Words by Ambar Ramirez
Social media has proven time and time again that it can make the impossible, possible. It connects people from different corners of the globe, transforming strangers into friends with a simple click. Memes and videos have become our language of communication, while influencers can literally earn a living through their online presence. Yet, the notion of two young women, who admire each other on TikTok, uniting to create a supergroup, feels almost surreal.
Mia Asano and Ally Crowley-Duncan crossed paths informally three years ago via the social media platform TikTok. At that time, they were both actively creating content during the ‘Wellerman Sea Shanty’ trend. Their first formal meeting took place when Crowley-Duncan had a gig in Boston, providing them with the opportunity to meet in person.
“Ally had a gig in Boston and I was living there,” Asano shared. “We met up and filmed a bunch of duets together and the rest is history.”
In 2022, this dynamic duo officially united their talents, introducing a refreshing and distinctive sonic experience to the music industry. If you know me, you know how often I complain about the lack of experimentation in contemporary music. I long to hear imperfections, to witness how those “errors” can evolve into new musical discoveries. MiaxAlly exemplifies precisely this spirit, pushing the boundaries of what unfolds when a bagpipe and a violin harmonize.
Just in their early 20s, this duo has already achieved sold-out shows and successfully launched their debut album. But that’s not all—currently, they’re in the midst of their U.S. tour and will be gracing the stage at Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville on November 2nd. See you there?
Folio: How did the idea of combining electric violin and bagpipes come about?
Ally: Bagpipes and Fiddle have a history together in the folk and Session scene. But the bagpipes in more of the rock and metal style with the electric violin is like this heavy version nod to the culture.
Folio: What inspired both of you to choose these particular instruments for your collaboration?
Mia: We cover a lot of rock and metal music as well as Celtic and electronic so it made a lot of sense for us to specifically use electric violin for this project. I discovered the electric violin when I was 13 years old but I’ve been playing since I was 5.
Ally: I started as a classically trained musican in piano and vocals. I started that when I was very young. Music is all one language. Bagpipes kind of found me and became my primary lineage.
Mix x Ally project is the combination of our two solo artistry careers. Electric violin and bagpipes are who we are. So when we come together it’s an elevation of that!
Folio: Can you tell us a bit about your individual musical background and how they contribute to your project?
Mia: I went to an Arts High School, I was in the orchestras throughout middle and high school
And then when I graduated I went to Berklee College of Music where I studied a lot of genres in music including Flamenco, Jazz, Classical, and Electronic Metal like all these different styles. That helped me become a well-rounded musician which is exactly why I wanted to go to that school. During the pandemic, I was still in college and so that’s when I started posting videos because you can’t really take music classes online. I started to make videos in an effort to reclaim my love for music and started playing genres of music again that I loved. And I’m so grateful I did that because within a few day my videos went viral and the rest is history.
I’ve been able to utilize that in this project a bunch because Ally and I work together so similarly! We’re constantly recording videos, recording our albums, our original songs, cover songs and we’re performing live. So every single thing I’ve learned over the years I’ve put into this project and we give it 150% every night.
Ally: I grew up in the competitive world of bagpiping and I took it very very seriously for a long time and I think that has really served me in this project. I take my technique very seriously and we have had to practice quite often and move through the distractions. So if the sound goes out, I’m prepared!
Folio: What challenges have you faced in merging the sounds of an electric violin and bagpipes, and how have you overcome them?
Mia: Both of our instruments are in a similar range so sonically they’re in the same frequency a lot of the time. We try really hard to maintain a balance between both of us. That includes how much each of us is playing, who has the melody, etc. When we’re playing in unison sometimes one or the other can get drowned out. So it’s really important to us to make sure both of us can be heard at all times and that it feels really balanced musically.
Folio: Do you have any favorite artists or musicians who have influenced your unique sound or approach to music?
Ally: One of the bands we’re covering, The Sidh, their song “Iridium” is an electronic song written to include bagpipes and that for me is really inspiring, so we made sure to put that on the album as a nod to them for paving the way in that regard.
Mia: As well as a lot of the bands we’re covering are a big inspiration and supporters and friends of ours – that includes Charlies Daniels, Dragon Force. We’re really lucky to have the support from these artists.
Folio: What is the creative process like when you’re composing and arranging music?
Ally: We have such a strange process and I never thought I’d work this way. It’s all remote. This includes voice memos and Zoom calls in the middle of recording. We say that we share a brain cell. A lot of times we’ll have a musical idea and send that to the other person and it’s exactly what the other is already thinking. Arranging things virtually comes very easy for us it seems and we had such a fun time putting this album together.
Folio: Could you describe the type of music you typically create, do you have a signature style?
Mia: We’re a mix of metal, rock and celtic music all fused together. We’re both classically trained and we have a deep respect for the tradition behind both of our instruments and we’ve taken that and we’re trying to break the boundaries that have been placed on our instruments with stereotypes and so on. We’re trying to show that both of our instruments can exist in any genre of music in any space.
Ally: And I think one thing that is really special about our duo project is because of our roots and training it’s a very technically demanding arrangement and a technically demanding show in terms of the actual instruments and the notes that we have to play!
Mia: Plus we’re back-bending!
Folio: How do you think the combination of your instruments and styles sets you apart working together on this project?
Mia: We have this really magical chemistry together on stage and that I think is what sets us apart. We have a deep love and respect for each other that really shows through and people picked up on it immediately. I’ve never had this relationship with anyone else.
Ally: It never feels like a power struggle. It always feels like we’re lifting each other up in any point.
Folio: What has been the most memorable or exciting moment during your time working together on this project?
Ally: When we’re in the middle of the show and we break the form and kind of play off each other and improv with the harmony in the moment, that’s when the magic overwhelms me.
Mia: Me too. There are these moments where we both kind of do something that excites the other and we make eye contact and scrunch our noses at each other and tell each other that we’ve done a good job. It’s like the best feeling because we’ve rehearsed these things so many times and played it so many times and still find a way to make it new and special.
Folio: How do you engage with your audience during live performances to make your music more interactive and immersive?
Ally: When possible we like to go into the audience. It’s not always possible but if not, we’re up in front of the stage leaning into people, making eye contact. We also have bits where the audience participates during the show, like screaming out, getting people to clap.
Mia: Unlike TikTok where we’re not actually talking, we have a chance to really interact with the audience when we’re speaking between songs. Kind of show our personalities a lot more.
We’re a lot goofier than people think we’re going to be. It’s really nice.
Folio: Can you share any upcoming projects or releases we can look forward to?
Ally: We want our next album to be if not all, then mostly original music. Because we’ve had such creative moments in our covers that it feels like we’ve composed things together already.
And we’re already excited about taking some of those ideas and really expanding on them.
Mia: And we’re also going on tour in January and a West Coast tour is in the works for the early Spring. So keep an eye out for that.
Folio: Are there any specific themes or messages you convert through your music?
Ally: We have a really important moment in our show where we discuss mental health. Our show is very upbeat and fun but we are very passionate about it. We are making donations to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention on this tour who Mia has worked with many times and that’s something we’re very passionate about doing with our show and with our music going forward.
Mia: We want to spread a lot of love to our audience as we know this topic is a really sensitive one and something that’s impacted a lot of people. We really want to make it clear to the people that we’re playing for how much we love and value them and that there’s a lot to life and that we love them! That’s it.
Folio: What advice would you give to aspiring musicians who want to explore unconventional musical combinations and collaborations like yours?
Mia: Don’t be afraid to do it! As people, we put a lot of limitations on ourselves either out of insecurity or fear and you are never going to achieve your dreams if you don’t try. Both of us failed a lot and experimented a lot before we figured out what worked for us. We just kept trying and pursuing it.
Ally: I told myself for years that things could not be played on the bagpipes and that was the excuse that I gave. And now I’m playing 4 pieces on my instrument that never really existed on this tour because I’m being pushed by my friends and collaborators.
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