice, rich, tender and abounding. Surrounded by forest and newfound
artistic clarity, the result has yielded dozens and dozens of new
songs. Reveling in the simplicity, “I get on my porch with my
guitar, look at my trees, and write a song,” he says.The songs Avi
has always written and continues to write are timeless, earthy, and
raw––roots music in its purest form. Avi attributes his deep
connection to folk music and its authenticity to the natural
environment he was surrounded by growing up. Raised just 40 minutes
from Sequoia National Park, in the golden rolling hills of central
California, “that music always felt right with what I was seeing,”
the 29-year-old says.Avi has taken his time, and his future is wide
open because of it. As he has rediscovered his own musical roots and
delved deeper into the folk he’s always loved––exploring a range
of sounds from soul to bluegrass––he has reconnected with himself
and found yet another way to connect beautifully with others. “I am
so grateful I get to do this.” Avi says. “I’m truly excited for
the future.”
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05/04/2020 Last update