Birds of Avalon
Encyclopedia
Birds of Avalon is a rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina whose sound fuses elements of psychedelic and progressive rock. The band consists of Cheetie Kumar (guitar
), David Mueller (bass
), Scott Nurkin (drums
),and Paul Siler (guitar
).
The band was formed after guitarists Paul Siler and Cheetie Kumar split from The Cherry Valence to join forces with vocalist, Craig Tilley, and bassist, David Mueller. They soon enlisted Chapel Hill drummer/artist Scott Nurkin and quickly made a name for themselves after their ’07 Volcom debut Bazaar Bazaar, ’08′s follow-up EP Outer Upper Inner. Relentless touring in support of these releases with the likes of The Racontuers, The Flaming Lips, Black Mountain, The Fucking Champs, Mudhoney, Monotonix, and Ted Leo, made BIRDS OF AVALON road vets—a band’s band with one of the best live rock shows going.
The band then retreated to their home and began an extensive period of writing and recording, using their rehearsal space at Kumar and Siler's house as a makeshift studio. Recordings done at the home resulted in band's second full length album, Uncanny Valley
, released in summer 2009 on Volcom Entertainment. The album was quickly recorded on an old 3M 16-track tape machine borrowed from Mitch Easter who, with Cheetie Kumar, mixed the record at Fidelitorium. The name Uncanny Valley
comes from a theory which was introduced by Japanese roboticist, Masahiro Mori, in 1970 to describe the phenomena by which human beings become more unsettled by robots or other human facsimiles in direct proportion to how lifelike they appear.
–
Uncanny Valley was their final album for Volcom. It was recorded after actually completing another complete album just a couple of months previously. The band decided against releasing that one on Volcom feeling that the more spontaneous Uncanny Valley was a better match for the label.
–
Much of 2010 was a transitional time for the group. Paul and Cheetie, along with co-owners Steve Popson (Polvo) and Ben Barwick (Ashley Stove), re-opened legendary live venue Kings Barcade. Siler also kept busy booking Raleigh’s inaugural and highly successful Hopscotch Music Festival. All this on the heels of the amicable departure of vocalist Craig Tilley afforded the band an opportunity to re-evaluate and evolve their sound with a focus on group harmonies and a freer approach to writing and performing.
–
The band re-emerge this January 2011 rejuvenated on Portland’s Bladen County Records (the Love Language, Moneybrother, the Builders & the Butchers) with the overdue release of that unreleased album completed in early 2009. BIRDS OF AVALON’S forthcoming self-titled release is another analog-only collaboration with Mitch Easter (REM, Wilco, Pavement) at his Fidelitorium Studio. The record builds on the pop-aesthetic of Bazaar Bazaar but blazes new progressive trails while anticipating the psychedelic experimentation of Uncanny Valley. The band now writes, records and performs as a four piece with all members sharing vocal duties. Gigantic Music released the vinyl of the S/T LP in the Summer of 2011.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), David Mueller (bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
), Scott Nurkin (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
),and Paul Siler (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
).
The band was formed after guitarists Paul Siler and Cheetie Kumar split from The Cherry Valence to join forces with vocalist, Craig Tilley, and bassist, David Mueller. They soon enlisted Chapel Hill drummer/artist Scott Nurkin and quickly made a name for themselves after their ’07 Volcom debut Bazaar Bazaar, ’08′s follow-up EP Outer Upper Inner. Relentless touring in support of these releases with the likes of The Racontuers, The Flaming Lips, Black Mountain, The Fucking Champs, Mudhoney, Monotonix, and Ted Leo, made BIRDS OF AVALON road vets—a band’s band with one of the best live rock shows going.
The band then retreated to their home and began an extensive period of writing and recording, using their rehearsal space at Kumar and Siler's house as a makeshift studio. Recordings done at the home resulted in band's second full length album, Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley (album)
Uncanny Valley is the second full length album by the Raleigh, NC-based rock band Birds of Avalon. The album was released by Volcom Entertainment on June 23, 2009.-Track listing:# "Unkaany Valley" 0:23# "Side Two" 1:56# "I Never Knew" 2:44...
, released in summer 2009 on Volcom Entertainment. The album was quickly recorded on an old 3M 16-track tape machine borrowed from Mitch Easter who, with Cheetie Kumar, mixed the record at Fidelitorium. The name Uncanny Valley
Uncanny Valley (album)
Uncanny Valley is the second full length album by the Raleigh, NC-based rock band Birds of Avalon. The album was released by Volcom Entertainment on June 23, 2009.-Track listing:# "Unkaany Valley" 0:23# "Side Two" 1:56# "I Never Knew" 2:44...
comes from a theory which was introduced by Japanese roboticist, Masahiro Mori, in 1970 to describe the phenomena by which human beings become more unsettled by robots or other human facsimiles in direct proportion to how lifelike they appear.
–
Uncanny Valley was their final album for Volcom. It was recorded after actually completing another complete album just a couple of months previously. The band decided against releasing that one on Volcom feeling that the more spontaneous Uncanny Valley was a better match for the label.
–
Much of 2010 was a transitional time for the group. Paul and Cheetie, along with co-owners Steve Popson (Polvo) and Ben Barwick (Ashley Stove), re-opened legendary live venue Kings Barcade. Siler also kept busy booking Raleigh’s inaugural and highly successful Hopscotch Music Festival. All this on the heels of the amicable departure of vocalist Craig Tilley afforded the band an opportunity to re-evaluate and evolve their sound with a focus on group harmonies and a freer approach to writing and performing.
–
The band re-emerge this January 2011 rejuvenated on Portland’s Bladen County Records (the Love Language, Moneybrother, the Builders & the Butchers) with the overdue release of that unreleased album completed in early 2009. BIRDS OF AVALON’S forthcoming self-titled release is another analog-only collaboration with Mitch Easter (REM, Wilco, Pavement) at his Fidelitorium Studio. The record builds on the pop-aesthetic of Bazaar Bazaar but blazes new progressive trails while anticipating the psychedelic experimentation of Uncanny Valley. The band now writes, records and performs as a four piece with all members sharing vocal duties. Gigantic Music released the vinyl of the S/T LP in the Summer of 2011.
Discography
- Bazaar BazaarBazaar BazaarBazaar Bazaar is the debut album by the Raleigh, North Carolina-based rock band Birds of Avalon. The album was released by Volcom Entertainment on May 22, 2007.-Track listing:# "Bicentennial Baby" 3:46# "Horse Called Dust" 3:26# "Instant Coma" 2:12...
, LP
(2007) - Outer Upper InnerOuter Upper InnerInner Outer Upper is an EP by the Raleigh, NC-based rock band Birds of Avalon. The album was released by Volcom Entertainment on March 18, 2008.-Track listing:# "Measure of the Same" 3:27# "Shakey Tiger" 4:19# "Earthbound" 5:14# "Hazy 98" 3:05...
, EP
(2008) - Uncanny ValleyUncanny Valley (album)Uncanny Valley is the second full length album by the Raleigh, NC-based rock band Birds of Avalon. The album was released by Volcom Entertainment on June 23, 2009.-Track listing:# "Unkaany Valley" 0:23# "Side Two" 1:56# "I Never Knew" 2:44...
, LP
(2009) - Birds of Avalon, LP
(2011)
External links
- birdsofavalon.com
- Birds of Avalon at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Gigantic Music
- Bladen County Records
- http://larecord.com/interviews/2008/04/04/fri-apr-4-birds-of-avalon-interview/April 2008 Interview with L.A. RecordL.A. RecordL.A. Record is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In March 2008, it began publishing as a monthly magazine with a...
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