AVIDYA & THE KLESHAS - TREE OF SERIES

Like their name’s derivation, Avidya & The Kleshas’ sound is wrapped in a shroud of mystery and cannot be confined to one box. Fusing vocalist Stephanie Carlin’s jazz background with her penchant for the impassioned voice of Jeff Buckley, outspokenness of Ani DiFranco, quirky funk of Frank Zappa, and multifaceted soundscapes of John Frusciante, Avidya & The Kleshas formulate music that leads listeners in unexpected directions. Buddhist texts describe Avidya and four other Kleshas as the fog in our consciousness, the mental states that cloud the mind, i.e why we suffer. Translated from Sanskrit, this incapacity to see something for what it really is defines “avidya,” which is the root klesha in all of us; it is the source of four other mental states of discomfort. Avidya & The Kleshas’ genre is not easily pigeonholed, as they are a band defined by an outside-of-0the-box approach to music-making.

Avidya & The Kleshas evolved out of a fortuitous meeting of solo artist, Stephanie Carlin, and her band-to-be. After graduating with a BFA in Jazz Performance, releasing a solo EP, The Agony and Ecstasy of,” and moving to Brooklyn in 2008, Carlin sought out a band to back her for a gig, and Craigslist bestowed upon her, Wes Reid (percussion) and Russ Flynn (bass). Though the three parted ways temporarily, the universe reunited them a year later to form the lush sounds of Avidya & The Kleshas, along with Xander Naylor (electric guitar) and Javi Santiago (piano/keys).

Currently slated for a June release, Avidya & The Kleshas’ Trees of Series, spawned out of the love and generous support of fans with a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2011, is record for refined taste. Not for the faint of thought, the LP is an innovative listening experience, fraught with poetic lyrics and eleven tracks that take on ever-changing shapes. Complex rhythms and swelling instrumentation back Carlin’s shining voice on single, “Mother and God.” Similes expand with growing passionate stanzas and freewheeling choruses that ebb and flow with varying time signatures and the push-pull of piano lines. Submerging the record’s route into a new mood, highlight track, “Body of Lead” floats on trickling, ethereal synth arpeggios, gentle cross-sticking clicks, and soothing vocals that immerse the listener into a trance-like calm. Trees of Series intertwines eclectic musical backgrounds, encouraging a community of diverse music lovers to interconnect, and generates anticipation for Avidya & The Kleshas’ next path.

www.avidyaandthekleshas.com