New Orleans-native band Mute Math made its triumphant return to Los Angeles last Wednesday in front of a packed house at the House of Blues Sunset Strip.
The band is famous for its YouTube.com videos of doing crazy, live percussion performances almost right out of “STOMP.” Its drummer, Darren King, is notorious not only for his unmatched rhythmic beats but also for the headphones that he duct tapes four times around his head on stage before every show, and front man Paul Meany plays the keytar. Enough said. As soon as King brought the duct tape out, I knew this would be a performance to remember.
The first song Mute Math brought to life was “Typical,” which has a brand- new video in which the band and the rest of the video play in reverse while the song and lyrics move forward. “Typical” is a song that is definitely radio-friendly, but at the same time it carries such an energetic punch that fans were probably surprised at such a well-known and popular single right out of the gate.
The band then carried that energy into another fan favorite with “Chaos,” which set the tone early. I was almost afraid that with such a great start, it might fizzle toward the end. I was wrong.
While most bands, including the three prior to Mute Math, seem to be somewhat stuck in concrete (except for notable instances by The Cinematics), Mute Math owned every part of the stage.
When Meany isn’t dancing away from his vocals, he is climbing his electronic keyboard with his keytar and yelling to the mountaintops. When guitarist Greg Hill isn’t using his semi-hollow wide body, he is physically picking up his pedal rack and turning knobs to produce electronica sounds. When bassist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas isn’t playing his old-school upright bass, he is adding percussion sounds with a separate high-hat or pounding on a bass drum configured behind King. And lastly, King is the best live drummer I’ve ever come across. When he wasn’t playing the creatively envisioned rhythms on a simply constructed kit, he was banging on everything from drum mics to piano cases.
Here is some Cocktail Party Information (CPI) for you. King played on a set with two toms, a snare, a kick, a high-hat and crash cymbal. He also broke three sets of sticks in one set. No flashy gear, just simple percussion heaven.
What’s missing in shows nowadays is the entertainment factor. Sure, if you like the music enough, you’ll enjoy the show. But what about if you love the music and are entertained by the entire set?
The energy flowing through the room was enough to keep everyone awake. Meany even jumped into the crowd and let fans play his electronic guitar. He not only let them play, but he also left the instrument with the crowd while he jumped back on stage to finish the vocals of his last song.
After the set, Mute Math openly hugged fans. The band knows what it’s like to be at a show. The record is great, but it does the band no justice to its live performance. If you go to see Mute Math, you will be entertained.
