Lava is made up of New Zealand singing-songwriting-multi-instrumentalist family the O'Connors - Amanda and Sean, with teenaged daughters Acacia and Rosie - plus composer-pianist-singer Vanya Popov, a Canadian of Russian descent.
They play folk, with modern rock and pop elements, mixed in with Maori songs and interpretations of rock and pop classics.
The five-piece will be performing originals from their tentatively titled debut album, One Song at a Time, before its release by the end of February.
"One of our key strengths is our five-part harmony singing," Popov said.
"Several people have been quoted as saying we're eclectic and versatile and they're quite astonished at the purity, compared to the commercial stuff."
Popov supported Sean O'Connor on his North Island solo album tour just days after meeting the family in July through mutual friends.
He told the Queenstown Times this week their collective new venture Lava was preparing to embark on their debut South Island tour.
Popov said the entertainers will perform free at the Glenorchy Cafe, on Friday, January 14, at 7.30pm, then return to Thomas Brown Art Gallery, in Speargrass Flat Rd, near Arrowtown, on January 22, at 7.30pm.
The group heads to Auckland in early March then undertakes a six-month tour, split between North America and Europe, he said.
