Like their namesake, Avidya & The Kleshas' music is shrouded in mystery and cannot be confined to one box. With her penchant for impassioned expression, vocalist Stephanie Carlin evokes the ghost of Jeff Buckley and the outspokenness of Ani DiFranco, while the Kleshas channel the textured funk of Frank Zappa and multifaceted soundscapes of John Frusciante. Avidya & The Kleshas write 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 reality 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 evolved out of a fortuitous meeting of solo artist, Stephanie Carlin, and her band-to-be. After moving to Brooklyn in 2008 and releasing the solo EP The Agony and Ecstasy of, Carlin graduated with a BFA in Jazz Performance and sought out a backing band. Lord Craigslist bestowed upon her percussionist Wes Reid and bassist Russ Flynn. Though the three temporarily parted company, the universe reunited them a year later to form the lush sounds of Avidya & The Kleshas, adding Xander Naylor on electric guitar and Javi Santiago on keys.