Written by Shelby Schulz | June 4, 2026

In November of 2025, two well-established artists, The Avett Brothers and Mike Patton, released a studio album together. The project is entitled AVTT/PTTN, featuring co-written music by Mike Patton and Scott and Seth Avett.

Brothers Scott and Seth formed The Avett Brothers in North Carolina in 2000. Since then, they have grown to include four other members and have a large discography of EPs, studio albums, and live albums. Mike Patton is originally from California and has been a part of many bands. Some of his most well-known projects include Faith No More and Mr. Bungle. He has also done work as a film composer on movies such as Crank: High Voltage and A Place Beyond the Pines.

In mid May of 2026, the Moody Center hosted a concert that featured a unique collaboration between these artists. AVTT/PTTN was the only act of the night. With such a large discography between The Avett Brothers, Mike Patton, and their collaborative project, there was no need for an opener. For two hours, the audience enjoyed a selection of songs from the AVTT/PTTN album, as well as music from The Avett Brothers, some of Mike Patton’s projects, and a few covers. Seth Avett even performed a song off of a recent solo project.

It was impressive to see such a wide range of instruments on stage. Seth Avett switched between acoustic and electric guitar throughout the evening, but he also showed off his skills on the piano for a couple songs. Scott Avett also played guitar, but mostly made use of his banjo and the kick drum at his feet. At the front right corner of the stage, Mike Patton had a collection of various percussion instruments set up next to his microphone. Bob Crawford, (the third member to join The Avett Brothers back in 2001), swapped between electric and upright bass. Korean-born member, Joe Kwon played cello, as he does on many of The Avett Brothers' records, but during the second song of the night, "The Ox Driver’s Song” (off the AVTT/PTTN record), he repeatedly picked up and dropped a large, heavy looking coil of chains as an added form of percussion. Other notable members include Tania Elizabeth, who played the violin, and Mike Marsh on the drumset.

The performers had great stage presence, especially Patton and the Avetts. Seth often took advantage of the substantial stage area to run back and forth between both ends. During "Laundry Room," he stood right at the edge with his acoustic guitar. He leaned over and strummed aggressively, headbanging and stomping his foot to the beat. Meanwhile, Scott raised his hands up high over his head and encouraged the audience to clap along with him. During "Murder in the City,” Scott stepped right up to the front of the stage as the others left and gave an intimate performance. Often carrying a strange looking percussion instrument with him, Mike was constantly running up to Scott and Seth, engaging with them throughout the show. At one point, he joined Scott in the middle of the stage and tapped on a metal tie he was wearing around his neck. Another time, he took a large metal bowl and placed it on Seth's head before playing a beat on it. He made several small jokes, such as saying, "Okay, we got that out of the way," after performing a Faith No More song, (which is heavier than most of the Avett Brothers' repertoire). He asked Seth, "What’s it like over here?" before joining him on the left side of the stage for a duet.

When the performers onstage finished their last song, the entire audience got up from their seats in a standing ovation. The cheering continued long after they walked off stage, and after a minute or so the performers returned. Before beginning the encore, Scott announced that he wanted to say something. He told the audience he'd realized that some of their best friends, which they credit for their musical growth, are from Austin. He said to the crowd, "We really appreciate you. It's personal. Much love to you all.”

For the encore, The Avett Brothers' "The D Bag Rag" was performed, as well as a cover of “Cigarettes, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women” by Sons of the Pioneers, and “Retrovertigo” by Mr. Bungle. For the last song of the evening, Scott announced they would be performing a song sung at all of his family gatherings. He had everyone onstage, (as well as the crew members), gather in a group while Seth sat at the piano. He passed out lyric sheets to those onstage and even handed a pile to a security guard in the pit to distribute amongst the audience. Then, in a very wholesome ending to the night, the entire stadium sang along to "It Is Well With My Soul.”

Both the Avett Brothers and Mike Patton’s projects are hard to label with any single genre. What is more interesting about the collaboration between the two artists is how vastly different they sound from one another. Genre labels used to describe The Avett Brothers’ music include: americana, indie-folk, bluegrass, punk, and rock. However some of Mike Patton’s projects are associated with the genres of: heavy-metal, funk, hip-hop, ska, disco, and jazz. Bring the two groups together and you get a night filled with incredibly diverse music. It is quite inspiring to see so many people, with different backgrounds and influences, come together to create something unique.