Getting to Know . . .AVI and CELIA
 by Kathy S-B  ·  28 February 2009

It’s always fantastic to receive something totally delightful in the mail when you least expect it… and that’s how I happened to discover Avi & Celia. They sent us a copy of their CD Off the Floor and as the first few notes fluttered back and forth around the inside of my car — I knew I was hearing something very special. They’ve got a great and gritty sound — schooled in the “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?” style of mountain music. Yet . . . these young musicians hail from New England! Take a few moments and visit their website as well as their MySpace page. In addition, there are some videos on YouTube that will give you a terrific idea of what Avi & Celia are like in concert. Check it out here.

The story goes that you met at the dorm at the University of Vermont. Did the two of you know immediately that your music styles and sensibilities were a perfect match?

Those first couple weeks of our freshman year Avi and I (Celia) clicked on several musical levels. We sat down with a guitar on the green and sang songs, bonding over a few we had in common. However I didn’t really consider finding a “perfect musical match” because to be frank I wasn’t looking yet. I was still finding my way around the musical world, and wasn’t really considering forming a band. At that time I had not written any original material, was learning the guitar, and was a little shy around this guy who seemed like he could find his way around any song. I think the time that we really knew that we had something special was the summer after our sophomore year when Avi and I were both pursuing our own interests. I was in Italy interning as a farmer, while he was working as a music counselor at a summer camp in Vermont. Avi sent me a letter that really amped me up about the possibilities we had as a musical duo — to make change in the world and bring good feelings to a wide audience. I think after that summer we both knew that we wanted to pursue music together and see how far we could take it.

How long did it take you to start writing songs together?

When we decided to take our act seriously we were writing songs independently, after about a year we began to tailor each other’s songs. Today the process usually begins independently and then each song comes to life when we present it to one another and suit it with the proper wardrobe, i.e. the arrangement, working with the melody, ironing out the lyrics, adding bridges, counter-part, harmony, improvisational sections, etc.

You’ve had some pretty astounding success for an act that hasn’t been out on the circuit that long. I’m curious. How much “office work” does it take to make it all happen? Do you make contacting venues and promoters a scheduled part of your daily or weekly plan?

To be honest it all starts with the music. We love creating, writing, and performing! We care a lot about the music we make and dedicate a lot of our time to rehearsing, writing, and getting together with musical people to sing and experiment. It is true; there is a lot of behind the scenes “office work.” Avi is the “manager” of our act. I (Avi) don’t often schedule this work but approach it more when in the mood. It takes a lot of patience to sit behind a computer and just research and email. It ends up being one to three hours a day, about five days per week. I enjoy the strategizing element of our business, for example; when to play where, how to string our tours together, when to release our next record, etc. I also really enjoy creating poster art. Again, the reason we’re in this is to make sincere music that hit’s us and the listener in a moving way. We are shopping around for representation that shares our dream and wants to connect us with a wide audience.

What kind of music did you listen to when you were younger? Who would you cite as your main influences?

Avi:  My folks are very gregarious people and love to sing. They were always singing and playing music around the house. I was also very fortunate to grow up at Camp Killooleet, a summer camp in Vermont which was directed by Pete Seeger’s brother John Seeger and daughter Kate Seeger. Music was a large part of the camp. It was here that I learned about American folk music. We sang a lot of Leadbelly and Pete Seeger material. At a young age I was exposed to this mentality of group singing and became very comfortable performing in public. I later went on to teach music at Killooleet. In addition to these roots — I was very turned on to the blues, from Delta to electric British blues such as “Cream.” Martin Luther King is also a big influence on who I am.

Celia:  I have wished for some time that I had the background that Avi does in music. To be honest I come from a pretty non-musical family. They are more what you might call “music appreciators” but certainly not connoisseurs. I also went to a family camp (Three Mile Island in New Hampshire) which exposed me to a lot of public singing and group music. It was only by chance that I went every summer on the week that several professional musicians came. After listening to them for many years I finally came into the role of singing with them. I credit this experience with making me comfortable to perform in front of people, as well as becoming adept in a music making environment. As for influences? In my early days I ended up stealing the all time favorites from my mother which include Bonnie Raitt, Mahalia Jackson, Bob Dylan and the Doors.

I understand that you’ll be going into the studio this winter. What are the plans for the new recording? Will you be doing all originals or any surprising covers? Do tell.

We have a wealth of new songs. The record will be essentially all our original material. There may be one exception to this… I (Avi) recently wrote new lyrics to a classic blues “hand-me-down” song, “Rollin’ and Tumblin,” originally recorded by Hambone Willie Newbern. Celia and I recently put together a concert in effort of peace at the Paradise Club in Boston. The show was billed “Sounds not Wars.” I really wanted an emblematic song of peace to rally the audience. The words just came right out as I was playing slide guitar. I thought it would be really cool to have Celia play washboard on the song. It came across really well and now we’re tempted to put it on the record. We’ll see…

We will be recording the album at the WERS studio in Boston. A few sound engineers at the radio station really like what we’re creating and want to make a record with us. We are quite excited!

What is the latest adventure you’ve been on?

We recently went to Vermont to play a few concerts during the New Years weekend. Vermont was covered with snow and unlike last year it truly felt like winter. Our first show was at the Big Picture Theater in Waitsfield. Following the concert, a pretty girl coincidently by the name of Winter coerced us into going to a party at an old house in hills of Warren, Vermont. We convinced ourselves it was a good idea for Warren was “on the way” to Rochester where we would be spending the night. We followed Winter through the windy mountain roads and took a turn that led us up a very steep hill. I remember willing the car up the road but as fate had it our snow-tireless Saab lost momentum about a quarter of a mile up the hill and we had to retreat to the bottom. Fortunately Winter noticed we were no longer behind her so she turned around and shuttled us up the hill. Finally we made it to the party and briefly enjoyed some drinks, good company and great artistic architecture. At about one a.m. we decided that it was time to head to Rochester. On the way out Winter tried to turn her car around and backed straight into a consuming snow bank. With no purchase on the icy road- we weren’t budging. We spent about 45 minutes trying to shovel ourselves out and with the help of sticks under the tires we eventually pulled free.

Soon enough we were back on route 100 heading south (one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world). We came around a bend and saw a car creeping along the road following what looked like an inebriated person trotting ahead. As we grew closer the drunkard turned out to be a beautiful female moose who upon our arrival leapt off the road and back into the woods.

It was after 2 a.m. when we hit Rochester. I (Avi) reached in my back pocket for the directions to the house. They weren’t there. I looked in all my pockets; still no directions. They must have fallen out during all the excitement with the shoveling. Of course there was no cell phone service in the valley and after praying for a pay phone I spotted a creamie joint (Vermont lingo for soft serve ice cream). I rang the house and our friend Manny answered the phone. He was all excited to hear my voice as they had been expecting us for a few hours. He rushed through the directions- “drive up Bethel Mountain Rd., pass the quarry, drive another mile and look for the Canadian Flag” which he thought was still up. Lastly he emphasized “the drive way is opposite Fiddler Union Rd.” I hung up and we began to climb Bethel Mountain Rd. The road was steep and icy but we had just enough momentum to make it. At the top of the hill and we came to Fiddler Union Rd. I immediately took the drive way opposite the road ignoring the lack of Canadian flag. We reached the bottom of the sheer driveway to find only one car there and a dark house. We were definitely not at the right place. Sh****t!!! We attempted at least ten times to hurdle up the driveway — it wasn’t happening we seemed to be getting further and further from the top each time. We parked the car, wrote a note to the residents, gathered our most precious guitars and essential belongings i.e. whiskey and began walking down the road. Just as my mind (Celia) started to fill with images of wolves, catamounts and crazy gun toting Vermonters we saw a lighter flicker in the distance. We began to trot. Hearing the clatter Manny and others began to call our names. They were baffled at the distorted forms looming in the distance and thought we were on horse back (which seemed plausible with respect to how long it took us to get there). We got in the house, exchanged hugs and over whiskey began to fill them in about our adventures beginning literally with Winter. We sang songs for a while and slept very well that night.