MUTEMATH are no strangers to success. Their unique designs of bluesy, fuzzy, experimental rock and roll has earned them a loyal fan base and even a 2007 Grammy nomination (Best Short Form Video for the song “Typical”). Where they were strangers, until recently, is Australia.Currently touring to support their newest release, Odd Soul, the band recently came back from their first trip Down Under.
“The crowds were fantastic,” says singer and keyboardist, Paul Meany. “We did a show in Sydney that was nothing short of insane-probably the strangest start to any show we’ve ever done. Right before we took the stage the crowd broke into song, singing the American National Anthem, and then chanting “USA”. We were backstage laughing hysterically–we weren’t sure if they were patronizing us or were genuinely amped up, but we went on to have one of the best shows we’ve ever had with those folks.”
They were similarly pleased with the many talented bands they met, such as Big Scary, San Cisco, The Cairos, and Matt Corby. Particularly impressive was Sam Perry, who opened their show in Perth.
Courtesy of Mutemath.com
He’s 19, and is a one man show with a microphone and a loop pedal,” says Meany. “He had us floored. All these artists were incredible. I got the sense we’re in for an unprecedented Australian invasion. Gotye is just a warning shot.”
While they enjoyed their time in Oz, MUTEMATH is thrilled to promote Odd Soul throughout the US and Canada on their headlining fall tour. Performing the album’s songs live allows the band’s goals and aspirations to come full-circle; they’d specifically written songs that would have a big impact onstage.
“On previous records, we tended to figure out what [sounds] we could get away with in the studio and just go with it without any regard for if we would play it live or not, especially on [2009’s] Armistice,” Meany says. “All of that was fun at the time, but we’d never gone into a recording session thinking ‘Let’s make some stuff ready to go straight on the road.’ So for Odd Soul, that mindset was very appealing and had a certain unchartered territory allure for us that we found inspiring.”
Not only were they aiming to write music that immediately translated to the stage, Meany previously stated they were “craving more high-spirited music” this time around, explaining he isn’t “good at being dark”.
“[Lighter music is] the stuff that seems to feel the most right when we get in front of an audience,” he says. “Overall, those types of songs usually just come out better for us, so we try to stick to that mostly. Still, songwriting is an ongoing experiment that we don’t like to strain with too many rules; you gotta feel free to write about whatever you want at any given moment. And sometimes, for me, those are dark places. But during Odd Soul, we just weren’t in that head space.”
Newcomers to the band should check out the psychedelic “Prytania”, a track that Meany says he is particularly proud of. The video is a kaleidoscopic beauty, inspired by Earth Wind and Fire’s “Let’s Groove Tonight”.
In addition to making lighthearted music that’s ready for the stage, Meany took inspiration from his unconventional childhood. He describes an “eccentric Christian” upbringing where you’d “try to out-Jesus Jesus.”
“We grew up smack dab in ‘90s Bible Belt America–went to all the Jesus camps, wore all the t-shirts, and harassed our fair share of ‘non-believers’. That’s something that [drummer] Darren [King] and I really found camaraderie in when we first met. He’s from Springfield, Missouri and I’m from New Orleans but [we were] both living in this sort of parallel, ‘Jesus-is-coming-back-any-second-so-don’t-screw-up’ universe. Looking back at a lot of it is admittedly quite ridiculous, but it all still feels invaluable and important to some degree. We had fun with setting a lot of that [experience] to music for this album.”
Incidentally, the beginnings of MUTEMATH came at a time when Meany was involved with the Christian rock band Earthsuit. After meeting King, the friends began collaborating on music long-distance, sending demos back and forth from Meany’s home in New Orleans to King’s in Springfield. Eventually, King moved to New Orleans, and the two began focusing on what would become MUTEMATH.
Although Meany was no longer in Earthsuit, his recognition within the Christian rock scene would prove problematic for his new band. Meany co-founded Teleprompt Records as a way to control MUTEMATH’s releases independently, and the label signed a development-deal agreement with Warner Music Group, which released their debut EP Reset in 2004. However, in 2005, Teleprompt wanted out of their contract, citing misrepresentation and breach of contract. Reset had been put out on Warner Music’s Christian label Word Records—a move the band felt was unjustified as MUTEMATH had never identified as a Christian band. While litigation went on, the band decided to release their self-titled debut LP independently in January of 2006, continuing to tour and build their fan base. In August 2006, the suit was settled out of court, with the rights to Reset remaining with Warner. Teleprompt received a new contact and exclusive distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records, who re-released the debut LP on WBR in September the same year.
Although the band’s strong stance against being labeled as a Christian band could have caused backlash from the Christian community, Meany says this wasn’t the case at all—with one exception: “Every time I see my grandma, she asks me, ‘When are you gonna stop playing that ‘circular’ music?’”
Despite his grandma’s personal objections, MUTEMATH has a solid core of positivity that keeps their fan base growing and live shows thriving. Don’t think they spend time brooding in the back of the bus, either.
Courtesy of Mutemath.com
“We pass the travelling time by creating completely trivial, highly competitive games,” Meany says. When not setting arbitrary high scores, he’ll put his headphones on, listening to current picks The Meters, Peter Gabriel, and The Doobie Brothers. If the band is really lucky, they’ll get the chance to stop at a record store, where they hunt for vinyl treasures. The best find he’s ever made?
“The ‘Whatzupwitu’ single by Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson. Brilliant!”
By Dana Giusti
