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

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.

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

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