etnies

Getting a hold of Mute Math’s Paul Meany is tricky business. Dealing with what seemed an army of publicists, managers and recording times to eek out a mere forty-five minute interview – Ha, was well worth our time as Paul is about as warm and talkative of a musician as you will ever find. Not only that, but Mute Math draws direct inspiration from Pat Benatar! Questions varied from Keytar lessons to the state of the music industry and where Mute Math fits into it all with their genre bending brand of melody making.

etnies has collaborated with Mute Math to create their very own jean. A lot of keytar smashing went into the making of this jean so be sure to check it out. We will be posting segments of this interview every week in February, so be sure to check back every week for more Mute Math.

Part 1

etnies: Hello, Paul?

So you have finally decided to do the interview. It sounded like there was a lot of back and forth action. Were you guys second guessing it? You don’t really want to talk to us do you?

How did you know? That just might be it?

We tend to have that affect on people.

Well let’s have it, hit me with your best shot boy. Who did that quote anyway? Pat Benatar? Joan Jett?

That was Pat Benatar. Do you guys model your music after Pat Benatar?

Exactly, oh to be Pat Benatar…

I thought I could hear some of her vibe in you guys.

Yeah, well when we had our first initial band meeting, we each wrote down secretly what we wanted this band to sound like and surprisingly, every one of us said Pat Benatar. What the hell, it’s meant to be. Mission accomplished!

Yes, very good job on that accomplishment. I heard that I pulled you from the studio to do this interview? What's going on in there?

Just trying to write some new songs. Umm, and uh, yeah, staying busy with that while we have some time off.

So does that mean you are at home in New Orleans? I heard that’s a beautiful place no matter what the winds bring.

Have you been to New Orleans?

No, but I’ve seen lots of pictures. Poor Katrina. I used to live in Memphis, that’s why I can say it’s beautiful in the South.

New Orleans is a great place to grow up and a great place to be. After Katrina we relocated up to Tennessee, I’m missing New Orleans more than ever. Greg still lives down there. I’m jonesing for the food and of course the atmosphere, which is completely its own thing. I guess you take it for granted when you grow up there and it’s like, yeah that’s the French quarter, that’s uptown and when you start traveling the world you start realizing how special a place it really is. There is no place quite like it that clashes all the cultures. You know, it really is a melting pot of all the places in the world and we are going to try and record our next album there. We are gearing up for that.

When is recording going to happen?

In the spring.

Would you say New Orleans has had an affect on your music? Especially being surrounded by such a musical atmosphere all your life?

You know when you think of New Orleans music, certain things come to mind and our music isn’t one of them. Our music doesn’t really encapsulate what is traditionally New Orleans music and I’m the only one from New Orleans. Half the band is from Springfield, Missouri; there is a territory battle within Mute Math, that’s what’s going on right now.

What side is winning the battle?

Missouri is winning; I’ve probably got to find a producer and a mix engineer from New Orleans to help pull this one through. There is a bit of New Orleans in the music though. All the guys have lived in New Orleans for the past ten years and just being in the city, the vibe, the energy, there is something about it that compels art. It’s a great place to be creative. One thing that I love about this band is the rhythm section. I know a lot of New Orleans bass players and drummers have influenced Darren and Roy over the years.

I must say that Darren’s drumming is one of my favorite things about Mute Math.

I think my favorite thing about Darren’s drumming ability is that it opens the door to what we can create. Darren is a rare drummer that really understands the line between R&B and Rock drumming, he approaches his beats with a soulful type of playing but with an amazing rock execution. Usually drummers are one or the other, but I think Darren has found a good place between the two. He can sort of lay down these dirty grooves, from gutter-grease in the streets to backbeat stuff. He has got the energy and execution of rock drummers and with that he opens up a world of possibilities for us. He also puts on one hell of a show. I don’t know if you guys have seen us live?

I never have. I’ve seen some video of you live but that doesn’t count. I hear the live show is supposed to be quite the experience.

The show has been pretty foundational to getting our band out there. That and touring along with the Internet.

Why has touring been such a big thing for you guys?

Well the last tour we did was absolutely insane. We really had to pinch ourselves because we played for some of our biggest crowds yet. We’ve opened shows to big crowds for other bands, but when the crowds come just for us, that feels great. So yeah, it really starts to feel that circling the country seven or eight times and going back to the same cities has been huge for us, a lot of the kids drag along their friends the next time we come through their town. It’s quite a feeling of accomplishment. I have played in bands that every time we went out less and less people would come to our shows and of course the band would break up and try something else. It’s nice to be in a band where people come to the shows and we click as a band and everything comes together.

- Read more of our Mute Math interview with lead singer/keytar player Paul Meany next week.