Wednesday 2 May 2012

...miasma!

Those four guys floating in that slightly creepy photo on the left are Edinburgh's miasma.   Towards the end of last year, they released their self-recorded debut album Feathered Feet (available on CD or digital download here).  I'm sorry to say, I only just cottoned on to it recently when they got in touch with me, but it's already started to make quite an impression here at Kowalskiy HQ.  So, I asked one of the two driving forces behind the band, Alex Auldsmith, a few questions about miasma and their plans for the future... and I even let him get a wee plug or two in while he was at it.  Here's what he had to say...  


Kowalskiy:  Who are miasma?
Alex:  miasma started out as Michael Davidson and myself (Alex Auldsmith). We have been musically cohesive since I can remember but the songs we eventually pulled together seemed like they deserved better than to be played by just two slightly awkward songwriters on acoustic instruments. So (after a huge number of transitory members) the band was completed with 2 more awkward but musically beasting members: first Dominic Hardy on drums and then Rob MacNeacail on bass. Feathered Feet shows the fruits of our writing as a duo and represents our youth as a band but the songs we now play at shows are something different and include the whole band in the writing process and in doing so creates a bigger vision.

Kowalskiy:  How would you describe 'your sound'?
Alex:  I would describe the sound of Feathered Feet as being very grounded in strong chord progressions and grand, integral vocal harmonies. We have always aimed to produce something appealing to ourselves and in doing so cant help but try to give it musical integrity as well as an emotional resonance. Wow I sound pretentious as hell.... the term "music for musicians" doesn't always sit well but I think we would be proud to be described as that. In general we find it hard to fit into any particular scene but also feel like that is a good thing because we don't think genre should be as all encompassing as it is to so many bands out there.


Kowalskiy:  PLUG AWAY!!!
Alex:  Well you can hear the whole album on the Bandcamp. You can also buy it there don't forget. We will have an EP to release later this year and a launch date revealed shortly but in the meantime you can watch us play some of our unreleased material on our YouTube thing (here and here). We have a lot of live shows coming up at some really nice venues including a regular slot at The Jazz Bar ... so come find us!

Kowalskiy:  What else can we expect from miasma in the future?  
Alex:  We've got about 2 albums worth of material just waiting to be recorded so will be trying to get that done and released as soon as. We record and produce everything ourselves so it is a massive labour of love getting stuff done but does allow us complete creative control. We're hoping to get a wee tour (or several) on the go so will be travelling round England and Scotland a lot and will definitely get back up to our little house in Tarskavaig to write and record some more songs. All in all we will be keeping busy and trying to raise a bit of a profile. I'm excited.

And Alex has every right to be!  If you are too, then be sure to head on over to their Bandcamp and have a listen to the rest of their great album, and as well as their regular gig at The Jazz Bar, you can catch them live at The Third Door in Edinburgh on the 5th of May with White Heath.  All the details are here.

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