At their December 3rd show at Leftfield Bar in New York City's east village, I watched indie-folk duo Mizuna mesmerize their audience with heartwrenching harmonies and funky trumpet and guitar rhythms. One member of the band, Mackenzie Leighton and I are friends of friends and have spent a few night dancing to The Violet Hours at Leftfield so I was excited when I got the opportunity to see both bands play that night.
Mackenzie and her musical counterpart, Genevieve Beaudoin are current and former NYU students and are both from Maine. During their show they told the story of how they met and the wild coincidence of how they actually already knew each other. I've asked them to tell that story and more about their creative process and inspirations here.
Tell me the story of how you know each other and how you reconnected:
Genevieve Beaudoin: Mackenzie and I met in a poetry class at NYU, her first and my last. When we learned we were both from Maine, we were pleasantly surprised. Over the next year, we would meet up to share poems with one another, which turned into sharing songs. And it was around then, with some off-handed joke, that we realized we had crossed paths before. Turns out, we attended the same montessori pre-school and the same catholic elementary school before moving to separate towns / public high schools. And then we were in class together again, this time in New York.
Without intending to, our album, “From Away, From Here,” in some way reflects that history. The joke in Maine goes: “Where ya from?” // “From here” or “From away.” And that can sometimes mean the difference of a county line. When we went back home to record, our time was split between three places: Stonington, Bowdoinham and Portland. So we found the jumble “From here, [but also] from away” a clumsy, but true response. The album plays with that feeling of distance and home, and what’s left to reckon with.
Mackenzie and Genevieve in preschool
What is your creative process like? Collaborative? Separate and then you bring it together?
GB: For this record, our first, Mackenzie and I brought songs we had written separately to the table. Over the last year, we had played songs in each other’s kitchens and bedrooms, workshopping lyrics and some small harmonies. But nothing concrete. Our initial intention for this record was to make an EP of about 4 songs -- but Mackenzie saw the breadth of our work and encouraged us to expand the project from 4 to 11 songs. We wrote the last song for the album, Kid House Tin House, together, on a 3 hour drive on our first day recording.
Who is your biggest non-musical inspiration?
GB: It’s not easy to pick one... recently, I’ve been turning again and again to work by Anne Carson, Maggie Nelson, and June Jordan.
Mackenzie Leighton: I’ve recently been reading poetry by Ocean Vuong and Sylvia Plath. Also, the Bread and Puppet Theater’s work always inspires me to be a little more wacky and fun.
What inspires you to write the music you write and/or to cover the songs you cover?
GB: I think many of the songs on the record feel like a letter, a conversation. There’s a you that the speaker is trying to reach. When I think of my own writing, often it comes out of necessity, a gut-feeling. I want my thumb so close to the button - a clinging to some moment or feeling - before releasing it.
ML: I definitely write to try to capture a feeling as well. Sometimes it’s trying to capture a place or a relationship to someone. If there is an experience I find myself sitting with that I think may be relatable for other people as well, I try to find a musical way to process it. Sometimes it starts with a lyric and other times it starts with a guitar part. For example, No Deer in Chinatown came from this feeling of returning to New York City after spending a summer in Maine and trying to adjust to a denser environment. As for covers, I am drawn towards ones that have accessible but unsuspecting harmonies or just reviving a solid gold oldie!
How would you describe your style?
ML: Some friends have compared us to First Aid Kit!
GB: Modern folk duo bending Simon & Garfunkel harmonies over a chunky guitar? I have a friend who just introduced me to the genre: bummer folk. Ha, I think we’re getting close to that with a few of these songs...
Your harmonies are beautiful, do you have a musical training?
ML: I started playing piano when I was 4 and played classical for a long time, then played in jazz bands in high school. Other instruments came in along the way and I’ve always been singing! Growing up, my family went to church every Sunday and I think I have to attribute being able to harmonize to my dad- we would read the thirds out of the hymnal sheet music. Then in the car on the way home, my dad and I would harmonize to whatever was playing on 107.5 Frank FM, Peaceful Easy Feeling by The Eagles, Teach Your Children by Crosby, Stills, and Nash.
GB: Thank you. Yeah, we both have musical backgrounds but neither of us expected our voices to blend like so when we first started singing together. Maybe it was something in the salt water or that preschool curriculum.... (and maybe it a fair amount of ear training).
When does your new album come out and how can we find it?
“From Away, From Here” comes out on January 13th (yes a Friday, it’s gonna be fine). We’ll have it on bandcamp and then Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Tidal, etc. News closer to the release will be via our Facebook page or on Instagram.
Anything else you want to add?
Mizuna: a Japanese mustard green, slightly less spicy than arugula.
Thank you to Mizuna for the interview and a lovely performance. I can't wait to watch the success of their upcoming record and attend their next live shows.
