They may call themselves Lost & Nameless, but all it takes is a few notes for listeners to recognize this foursome is anything but. With original compositions featuring complex, turn-on-a-dime arrangements and performing histories dating to childhood, the members of this Austin-based band are seasoned professionals who whip up an unforgettable sonic whirlwind wherever they play. On their new release, Empty Spaces (March 18, 2014), there’s a song title that sums up their contemporary folk-rock sound perfectly. It’s called “Little Tornado.”

Filled with staccato rhythms and instrumental intrigue, it’s a charmer — just like the band that performs it.

Lost & Nameless can be traced to St. Louis, where Arkansas fiddle champion Chris E. Peterson, then a member of the band Wagon, met vocalist/guitarist Patrick Conway in 1993. They began jamming together and did some busking and recording in Europe, then went their separate ways. Peterson eventually moved to Austin to attend graduate school, and in 2006, Conway fol