Who: MuteMath
When: September 22, 2011
Where: Mohawk Place/ Buffalo, NY
With: Barb
Of Note: Paul's feverishness, the mini stage acrobatics, the still sexiness of a key-tar
I love MuteMath. No, actually, I LOVE LOVE LOVE MuteMath. I learned about them when preparing to attend the Virgin Mobile Music Festival a bunch of years ago (stay tuned for fuzzy recollections!), saw them live and was blown away. I have been waiting for them to tour anywhere vaguely in the northeast since then. I was so excited when they announced their Odd Soul pre-release tour dates and one of them was Buffalo! Like 10 minutes away from my house! I bought tickets the moment they went on sale and waited anxiously for the day to come.
Though I didn't know who would be going with me when I bought the pair of tickets, Barb graciously accepted my invitation. Because now, after Jen-e-bration, Barb is my homegirl. (Why did that take so long?) There was a little confusion leading up to the concert because I couldn't figure out when it started; the tickets only said when the doors opened. In any event, we made it to Mohawk Place in plenty of time, grabbed a couple of drinks and settled in for an amazing show.
MuteMath is one of those bands who has lyrics that cut to my soul. Their songs make me not want to be typical, to take control of the atmosphere, to notice my heart when I notice you there. Paul, their frontman, is the rare hybrid of both rockstar and dreamboat; most male musicians fall firmly into one camp or the other. Darren, their drummer, is insane. Roy, the bassist, was recently named as one of the most under-rated bassists in music. Chris, the new guitarist, was adorable.
The band took the stage not from the wings, but by leading a modified marching band down the center of the crowd. When they took their places, the whole room cheered when Darren taped his headphones to his head, a signature move. The room was so small, so hot, so dirty. It felt almost as if everyone, the band, the audience, the dust mites on the rafters, were part of one living thing, moving together. I know that sounds crazy. I felt like part of something.
The band played songs from not yet released album Odd Soul and everyone bopped along politely. They played a couple tracks from Armistice - I was excited to hear 'Armistice' and the room erupted during 'Spotlight'. At one point Paul made the comment that, "When I thought 'intimate', I thought candles and nice smells. I didn't expect hotter than hell and smelly too." (That's probably not an exact quote.) Everyone laughed.
When they launched into tracks from MuteMath - 'Typical', 'Notice', 'Control' - the energy in the room was incredible. There was this girl a little bit in front of us who had managed to carve out some significant groove space. I was a little jealous, because she was going nuts and had the space to do so. I bopped and jumped and moved as much as space would permit. Seeing really great bands live is one of the very few times when I can push everything else out of my head and just be. This was one of those times when I was completely in the moment.
Paul announced that right after they were done playing, he was heading straight out to change and go to bed because he was deliriously feverish. From the caliber of his performance, you couldn't tell. Watching the sweat drip off his nose in profile as he played organ seemed more intimate than usual knowing he was sick. Because of the smaller stage, the acrobatics were less than what you would expect, though they did end the set with some instrument switching and Darren on top of the organ beating on a drum.
I have a vague recollection of some jackass trying to push his way through for the last couple of songs and getting shut down by security, of Barb getting escorted back to our spot in the crowd after she used the restroom, of way too many people touching me, of the dank smell in the room. Mostly, I just remember a room full of people united in the common purpose of rocking out to some truly talented musicians and to Paul's voice piercing my brain.
When: September 22, 2011
Where: Mohawk Place/ Buffalo, NY
With: Barb
Of Note: Paul's feverishness, the mini stage acrobatics, the still sexiness of a key-tar
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| From Remembering the Encores |
I love MuteMath. No, actually, I LOVE LOVE LOVE MuteMath. I learned about them when preparing to attend the Virgin Mobile Music Festival a bunch of years ago (stay tuned for fuzzy recollections!), saw them live and was blown away. I have been waiting for them to tour anywhere vaguely in the northeast since then. I was so excited when they announced their Odd Soul pre-release tour dates and one of them was Buffalo! Like 10 minutes away from my house! I bought tickets the moment they went on sale and waited anxiously for the day to come.
Though I didn't know who would be going with me when I bought the pair of tickets, Barb graciously accepted my invitation. Because now, after Jen-e-bration, Barb is my homegirl. (Why did that take so long?) There was a little confusion leading up to the concert because I couldn't figure out when it started; the tickets only said when the doors opened. In any event, we made it to Mohawk Place in plenty of time, grabbed a couple of drinks and settled in for an amazing show.
MuteMath is one of those bands who has lyrics that cut to my soul. Their songs make me not want to be typical, to take control of the atmosphere, to notice my heart when I notice you there. Paul, their frontman, is the rare hybrid of both rockstar and dreamboat; most male musicians fall firmly into one camp or the other. Darren, their drummer, is insane. Roy, the bassist, was recently named as one of the most under-rated bassists in music. Chris, the new guitarist, was adorable.
The band took the stage not from the wings, but by leading a modified marching band down the center of the crowd. When they took their places, the whole room cheered when Darren taped his headphones to his head, a signature move. The room was so small, so hot, so dirty. It felt almost as if everyone, the band, the audience, the dust mites on the rafters, were part of one living thing, moving together. I know that sounds crazy. I felt like part of something.
The band played songs from not yet released album Odd Soul and everyone bopped along politely. They played a couple tracks from Armistice - I was excited to hear 'Armistice' and the room erupted during 'Spotlight'. At one point Paul made the comment that, "When I thought 'intimate', I thought candles and nice smells. I didn't expect hotter than hell and smelly too." (That's probably not an exact quote.) Everyone laughed.
When they launched into tracks from MuteMath - 'Typical', 'Notice', 'Control' - the energy in the room was incredible. There was this girl a little bit in front of us who had managed to carve out some significant groove space. I was a little jealous, because she was going nuts and had the space to do so. I bopped and jumped and moved as much as space would permit. Seeing really great bands live is one of the very few times when I can push everything else out of my head and just be. This was one of those times when I was completely in the moment.
Paul announced that right after they were done playing, he was heading straight out to change and go to bed because he was deliriously feverish. From the caliber of his performance, you couldn't tell. Watching the sweat drip off his nose in profile as he played organ seemed more intimate than usual knowing he was sick. Because of the smaller stage, the acrobatics were less than what you would expect, though they did end the set with some instrument switching and Darren on top of the organ beating on a drum.
I have a vague recollection of some jackass trying to push his way through for the last couple of songs and getting shut down by security, of Barb getting escorted back to our spot in the crowd after she used the restroom, of way too many people touching me, of the dank smell in the room. Mostly, I just remember a room full of people united in the common purpose of rocking out to some truly talented musicians and to Paul's voice piercing my brain.
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| From Remembering the Encores |
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| From Remembering the Encores |
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