CMJ Madness: Mute Math Loves Jesus But Isn't Terrible

Tweet

We should probably mention right off the bat that New Orleans foursome Mute Math is kinda sorta a Christian rock band. Despite this, they a) sound nothing like Creed and b) never flat-out name-check Jesus. In fact, the group actually sued their label when they were marketed as Christian rockers, fearing it would limit their fan base. So we're giving ourselves permission to like them. And apparently so are the scores of folks who showed up for their gig at B.B. Kings' Blues Club last night.

For almost two hours, the quartet brought the house down with their emo-meets-Radiohead brand of atmospheric rock, ripping through tunes from their debut album. Frontman Paul Meany (who plays keyboards and a keytar) hopped around stage like a chimpanzee on a sugar high, and drummer Darren King taped his monitor headphones around his head to allow for maximum rocking out. And unlike most every other CMJ act, these guys supplemented their songs with a killer light show: Rows of fluorescent tubes were illuminated behind them, lending them a downright ethereal glow. Praise the Lord, we guess.

• 
  MUSIC 100 Greatest Debut Albums
• 
  MOVIES 'This Is the End' Brings the Goods
• 
  TV The Women of 'Mad Men'
• 
  POLITICS No Price Big Banks Can't Fix

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »

Twitter