Today we’d like to introduce you to Breathing Space.
Hi Breathing Space, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Maura and I got together shortly after our senior year of highschool. I was pursuing music on a whim, and she had years of singing jazz and musical theatre under her belt. She took a chance on me because making music was important enough of an outlet to both of us that she allowed me the time to develop and hone my craft. Nothing really came out of that first year and a half of us both working together. The things I was producing for her simply weren’t good enough, but we still were fostering the most important friendship of our lives. I eventually moved to Austin to study Audio Engineering, and she stayed in Houston, with both of us making that 3 hour drive between us as frequently as we could. Something finally started clicking within my first few months at school, and we discovered the kind of feeling we wanted to evoke onto listeners. It was nostalgic, it was lofi, and very much our own identity. The pandemic pushed onto us a greater hunger than before and we began to develop all the different avenues our sound could take us; hence the multitude of genres we broached in our first handful of singles.
At some point in 2023, a booker at Firehouse Lounge in Austin found us through a repost Durand Jones and the Indications made of us covering one of their songs. He asked us to play a residency, though we had no business doing so, and this was honestly the turning point for us. It instilled a confidence in us that has propelled us all the way to now and led us to surround ourselves with the players and friends that inspire us, and are beginning to elevate the music we’re putting out. Though we’ve never had the opportunity to tell him directly, we are forever grateful to Lu Jensen for this, who has rightfully moved onto bigger and better things.
Today, we’re in the midst of finishing out our five song EP that we really believe is gonna change the attitude of our listeners towards us. It is genuinely the best music we’ve ever made up until this point, and we think it’s really gonna surprise a lot of people in terms of the directions we’re headed. On top of that, we are starting the next era of Breathing Space and beginning work on a larger project as this first one nears its end.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think our path is reflected in every other independent artist who is pursuing what they love; Finding the right people/team to surround yourself with, the pandemic that placed a hurdle in all our lives and forced us to be more creative in our collaboration, and of course making enough money through the art to inject it back into future projects even when playing shows that make you little to nothing and sometimes have you going into the red. And of course doing all this while working day-jobs.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I produce for local Houston and surrounding Texas artists out of my home space, and also work as an engineer at Third Coast Recording Co. here in town. Some of the best music in Houston is coming out of there and I’m incredibly honored to be a small part of John Allen Stephens’ (Third Coast owner and head engineer) team. I am definitely favored by artists who are seeking a vintage and analog vibe, due to the equipment and techniques I’ve acquired over the years, so I’d say that’s somewhat my niche. What I’m most proud of, without a doubt though, is Breathing Space. Breathing Space is my baby and my everything. It is no longer a love, or passion, but a desperate need. The chemistry I have with Maura D. is everything I’ve ever wanted out of a creative collaborator. She is my muse, my other half, and does justice to the words I supply her and does something magical to elevate them. She makes it transcend ‘just music’ for me. The music, the words, became every aspect of my being. It is what I have to offer to the world
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is almost entirely our own attitude to what we’ve made. Are we proud of it? Does it move us? Do we believe it will stand the test of time? Did we give something of ourselves in order to bring it into the real world? Do we take pride in that sacrifice we made for the sake of the art? Will it move or inspire even one person? If even one of those questions are answered with yes — that is it right there; success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://breathingspace.fanlink.tv/breathingspace?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnCfplipnalY8PcBEzhP9UGr0tjfwI1dVfdSWnEbiksGmBEkrMdeCHHdBkR7g_aem_kL-UGc-s-k0uaQT6_al_fQ&utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breathingspacemusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breathingspaceband/
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@breathingspaceband?si=j4edVXCFVPvNSWIu
- Other: https://breathingspace.bandcamp.com/music
