MUTEMATH Rocks Pipeline

A few years ago, I was reading an issue of Alternative Press (Issue #228 with The Used on the cover). It was a commemorative issue celebrating their 22 years of existence. One of the lists in the magazine featured the "22 Bands You Need To See Before You Die". Claiming the top spot on that list was New Orleans' future rockers, MUTEMATH. Besides making phenomenal music, the band was also known for their elaborate and outrageous live shows. I've always wondered how cool it would be see one of their shows, but at the time, I was skeptical that a band of that caliber would come down to the islands. What was thought to be impossible turned into a stroke of faith. A few months ago, BAMP Project made an announcement that they have landed MUTEMATH into coming down to Hawaii. I was filled with excitement and joy and immediately called up my girlfriend about the news.

The months flew by and the day of the show finally came. My girlfriend and I arrived to Pipeline Cafe two hours early. When the doors opened, we rushed to the front stage. We saw the wide array of instruments on stage and we could feel our anticipation and excitement building up. We waited a good hour and a half until the doors until the host of the night introduced the opening act, Kings of Spade. They were a pretty decent band. Vocalist Kasi Nunes was quite a feat on stage and I love the mix of jazz, reggae and rock all blended together. Overall, they played a great set.

When Kings of Spade finished their set, we could feel the people behind us drawing closer to the stage. Everyone was waiting anxiously as the stage crew was arranging the band's gear. When one of the crew members brought out Paul Meany's infamous keytar, our excitement has reached maximum level and we couldn't wait any longer. Finally, the host of the night returned on stage to perform his one final task. After months of waiting, the host introduced that the band that we have all been waiting for, MUTEMATH!


Now before I begin, I just want to point out that I will not be describing play by play of what happened during the concert. There would be too many details and it would be very exhausting. However, I will be describing some of the memorable moments of that night

Although, my girlfriend and I knew beforehand that MUTEMATH was known to have great live shows, we had no idea what to expect. That is the beauty of MUTEMATH shows and we witnessed it first hand. The thing that we love most about their performance was that they don't just go on stage and play a few songs. They go up there and give the audience a show. From the moment that Darren King duct taped his headphones to his head, we knew we were in for a wild ride. MUTEMATH played a variety of songs from their self titled debut and their sophomore effort, Armistice. I was fortunate to hear some of my favorite songs such as "Clipping", “Armistice", “Control” and of course the fan favorite, “Typical. Throughout their entire set, the band members displayed their ingenuity and talent by not only played their own respective instruments, but dabbling with many other instruments such as the tambourine and the keyboard. What made the show so memorable were the little “antics” that the band members did on stage. One of them, which my girlfriend and I called “drum orgies” was when all the band members huddled around King’s drum kit and bang the hell out of it. It sounds weird and strangely erotic, but when you see it live, it looks amazing. Another one was when King poured water all over his drum kit. This created a stellar splash effects as he played the drums. The third one that totally blew my mind was when Greg Hill, the guitarist, pulled the pedal station (the apparatus that contains all the guitarist’s pedals; it is usually located on the floor) and began toggling the switches creating a wide array of distortion and noise. It was as though he was playing it like an actual instrument. There were so many other "antics", but these were ones that we remembered.



I had to make a separate paragraph for Paul Meany. I’m not trying to say that he was more important than the rest of the band, but he is truly something on stage. I had never seen a singer so dynamic and charismatic in my life. Throughout the entire set except during slower songs like “You Are Mine” and “Clipping”, he was not stationary. Switching off from piano to keytar, he “dances” on stage and really shows that he is quite the performer. To add to the list of memorable “antics”, one of the highlights of the night was when Meany did a handstand off his piano. I have seen it in my pictures, but to see it up close is truly astonishing. Along with his dynamic stage presence, his voice was compelling and brings life to the songs they played. He even paid tribute to the late great Israel Kamakawiwo'ole by playing "Peculiar People” from the Reset EP
. It was a nice dedication to honor the famous Hawaiian singer.

Overall, the show was monumental in every way possible. From start to finish, MUTEMATH took us on a wild ride that we prayed that would not end. The band had not only exceeded our expectations, but everyone else’s in the crowd that night. Alternative Press and many other publications were right on the mark about these guys. MUTEMATH is THE band you have to see before you die. For those that made it out that night, I hoped you enjoyed the ride as much as we did. For those that didn’t, sad to say, you truly missed out.

P.S. One final note, the stunning pictures were taken by Melissa Kumano. Follow her on Twitter @bzmoonbeams