The year was 1968. The band was, well, “The Band”!  A seasoned group of musicians, (four fifths Canadian), who backed the likes of both Ronnie Hawkins and Bob Dylan releases their debut album, “Music From Big Pink”. Wading through the clouds and fuzz of the psychedelic era came an authentic concoction of music rooted firmly in the earth. It lured the listener into ornate and textured pieces of Americana and on into otherworldly environments. It became the template for all that was to follow, inspiring the likes of The Grateful Dead, George Harrison and Eric Clapton, to name a few, to strike simpler and more honest chords. It’s possible some of the inspiration carried forward to a fiery trio out of North Carolina in 2009 as the Avett Brothers released their sixth album “I And Love and You”. After years of self-promotion, small labels and rigorous touring they commissioned the help of Rick Rubin to construct an album of unwavering beauty. Filled with soul and sadness that the common man can easily relate to, they rocketed onto the mainstream with a gleaming, clean, tasteful and sparse piece of album art that has secured itself solidly in the annals of music history. Collective Arts Brewing offers an IPA that’ll root itself firmly on your taste buds for an otherworldly experience, aptly named Life in the Clouds…….two please.