Sitting down with the members of MUTEMATH
By Nick Massie
For those of you who don’t know, there is a new phenomenon crossing the music scene. Releasing their first album in September, MUTEMATH has stormed onto the mainstream. Headlining their own 40-city tour, the band stopped in Jacksonville on Nov. 14. During their stop, I had a chance to sit with the band on their tour bus and chat.
Talking about topics that range from websites like Myspace.com to what it’s like traveling on the road as the headline of a nationwide tour, the band had some pretty funny and insightful outlooks on life and the music business.
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Speaking about how playing on TV can be a very nerve-wracking experience, the group talked about their appearance on Craig Ferguson. Vocalist Paul Meany stated that bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas performed the best out of the four band members. Drummer Darren King then said, “statements like that and playing Risk, the board game — that’s what breaks up a band.”
We shared many laughs through conversations about preshow rituals and warm-ups. Meany said that he runs up and down the aisle of the tour bus. Guitarist Greg Hill has a pretty abnormal ritual as to where he has to brush his teeth right before he enters the stage.
This then led to conversations of whether hot or cold water is used during brushings. (Hill uses cold, while King is a hot water guy.) This is a crazy group, which almost took the interview atmosphere and turned it into a free-for-all of belly aching laughs.
We wrapped up the interview talking about thoughts on websites such as purevolume.com and myspace.com, and then went on to talk about how long the band has known each other, which led to discussing how Meany and Hill actually grew up going to rival high schools.
After the interview I headed into the venue to go check out the show. Being somewhat unfamiliar with the band’s music at the time, I was utterly blown away by their performance. I have never felt such a vibe of charisma and have never seen a stage presence like they displayed. Lead vocalist Meany showed raw emotion in his performance, leaving everyone in attendance at awe.
From beginning to end, MUTEMATH displayed a musical bliss like no other. Proclaiming that they are not just here for a quick ride in the music business, MUTEMATH has the total package to be heavy hitters on the alternative rock scene in the very near future.
During the interview I asked the group what they would like to say to those who have never heard them before. King responded, “If they haven’t heard us yet and we want to say something to them, we would first say, ‘Hi! Welcome to our interview. Thanks for reading this far. Stop now, go listen to the music, and go to a show.'”
Listen to the interview:
[audio:mutemath.mp3]
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