Birds of Maya is an American

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of ...

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band based out of Philadelphia. Formed in 2004, the band is composed of guitarist

Mike Polizze Purling Hiss is the rock music project of American multi-instrumentalist Mike Polizze. Based in Philadelphia, the project was named so because of its heavy use of distortion and white noise. Originally conceived for his own personal amusement and ...

, bassist Jason Killinger, and drummer Ben Leaphart. The trio plays a

lo-fi Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

mixture of

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and

blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...

. To date, the band has released four studio albums: '' Vol. 1'' (2008), ''

Ready to Howl ''Ready to Howl'' is the second studio album by Birds of Maya, released in April 2010 by Richie Records. In 2012, Agitated Records re-issued the album on CD appended with the ''Regulation'' 7" single. Track listing Personnel Adapted from th ...

'' (2010), ''Celebration'' (2013) and ''Valdez'' (2021).

History

Birds of Maya was formed when Jason Killinger and Ben Leaphart decided they wanted to form a band. Guitarist

joined when he answered an ad by the band requesting an additional member. The band's debut, 2008's '' Vol. 1'', was released as a CD-R and comprises recordings dating between 2004 and 2006. The band's second album. ''

''. was released in 2010. The band collaborated with Harmonica Dan for their 7" single ''Regulation'', which was released exclusively when the band was on tour.

turned his attention to his solo project

Purling Hiss Purling Hiss is the rock music project of American multi-instrumentalist Mike Polizze. Based in Philadelphia, the project was named so because of its heavy use of distortion and white noise. Originally conceived for his own personal amusement and ...

and was joined by Ben Leaphart so they could perform as a live act. This effectively put Birds of Maya on hold until they released ''Celebration'' in 2013. In 2021, the band released, ''Valdez'', its first studio album in eight years. The album was released to critical acclaim and was included on Pitchfork's "31 Best Rock Albums of 2021" end-of-year list.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Vol. 1'' (2008) *''

'' (2010) *''Celebration'' (2013) *''Valdez'' (2021) ;Singles * w/Harmonica Dan: ''Regulation'' (2010)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birds of Maya 2004 establishments in Pennsylvania American blues rock musical groups Garage rock groups from Pennsylvania American noise rock music groups American psychedelic rock music groups Hard rock musical groups from Pennsylvania Jam bands Musical groups established in 2004 Musical groups from Philadelphia American musical trios