Kasiuss

Kasiuss are not your average rock band. Combining epic piano and classical chord movements with feel good and sometimes raw and aggressive guitar riffs, poignant lyrics, dynamic builds and catchy chorus', the Kasiuss 'sound' is one that can be hard to define.

Flitting from emotive to quirky; sing-a-long to atmospheric; heavy rock breakdowns to graceful melody, they are hard to pigeonhole. In a music scene that can be full of bandwagon-jumping and generic structures, Kasiuss have come to deliver something fresh and exciting to alternative rock- to break the mould.

'From the beginning we wanted to keep the sound of Kasiuss exciting, with no boundaries,' states co-founder Joe Bothamley, 'we want all our songs to make the listener feel the way we feel when we play them and strive to make the mood and atmosphere in each Kasiuss song as different and unique as we can, whilst still keeping the underlying trademarks which allow the listener to identify them as our songs.'

'Our aim is to satisfy every part of the listeners ear equivalent to the taste buds and make each track as exciting as possible', continues the second half of the main Kasiuss partnership, Biz Denton, 'With Kasiuss comes a sound that shows a new side of rock- something fresh and very new but also something that will last and keep on maturing.'

Main songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Biz Denton was raised in the picturesque landscape of the Yorkshire Dales, far away from any sizeable town. With little around for entertainment and a musician father, it was inevitable that Denton would look to music to pass the time during his formative years. Starting out on the trumpet, he then moved onto the drums and it was during his time in a percussion group in his early teens that he met co-founder, co-writer and drummer Joe 'The Both' Bothamley, a fellow Yorkshireman who grew up in a neighbouring village. From there, their friendship grew together with a common goal to carve a career in music.

With a view to being able to write his own music, Denton moved from drums to guitar and piano. A self taught natural, it was no time at all before he was proficient enough to begin writing and so began the duo's first project with other close friends from their school days.

It was not long after a move to London to further their musical career 3 years ago, that Denton was to lose his beloved father Barry to cancer. 'It hit me very hard,' says Denton, 'he was my best friend and the reason for what I do today.' Already on what he describes as a 'ropey path' in the big city, the death of his father led Denton into a downward spiral. 'It triggered a side of me I didn't know existed. I locked away all the feelings around my father's death and sunk into a deep hole. I lost relationships, best friends and family failing to face my issues. I ended up having a breakdown and honestly thought for a time there was no way out.' It was the beginning of the end for this first project and the duo and their then band mates returned to Yorkshire.

One person relentlessly by Denton's side throughout this difficult time was 'The Both'. His unfailing support and friendship helped Denton to heal and eventually the two began to write again once more- with music continuing the healing process. 'This time around I have something real to write about.' Says Denton, 'My inspiration both lyrically and musically comes from everything I have been through over the last few years, good and bad. I truly hope people will be able to listen and relate to what I say'.

Whilst being the main songwriting force behind Kasiuss, Denton maintains that it is essential to have Bothamley around during the songwriting process. 'When writing music, my head seems to run off on its own, conjuring bursts of ideas that I just have to let out. With my head working at a ridiculous speed most of the time it is vital to have Joe around me. We have this almost telepathic understanding of each other when it comes to music. He stops me when he can see the direction or potential of something when I would have completely passed the idea by or skipped straight to the next 'burst'. This has meant some of our best songs coming to life when I would have completely dismissed or missed the idea.'

Late 2008 saw these writing sessions become Kasiuss, and the duo set about getting together a few local showcases of their material and finishing tracks for their first set of demos. It was these shows and the eventual recording of their first demos in January of 2009 that were the catalyst for the addition of Jason and Adam Odle to the Kasiuss line-up. Whilst sequencing the bass and keyboards was something that could easily be done, the live show lacked the visual dynamic that would come from having the other musicians there and take some of the strain off Denton in the studio, and so the search began for additions to the Kasiuss family.

'Jason is the co-owner of the studios where we rehearse,' Denton elaborates,