What happens when you take a couple former members of legendary hard-rocking Raleigh outfit The Cherry Valence, mix in some psychedelic and (for lack of a better word) proggy elements, and add a singer who sounds like a young Robert Plant channeling some combination of Thor and Iggy Pop? For one thing, you get a live show that snaps necks and blows minds. Birds of Avalon are one of those bands that, on the one hand, are great to see in smaller venues like The 5 Spot, and, on the other, make you wonder how good a band has to be to play some bigger rooms in this town. Listening to guitarists Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siller is kind of like the auditory equivalent of having hot rivets shot at you from two directions at once—and the burn feels oh-so-good.
Fri., Oct. 2, 9 p.m., 2009
Fri., Oct. 2, 9 p.m., 2009
