Mia Matsumiya is an American

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist who is a former member of

Kayo Dot Kayo Dot is an American avant-garde metal group. Formed in 2003 by Toby Driver after the break-up of ''maudlin of the Well'', they released their debut album ''Choirs of the Eye'' on John Zorn's Tzadik Records that same year. Since then, Kayo ...

Gregor Samsa ''Metamorphosis'' (german: Die Verwandlung) is a novella written by Franz Kafka which was first published in 1915. One of Kafka's best-known works, ''Metamorphosis'' tells the story of salesman Gregor Samsa, who wakes one morning to find himsel ...

, and Tartar Lamb. She has also performed on albums with

Daughters A daughter is a female offspring; a girl or a woman in relation to her parents. Daughterhood is the state of being someone's daughter. The male counterpart is a son. Analogously the name is used in several areas to show relations between groups ...

and Ghastly City Sleep. In 2015, her

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account chronicling the

sexual Sex is the biological distinction of an organism between male and female. Sex or SEX may also refer to: Biology and behaviour *Animal sexual behaviour **Copulation (zoology) **Human sexual activity **Non-penetrative sex, or sexual outercourse ** ...

and other harassment that had been directed toward her on social media during the past ten years received international attention.

Biography and early work

Originally from

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

, Matsumiya attended the

Commonwealth School Commonwealth School is a private high school of about 155 students and 35 faculty members located in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Hist ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

for high school. After high school, she attended

Sarah Lawrence College Sarah Lawrence College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Yonkers, New York. The college models its approach to education after the Supervision system, Oxford/Cambridge system of one-on-one student-faculty tutorials. Sara ...

Bronxville, New York Bronxville is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States, located approximately north of Midtown Manhattan. It is part of the town of Eastchester. The village comprises one square mile (2.5 km2) of land in its entirety, a ...

, where she left to pursue music. Standing at 4'9" (145 cm), Matsumiya would often hide in band lockers in middle school and in newspaper racks in later years.

Bands

Matsumiya made her debut on

's 2003 album ''

Choirs of the Eye ''Choirs of the Eye'' is the debut studio album by Kayo Dot, released on Tzadik Records in 2003. It was released shortly after the breakup of maudlin of the Well, with the band consisting of several members from the former band as well as guest p ...

'', as well as their discography for the next ten years. She later appeared on

's album ''

Rest Rest or REST may refer to: Relief from activity * Sleep ** Bed rest * Kneeling * Lying (position) * Sitting * Squatting position Structural support * Structural support ** Rest (cue sports) ** Armrest ** Headrest ** Footrest Arts and entert ...

'', and an album with Tartar Lamb. In 2009, she also appeared on

Maudlin of the Well maudlin of the Well (commonly abbreviated as motW) is an avant-garde metal band from Boston, Massachusetts. Their music contains elements from many different genres including jazz, progressive rock, psychedelic rock, post rock, art rock, progr ...

's ''

Part the Second ''Part the Second'' is maudlin of the Well's fourth and most recent album. It was funded by donations from fans, and released for free on the internet in three formats, including a FLAC-encoded 24-bit version. The fans who donated prior to the alb ...

''.

Discography

With Maudlin of the Well

* ''

'' (2009)

With Kayo Dot

* ''

'' (2003) * '' Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue'' (2006) * ''Don't Touch Dead Animals'' (2006) (

split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

LP with

Bloody Panda Bloody Panda is a doom metal Band (music), band based in New York City. History Formation (2003-2004) The band was formed in 2003 by Yoshiko Ohara, an established visual artist based in Osaka, Japan, who "decided to spend her savings on a trip t ...

) * '' Blue Lambency Downward'' (2008) * ''Champions of Sound 2008'' (2009) (split double 7" with

Pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before s ...

Stephen Brodsky Stephen Brodsky is an American rock musician best known as a member of Cave In, Mutoid Man, New Idea Society and Old Man Gloom. He also has a solo career and is a former member of Converge, Kid Kilowatt, Parasite and Pet Genius. History Stephe ...

, and

Zozobra The Zozobra (also known as "Old Man Gloom") is a giant marionette effigy constructed of wood, wire and cotton cloth that is built and burned prior to the annual Fiestas de Santa Fe in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States. It stands high. As i ...

) * ''Toying with the Insanities Vol. 1'' (2009) (

Candiria Candiria are an American progressive metal band from Brooklyn, New York. Formed in 1992, the band was part of the second wave of New York hardcore, but subsequently expanded its performance to also play jazz, hip hop and progressive rock. The ...

remix album) * ''

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

'' (2010) * ''Stained Glass'' EP (2010) * ''

Gamma Knife Radiosurgery is surgery using radiation, that is, the destruction of precisely selected areas of tissue (biology), tissue using ionizing radiation rather than excision with a blade. Like other forms of radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) ...

'' (2012) * ''

Hubardo ''Hubardo'' is the sixth studio album by American avant-garde metal band Kayo Dot. It is a concept double album self-released and funded through pre-orders on frontman Toby Driver's Ice Level Records in 2013. It is the follow up to ''Gamma Knife'' ...

'' (2013)

With Gregor Samsa

* ''

'' (2008) * ''Over Air'' (2009)

With Tartar Lamb

* ''60 Metonymies'' (2007) * ''Polyimage of Known Exits'' (2012)

Filmography

* ''Super'' (solo violinist) * '' The Lazarus Project'' (solo violinist) * ''Santiago'' (Magic Guitar Player)

Instagram account

In 2015, Matsumiya created the

account called "Perv_magnet", where she uploaded sexually harassing and sometimes violently threatening messages that she had received from men over the past ten years. According to Matsumiya, the project was created to highlight the abuse and

misogyny Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced fo ...

that women face online, as well as the

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

she faced. However, she received a small amount of criticism from people who claimed that she uploaded the examples to brag about receiving "compliments", an accusation which she denied. In a 2014 interview with Bearded Gentlemen Music, her former

band member

Toby Driver Toby Driver is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, songwriter, producer, label owner, and artist, best known for his work as the leader of the experimental bands Kayo Dot and maudlin of the Well. Driver creates the majority of the album artwor ...

alluded to

stalkers Stalking is unwanted and/or repeated surveillance by an individual or group toward another person. Stalking behaviors are interrelated to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person or monitoring them. The term ...

that she faced.

Personal life

Matsumiya has a daughter, Kira, born in 2016.

References

External links

Official Kayo Dot website

MySpace page of Kayo Dot
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsumiya, Mia 1979 births Living people Sarah Lawrence College alumni People from Needham, Massachusetts American violists Women violists American multi-instrumentalists Tzadik Records artists Japanese-American instrumentalists Guitarists from Massachusetts American women musicians of Japanese descent Commonwealth School alumni 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American violinists 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century violists