How To Interview: "Awesome Air"
in this segment of How To Interview we sit down with Mark Buzard - the soul member of the awe-inspiring "Awesome Air" and mastermind behind the sprawling and ever-changing "Meghalaya"
B. Chandrashekar (BC): could you please state for the record your name and where you are currently located...
Mark Buzard (MB): mark townsend buzard and i am currently a resident of freeland, washington.
MB: it's on whidbey island. it's located on the puget sound. pretty tranquil area. lots of variation considering i moved here five years ago from glendale, arizona.
BC: that seems like a pretty intense move. what brought you to the northwest?
MB: i've always had a connection here through my father. we lived here for a few years back in 1987. the time we spent here made such an impression on me. it was always in the back of my mind growing up. so when i had the chance to move here, i jumped on it. it's been one of the better decisions i've made since.
BC: and what's the name of your current project?
BC: could you tell us a little bit on the origin of the name?
MB: "to feel air when you inhale deeply" it was an "idea" and more of an "in the moment" kinda thing. you had to be there.
BC: guess so. what instruments do you play?
MB: the first instrument i learned to play was the guitar. self-taught. i started in earnest when i was 12. pretty much taught myself piano when i played in the format. i was always buying old instruments in thrift stores and yard sales; glockenspiels, chord organs, anything that made a noise. i like the experimentation of self-teaching; no boundaries or borders.
BC: is that the same ideal you put forth into music production, composing, recording, etc..?
MB: well, i approached it like a scientist. exploring "traditional" aspects of the guitar in the vein of western music styles. rudiments and "jumping off" points. when i was 14 i heard sonic youth and was presented with "de-tuning" and "prepared" instruments in the vein of branca (edt. glen branca) and cage (edt. john cage). this flipped everything upside down and invited "un-explored" territories. i was presented with "exploring the guitar as more than a guitar." naturally this intrigued me.
"self-recording" or "home-recording" has always been around me growing up but i haven't until recently explored the full richness of "home-production" for myself. everything is purely experimentation and applying past knowledge. i am happy to be exploring the documentation aspect of it all. i want to expand more in that direction.
i really can't explain how i go about writing and composing music. too much rambling and "quotations." (laugh)
BC: what inspired you to pursue "awesome air" and "meghalaya"
MB: again, purely an experiment. i wanted sounds that i liked and haven't heard. exploring frequencies, sustaining notes and drones. it was music i needed and i did not have.
"Meghalaya" is not finished. yet. it is a living thing right now. i've never raised anything from the ground up, so i am trying to be as nurturing as possible. it already has feet and is begining to right itself. or rather "write" (laugh)
"Awesome Air" sounded like a good enough name.
BC: has there been any interest in "awesome air" within the industry? any interest in a label?
MB: no interest in the industry or a label. i mean, i'll hear what anyone has to say but it's not something i am actively pursuing.
BC: what about performing?
MB: that's an interesting question. it could be the next iteration of the experiment. i have always loved performing in a venue for people. not sure yet how the awesome air stuff would work in a live setting. more research and time will tell.
BC: how can people listen to the music?
MB: i started a bandcamp website and have been digitally-distributing music there. it is a fantastic website and a useful tool. i highly recommend it to reluctant home audio engineers.
for more adventures in home recording join mark and his amazing "meghalaya" here and on bandcamp. - B. Chandrashekar
