Mignonette
ARTIST: The Avett Brothers
RELEASE: 2004
INTERVIEWEES: Seth Avett, Scott Avett
In the 1880s, a yacht sank off South Africa's Cape of Good Hope. The few survivors resorted to cannibalism before their rescue.
That grisly tale might seem an unlikely theme upon which to build a concept album; one might perhaps expect such a thing from the likes of Slipknot, Cannibal Corpse or Alice Cooper. But Seth Avett saw something deeper in the story's themes. The Avett Brothers -- Seth and Scott -- were inspired by the story, which would eventually become their third studio LP, the 2004 concept album Mignonette. And in turn, the creative success of that album would lead to Swept Away, a Broadway production based largely on the record's story and music.