I first heard about MuteMath from one of my coworkers back in 2005 or 2006. He came back from their concert in Chicago and reported that it was the most amazing show he'd ever seen. I was skeptical (my standards are pretty high thanks to bands like Dream Theater and Opeth), but checked out a few videos he pointed me to. I did find them to be unique, especially one piece in which the guy was playing some weird-ass homemade instrument. But i didn't follow up on the band at that time.
Fast-forward to fall of 2007. I'd been trading music with a friend (sending flash drives back and forth in the mail), and the latest batch of tunes from her included MuteMath's self-titled album. I didn't really connect with the music at first, probably because i just wasn't in the right mindset for their style (at the time i was pretty much just swimming in wallow music).
Then one day (a month or two later) i happened to queue up the album at work and it finally struck a chord with me. I was able to settle into a groove with work and let the music carry me through the afternoon. Awesome. The album grew on me even more with repeated listens, and i started to really enjoy what they're all about.
The band was on tour at the time, supporting Alanis, but i decided to skip that show. Nothing against Alanis; i'm just not familiar with any of her music aside from her first album. Ditto Matchbox Twenty (the other support act). I figured i'd catch MuteMath next time around, but it turned out that next time wouldn't be for quite a while.
So the next two years saw my musical (and personal) journey continue on its meandering path. I slowly got through the wallow phase, found some great new bands, reconnected with old favorites. I didn't overplay MuteMath like i have other albums which struck me, but i did pull out the disc from time to time and kept an eye out for news, studio reports, release dates. Finally they announced the Armistice tour in support of their new album of the same name; i bought my ticket the minute they went on sale.
Fast-forward to Friday night.
...
I arrived at the Fillmore shortly after 21:00 and found As Tall As Lions (the support act) already on stage. I'd checked out their myspace and was underwhelmed by their music, but they made a much different impression up on stage! I really enjoyed their set; rich and atmospheric, channeling the energy and magic that comes with any good live show. Wow. Maybe i should give their album another try. Or (more likely) keep an eye out for a chance to see them live again.
After they wrapped up i headed over to the bar to grab a beer. As i waited my turn, a hot girl came up to the bar to do the same thing. She started talking to me and i couldn't hear her at first (drummer's ears) but i quickly realized that she was offering to buy me a drink. Naturally this caught me off guard, but i managed to ask what the occasion was. She replied that she was just happy and felt like doing something nice for someone. She also mentioned that she was on a break from life; i've certainly been there too. We went on to agree that As Tall As Lions has surprised both of us with their live show. The drinks arrived, we toasted, wished each other positive energy, and went our separate ways.
After what felt like forever, the house lights went down and MuteMath took the stage. And proceeded to blow me away.
I hadn't fully absorbed their new album yet, and even the first album usually bleeds together for me since i always listen to it start-to-finish without picking out individual songs (aside from a few special favorites including "Chaos", "Noticed", and one track near the end of the disc). But i definitely recoginzed a lot of their setlest, which was cool.
I think the stunning brilliance of MuteMath's performance comes down to three main things:
1) Instrumentation and dynamic lineup. The guys play a wide variety of instruments up on stage. In addition to the usual guitar/bass/drums were two sets of keyboards, extra percussion, a synthsizer, and even a *marimba*. Roy played an upright bass for some songs, electric for others. Greg covered guitars, keyboards, and marimba on some songs. Paul (their frontman) played keyboards or keytar while singing (he has an excellent voice; i wish i could sing half as well as he does). And they all jammed on percussion at one point or another (sometimes all at the same time).
Oh yeah, and the afformentioned homemade instrument (called The Atari) made an appearance as well. It's hard to make out, but click the photo below to enlarge & check out Paul on the left:
Moreover, everyone was playing *something* at all times, and the combinations of instruments constantly changed, even during songs. It really impressed me, watching the guys play so many different instruments, showcasing their versatile talent and experience. I definitely did not fully appreciate the many elements and subtleties to their songs until i saw what all goes into playing them live. And the fact that the four of them covered all of the instruments instead of hiring tour musicians or pre-recording layers of the songs (aside from the sampling) - very impressive.
Also, they definitely played extended versions of some of their songs, launching into improv jams and experimental interludes. Awesome.
Their drummer, Darren, was on fire all night! He did more with his simple four-piece setup than many drummers do with kits an order of magnitude larger. Whenever i see a drummer like Darren, it makes me want to scale back my own kit (if/when i get back into drumming, that is). Then again he did have some fun embellishments, like an extra floor tom mounted sideways which would light up in time with the music as it was hit.
2) Innovation/stage setup. There was so much going on, at times it was almost too much to fully take in. Their stage apparatus included the huge arch from their album cover onto which lights and video were projected to enhance the music. I know all bands use stage lights and some have video screens, but this particular setup came together so well; they clearly put a lot of effort into planning.
During the intro for No Response, they set up four huge circles ("drums") along that backgrop and they lit up with projected light as Darren hit them. Amazing effect; here's someone's video from the Cleveland show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ag3cq4fYw4
3) Synergy. As i mentioned, they all played a variety of instruments with a level of precision and skill and heart that i still dream about. But the magic comes from how well they play *together*. It goes beyond just being well-rehearsed. Whether they're rocking one of their straightforward radio hits or weaving intricate patterns of melody and rhythm, they're all in the zone up there, each member completely in phase with the other three.
I'm running out of words to describe this incredible performance so i'll wrap it up by stating the obvious and then leave you with some video. Ahem. MuteMath played one of the most amazing live shows i've ever seen.
I hope you enjoy my recording of (most of) their encore. It's long, but worth watching. That's Paul with The Atari at the beginning; watch as he carries it into the audience for everyone to wail on. And you don't want to miss his famous keyboard flips, or Darren's antics towards the end - he passes his bass drum into the audience and *stands* on it as they hold it up; then he dives back onto the stage to join in for a group percussion jam. So awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh57CeV2R_Y
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