GRAMMY-nominated folk rock band the Avett Brothers visited The Recording Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., to participate in an exclusive GRAMMY.com interview. They discussed how their new studio album, True Sadness, exemplifies the longevity of their seven-piece band, how their songwriting process has evolved and the inspiration behind the album's lead single, "Ain't No Man," among other topics.

"['Ain't No Man'] is about fear and believing that if you're good within, it will radiate out and it will always keep you safe. It's basically faith in something," said Scott Avett. "We intentionally kept it just bass and drums because we felt like it needed to be … simple."

North Carolina natives the Avett Brothers — comprising vocalist/banjoist Scott Avett, vocalist/guitarist Seth Avett, vocalist/bassist Bob Crawford, keyboardist Paul Defiglia, violinist Tania Elizabeth, cellist Joe Kwon, and drummer Mike Marsh — released their debut studio album, Country Was, in 2002. They followed with such releases as 2003's A Carolina Jubilee, 2004's Mignonette and 2007's Emotionalism.

In 2009 the band paired with GRAMMY-winning producer Rick Rubin for I And Love And You, which peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard 200. The Avett Brothers' partnership with Rubin yielded two more hit albums, The Carpenter (2012, No. 4) and Magpie And The Dandelion (2013, No. 5). The band made their GRAMMY stage debut in teaming with Mumford & Sons and Bob Dylan for a performance on the 53rd GRAMMY Awards in 2011. They earned a 2012 GRAMMY nomination for Best Americana Album for The Carpenter, marking their first career nomination.

Released June 24, the Avett Brothers' latest Rubin-produced album, True Sadness, features 12 tracks, including "Ain't No Man," "Satan Pulls The Strings" and "Smithsonian."

The Avett Brothers are currently on an international tour, with dates scheduled through October.