Birds of Avalon
Birds of Avalon is a rock band from Raleigh, North Carolina. Their music blends psychedelic and progressive rock. The band formed when guitarists Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler left The Cherry Valence to team up with bassist David Mueller and vocalist Craig Tilley, later joined by drummer Scott Nurkin. Jason Alyward joined later, and Missy Thangs added keyboards, creating a six-member lineup.
They released Bazaar Bazaar in 2007 and the Outer Upper Inner EP in 2008, and they toured with bands like The Raconteurs, The Flaming Lips, Black Mountain, Mudhoney, Monotonix, and Ted Leo. They wrote and recorded at home, which led to their second full-length album, Uncanny Valley, released in 2009 on Volcom Entertainment. It was recorded on an old 16-track tape and mixed with Mitch Easter at Fidelitorium. The title comes from the Uncanny Valley theory about humans feeling unsettled by almost lifelike robots.
Uncanny Valley was their last Volcom release. In 2010 the band reassessed their sound, with Paul and Cheetie reopening Kings Barcade and Siler booking Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival. After Tilley left, they focused more on harmonies and freer writing.
In January 2011 they released their third album, a self-titled record on Bladen County Records, made with Mitch Easter. It blends their pop roots with new progressive and psychedelic textures. Gigantic Music released the vinyl in summer 2011.
In 2015 the band added Missy Thangs and Jason Alyward, bringing in synth and a second drummer. They released Disappearance (an EP) and Goin Under (a single) in 2015, and Operator’s Midnight (an LP) in 2017, all on Third Uncle Records.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 03:54 (CET).