Show Preview: Ava Luna w/ Krill & Blanko Basnet

Ava Luna will perform at The Pinhook on Wednesday
w/ Krill and Blanko Basnet

It takes quite a bit to drag me away from Raleigh on a school night for a show. But this Wednesday I'm prepared to trudge through what's sure to be an early and tiresome Thursday morning for the chance to check out the fantastic lineup at The Pinhook. The last time I saw Ava Luna they opened up for Sharon Van Etten at Kings a few years back, it was a strange fit for the songstress but their self-described "nervous soul" still struck a chord with me. Now on the heels of their second full length album Electric Balloon, I'm far more prepared to soak in the frenetic sounds of Ava Luna and their impressive opening acts.

Ava Luna is a band that's carved out their own corner of the musical world, something that's rather hard to do now in such an over saturated market. Plenty of acts are harkening back to the soulful sounds of Motown, but Ava Luna has taken the most exciting bits of the genre and enveloped them into a musical collage of sorts. Part art-rock, part doo-wop, part R&B and a hint of punk, that gives you a solid indication of the reeling soundscapes crafted by this eccentric act. Songwriter Carlos Hernandez shares vocal duties with Felicia Douglass and Becca Kauffman, making for some highly entertaining displays of acrobatic vocal stylings. Expect some angular arrangements that will compel you to bob and sway one moment then aggressively thrash around at others. Songs can shift direction at the drop of a dime, but they still feel cohesive and most of all smooth.

Speaking of smooth, the transition between the two openers will be nothing but. Krill are a buzz band of poppy garage rockers that hail from Brooklyn who garnered quite a bit of critical acclaim from 2013s Lucky Leaves. Their performance will surely compel the Triangle residents, there's enough fuzzed out rock to get the attendees amped up for Ava Luna despite their stylistic differences. Despite their namesake, this band packs a mighty punch with some emotionally intensive lyricism and some lofty arrangements.

Blanko Basnet will open up the evening, allowing concertgoers to dip their toes into the evening with some familiar locals. Blanko is led by Joe Hall of Hammer No More The Fingers and the group features much of the same tendencies as Hammer. Technically impressive guitar lines leave musicians in the crowd in awe of Hall's prowess as he stretches his hands to unnatural lengths across the fretboard for some seriously unique chord structures. Blanko Basnet is packed with enough familiarity to feel like an old favorite for locals (the band's lineup is filled with local favorites), but there's enough innovation to the Hammer formula to keep it thoroughly entertaining.

Tickets for the show are available at thepinhook.com. Admission is $8, doors open at 8:00 and the show begins at 9:00.