Seth Avett & Jessica Lea Mayfield - Fond Farewell (Live on KEXP) 

God, her voice is beautiful

This cover is beautiful. At first I was a little dubious because it felt like a weirdly casual take on one of the weightiest songs I know, but I am CAPTIVATED by Jessica's voice and can't stop listening to it now!

The deadpan-ness is so weirdly moving. There's a sweet optimism to it that makes the song even more devastating than the original. A+ cover.

I absolutely love to hear an Elliott Smith cover, because his songs are so fantastic and when other artists play them it brings people to his music and keeps it alive. I'm never going to see him sing them live again, but I can hear someone living play them and remember. "I'm never gonna know you now, but I'm gonna love you anyhow"

Actually since listening to this a couple of days ago cannot get it out of my head which is a good thing

This is one of the best, and most beautiful, covers of any song. I imagine that Elliot would have loved it. ❤️

listening again and again this is so good, love Jessica's voice when she goes up high note at end of chorus, savage stuff!

Elliott sang Hank Williams. He would have loved this cover. People hating on this cover: study harder.

This is my favorite song on this great album. I miss Elliott Smith. And I loved that these guys did their show with a kitchen set. I just think the whole thing makes me feel sad and good.

woooow this is a fantastic cover. i love their take on the song -- the resigned vocals hold true to the original but this version is elegiac, like they're recognizing elliott's pain, acknowledging they can relate -- but only to an extent -- and they're just thankful for all he's created. fantastic.

I love this song and her interpretation of it (as well as her voice of course) !!! Love love love...

This is the only Elliott smith cover I like and I’ve listened to most. Rip legend what a nice tribute

Beautiful cover. Ex Heroin users react very negatively to songs they connect with the feelings they had while using. Ball and chain is another cover you'd get flack for trying. For those of us who havent gone to those depths of substance and human experience this is as good as it gets. To me the world is more beautiful when it isn't dulled by comparison.

I'm happy. They did a great cover and I'm sure more people knows about the existence of Elliott because of them :D

Keeping the songs alive.

Loving everything about this

I LOVE the record of Elliott covers these two did! Can't listen to it all the time though cause it bums me out! ;)

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

Love this song

Love this cover!

I love this.

Sometimes I believe all things are truly connected. I had the Howard stern show in my ears everyday throughout high school and ever since to deal with anxiety. I got heavily into Elliott smith somewhere in college. I haven’t seen this episode of crashing everyone’s taking about, but the fact that there’s been a connection to the deep sadness of that dudes life to the music of Elliott smith makes me think we’re all sharing the same brand of sadness Rip Elliott

beautiful performance jessica

Very beautiful cover

one of the best elliott covers, its hard to cover his songs and hit the perfect note but they did, cheers. xo

Y'all sound awesome on this Elliott song.

Jessica - I've been following your story, I think you are incredibly brave and resilient. I met you at the Swedish American Hall, and you were very gracious. You helped hip me to the Avett Brothers and Emily Keener, who are also awesome. I hope the best for you! You're great!

I really liked this

She has a lovely voice

This was a good song by an artist who should have been more recognized for his talent. Just found this and you did a great job. Not too surprised though as I think Jessica is also a very talented artist that should be more recognized for her tremendous talent and songwriting. Please don't disappear on us too Jessica.

fantastic

Beautiful Lyrics. Maybe only people who have lost, or even been there themselves can appreciate this . I love to play and write music, and am always searching for something that speaks to me. 9 times out of 10 the music and composition are what I am attracted to, but you have composed a perfectly beautiful song.

Awesome sauce!!

Beauty!

so goood

I love the head nod Seth does at the end

Gorgeous. We miss ye, Elliott.

If this doesn't save Artie, I hope that it at least helps a few people. Battling on the cusp of alcoholism here and I think I'm winning, only thanks to a good support network around me. Such a beautiful and fitting Elliot Smith cover. If it helps anyone out there, it doesn't matter who you are, you can fall pray to some kind of addiction and be destroyed by it. Don't take it personally. Have strength

Well done!

Soooooo good

i cant believe all the negatives. huge elliott fan...have been for ten years or so, but that doesnt even matter. I actually like this version better. My best friend died last week, and the slightly optimistic tone of her voice brings me comfort. I agree, it's a downer. I love X.O / Either Or / Figure 8, but they really did this one justice. Beautiful harmonies.

Nice one and original, i like the way this cover sounds!

the best version

Great !

i love Elliott! R.I.P.

I liked it.

Very good cover

Que bonita es tu musica

beautifully done

Well done

Such an honest homage to Artie on Crashing. Hope you can beat your demons, Artie. We are rooting for you. We don't want to have to sing you a fond farewell too soon.

Crashing

Elllliiioooottttttttttttttt!!!!!

This is one of the best songs ever created by Elliott Smith. But, I dunno, not to be crass, but it creeps me out to hear the song sung as a cover, especially so cheerfully, because this song was essentially his suicide note. I dunno. I can only listen to his version, and it always tears me up inside. He was a beautiful person.

energy can not me destroyed

longshot but, anyone know what mics they're using for vocals?

I can't believe how incredible this cover is. Covering Elliott Smith is a good way to fail. I know, because I do it at my shows. It's really just for me and people do like when to hear an Elliott song out when they aren't expecting it, but you're not gonna "All Along The Watchtower", a Smith tune. I've got a feeling , and this is sorta on some joo joo shit, but Elliott Smith spent the first half of his life in Dalla; the swing and twang along with the classic country style harmonies might be bread from the same sensibility as Elliott's writing. The styles lend themselves to each other well.

Damn you arty!!!

can I get a chord sheet for this anyone? thanks.

The litebrite's now black and white Cause you took apart a picture that wasn't right Pitch burning on a shining sheet The only maker that you'd want to meet The dying man in a living room Who's shadow paces the floor Who'll take you out in the open door This is not my life It's just a fond farewell to a friend It's not what I'm like It's just a fond farewell to a friend Who couldn't get things right Fond farewell to a friend He said really I just want to dance Good and evil matched perfect it's a great romance I can deal with some physic pain If it'll slow down my higher brain Veins full of disappearing ink Vomiting in the kitchen sink Disconnecting from the missing link This is not my life It's just a fond farewell to a friend It's not what I'm like It's just a fond farewell to a friend Who couldn't get things right Fond farewell to a friend I see you're leaving me and taking up with the enemy The cold comfort of the in between A little less than a human being A little less than a happy high A little less than a suicide The only things that you really tried This is not my life It's just a fond farewell to a friend It's not what I'm like It's just a fond farewell to a friend Who couldn't get things right Fond farewell to a friend This is not my life It's just a fond farewell to a friend

Crashing brought me here

Seth Avett said he didn’t want to try and sound like Elliott be the nobody could and it would come off like crap...he wanted to cover it in their own way with total respect for Elliott

Really nice cover. I like their country twang vocals. Really cute version. Not that easy covering Elliott, if I may say...

i was eager to hear this and it lacks the desperation

anyone know what mic that is on the vocals?

i wanna die to this song

Here's the problem when people sanctify originals too much: then everything "pales in comparison", because you're not really hearing it, you're only hearing what it's not. It's sad that people refuse to let themselves experience how good some interpretations are, as this one. Maybe it's like being addicted to melancholia, which is understandable. But you're not really respecting the original by doing that. Art is not meant to be locked in an attic forever unchanging. It's a continuum, ever open to reinterpretation.

Why is the original artist not credited anywhere on these tracks? ELLIOTT SMITH. Please dont just drop his name from his work like that.

"Veins full of disappearing ink"

crashing! get better artie!

Better than the original

Like this version better than the original

so fucking tragic... amazing cover

Anyone know the little luck seth does?

It’s a fond farewell to Artie’s nose...

119,00 views are from me

Is her friend her eyebrows?

frank brought me here

Negative comment, top comment. Great...

How fucking dear you to slaughter him like this?

They have never done heroin.

Nobody who hasn't done heroin can understand this song. this includes mr avett who likes the sound of the song but doesn't understand what the words mean

Lusterless

Lebron James for MVP

elliott smith = yamaha fg-180, an inexpensive guitar

Only Seth > Jessica

Only thing I can appreciate about this album is that they appreciated Elliott Smith enough to make it. Not sure why they did though considering they can't actually play any of the songs half decently... Like they removed half the notes from the melody of this one, didn't play the lead parts at all even though they got two guitarists on stage, and in general (throughout the album) replaced Elliott's expertly nuanced guitar playing with parts a beginner could learn.

I won't argue the skill or intent of the performers but all of their Elliott Smith covers, including this one, have felt flat, uninspired, and phoned-in. This one being the best one thus far and I'd credit the song's structure and lyrics to it rather than anything they did. I'm all for covers, it's usually really lovely to see contemporary performers tackle the greats but I can't help but wish another group of musicians were doing this as opposed to Avett and Mayfield.

I often wondered if Elliot Smith would have been better off to write his phenomenal songs for other musicians to perform. He just seemed very uncomfortable on stage.

It’s nice to see these songs played but there’s a lifelessness to the vocals. Like a version sung by Zoey Deschanel.

wanted to like it...but it's bland doesn't portray the song right and simplifying the sound like this doesn't help

Yuck

I really really wanted to like this, but it just completely fails at portraying the song's feeling, it sounds unbelievably empty.

damn.. try to fix those flat notes

this might be the worst cover i have ever heard. im a little insulted tbo

Sorry but this is not done very well.

God I hated for a minute and 27 seconds today. That was horrible. Its like you took the art out if it and just preformed the mechanics. And somehow made it even worse

It is not that the cover is bad, is actually beautiful, but im kinda tired of that voice tone on every girl covering a song, nice cover!

You don't bounce or dance to this song or change the key and octave. This isn't a song for Nashville. Show the man some respect. KEXP you let me down on this one.