a night to remember

People, I just saw the coolest show on the planet. I finally got to see Mute Math live at the Viper Room in Hollywood. OK, quick background: everything started about 5 years ago when the band Earthsuit first dropped their album Kaleidoscope Superior. I've got "buttons". I'll listen to Amel Larrieux or Sade to press the coolspiritual button. I'll listen to Sting or Seal to push the intellegent button. I'll listen to Chaka Khan or Karen Clark Sheard to rawemotional button. Or Michael Jackson to push the dontstoptilyougetenough button. Well... when I first heard Earthsuit's "Whitehorse", it pushed like 5 buttons. So at that point, I instantly became a fan and loudunstoppable advocate of the band. You can imagine that I was pretty crushed when they were unceremoniously dropped from their label a couple years later. Me and my friends mourned and even drew up tentative plans to take over the Sparrow Records building and hold somebody hostage until they resigned the band, but that just never panned out. Earthsuit's members split up and became two bands: Macrosick and Mute Math.

This has been a bumper week because not only did I see Mute Math here in L.A., but Macrosick just happened to play a free show at the Key Club just down the street from the Viper Room the day before. That was a thrill and a half because not only did I get to meet dc Talk's Kevin Max (who was so cool and down to earth) at the show, but while performing, Macrosick called members of Mute Math up to the stage to help them out on one song. So it was almost like getting to see Earthsuit play! Finally, about the coolest thing of the night was getting to present Greg Hill of Mute Math with my redesign of their Reset EP artwork (I'd post pictures of it, but I gave one copy to my class instructor and the other to Greg, so I have to print and assemble another). I have to toot my horn though because I thought my artwork was great! Mua ha ha ha ha! It came complete with lyric insert and special edition slipcase. It was the final project for my graphic design class this semester, but it just worked out that it coincided with the perfect timing of them being in L.A. That's not all though. I haven't gotten to telling you about the Mute Math show last night!

OK, it's a shame, but I had planned to caravan about 5 or 6 people with me to the show, but after last minute cancellations, only 3 besides made it in because of last minute cancellations, and just the simple fact that the show was near-sold-out when we got there and some of my friends couldn't even get in. The band's management agreed a couple weeks ago to put me on the guest list in exchange for passing out flyers and putting up posters in advance, but I wasn't sure if I made it on the list and the bouncer at the front door was being kinda hardnosed about it. One of the band's roadies named Joe heard what was going on though and gave a holler to Kevin from their management (The Kookoogey Group), and got both me and my friend onto the guest list.

Once I got in, I was surprised how small and tight the Viper Room was. Opening up the show was Mat Kearney. I heard some of his songs before, but he's got a different vibe live. He handled his acoustic set alone on either guitar or keys which I have so much respect. Plus, he's pretty funny without trying hard to be. The best part was when he couldn't find his pick, he played the rest of his set with a quarter that some guy in the front row gave him. That was great man. I felt bad though because all through his set, I kept ducking down in the front row with my cell phone to consort with the friends who were in line outside waiting to get in. Two of them in the front of the line eventually got inside in time for Mute Math's show, but the others were so far back that they gave up.

So, I had a singular goal when I got to the show. To be front and center, making a proper idiot of myself. And I am proud to say -- I accomplished this task with flying colors. I was already uber-excited about even seeing the band, so when they took the stage no more than a couple feet away from my face and launched into "Chaos", I went off like a firework and didn't stop until after... well, I didn't stop. I sang every lyric and ad-lib to every song I knew all night long. It was absolutely great.

Next in the set was "Plan B", which they slowed down a little bit for tonight's show, but it was the perfect tempo to rock to. One thing I have to say is that Darren King is a freakin' amazing drummer. My friend Aaron pointed out that he was playing on a really stripped down set. Just a kick, snare, single tom, high hat, and cymbal, but the sound that came out of it was awesome.

Next, the guys did two new songs, "Stare At The Sun" and "Noticed". I didn't know the lyrics so I forced to enjoy them quietly... for the most part. I did take the opportunity to bust out my digital camera and take some shots of the band. And I know it was rebellious and derelict of me, but even though I saw the sign posted at the entrance that said "absolutely no audio, video, or camera equipment", I figured I wouldn't get thrown out of the venue on one warning. I had to work quickly and pick and choose my moments, but I got a few shots before a bouncer tapped me on the elbow and gave me the "put it away" signal with his professionally furrowed brows. You can't be mad at him though. That's his job.

That's why I didn't get any pics of Mat Kearney though, which sucks 'cause he had a really cool outfit on that I wanted to see if one of my friends could recreate for me. I got a couple really cool 30 second clips of the band though. At the perfect time too. Paul Meany was rockin' the famous keytar that he uses to trigger samples live and using it to play a solo while standing on top of his Rhodes keyboard. Not a fake one though -- a real, genuine Rhodes. If that isn't literally cool on top of cool, then it's just not possible. I wish I had gotten some shots of Roy who was doing double duty holding down those hefty basslines and alternating playing this mic'ed-up kick drum like a gong. It was great. It made your heart rumble like a good 808 does. You could feel it all thru the room. To top it off, as Paul was walking around the Rhodes to put the keytar back on its stand, he gave me a quick pat on the shoulder and said "thank you so much" before sitting back down. I think he shook my hand from the stage too. If not then, at some other point during the show. It was unreal the amount of love I got. Too good to be true.

The energy kicked back up fever pitch as soon as Greg Hill played the opening guitar riff to "Reset". Even though the song is instrumental, the music itself speaks... and the only thing I could reply to what it was saying was: "Wow." It's one of those songs that just takes you somewhere. I love it, and I couldn't believe I was getting to watch it being recreated live and authentic right in front of me down to stereodelic samples that lead up to the breakdown about 2:30 minutes into the song. Even though Paul had gone all the way over to the other side of the stage to trigger samples, he completely made it back to the Rhodes in time to pick up the melody right where it's supposed to be. I think it was during "Reset" though that everybody was floored when Paul ripped the rop off of the Rhodes in the middle of a solo and continued literally banging out the music by hitting what looked like the hammers of a piano that are underneath the "hood" of the Rhodes. A-freakin'-mazing. Out-freaking-standing. Un-freaking-believable.

By now, I was way past "in awe", 'cause I'm used to singing these songs full voice with the music blaring through me and back out my window while I'm in the car. I've been doing that for 9 months now consistently. To be having the sound blare at me having come directly out of Greg, Paul, Roy, and Darren in person. So when they dropped the big booty bass beat of "Peculiar People" next, I just knew it was so headbangin' time. My dredlocks were floppin' everywhere without abandon, but I wasn't alone... another fan (Orlando) was on the other side of my friend Aaron lovin' it just like me, man, and his head was straight up clean. He came all the way up from like San Diego to come to the show, so I know it must have been amazing for him. Might I add that it was hella diggable to sing the harmony parts to the chant they do after the chorus... it was just like in my car... hehehe!

This whole show had been an indescribable high for me, so when Paul announced they were gonna play "Control" next, I knew it was almost done. I didn't have time to lament it though because my guys were busy playin' the joint. And even if I felt like I was the only one singing along before, everybody joined in on this one.

To everybody's delight, Paul then announced that they had one more song to do before closing, another new song called "We All Break The Same". I can't wait to get the CD and pore through the lyrics when it comes out, 'cause it seemed like it had a lot of substance to process through. Weighty like something Kevin Max or Sting himself would have been right proud to record. It was during this song that Paul rocked his coup-de-grace taking a turn playing both the kick-drum-a-la-gong that Roy was playing earlier as well as a hand-muted crash cymbal that had a mallet-shaped gash in it on the other side (most likely from some other show where it gave out during a similar performance).

And then the most unbelievable finale for me. Paul had the keytar again, but this time instead of playing melody lines, he was just smashing keys and putting out a melange of sound. He was almost uncomfortably close to me while rocking out -- like 6 inches away from my face -- so I started to back up when I noticed him motion to me to "do something with the keytar". It must have been hilarious to bystanders, because I recall giving him the "you want me to what?!" look. He demonstrated by mashing a whole section of keys with his left hand and then indicating that I do the same on cue. Still in disbelief, and wide-eyed with my expression now having changed to "are you sure about this?" I pressed down on three keys with my middle, index, and ring fingers to test the waters when he gave me the signal. Then he concurred with a nod and reiterated in action to just go all out. And when I finally got bold enough to use my whole hand to span across the keys, he nodded and smiled approvingly and had me repeat this two or three times to the rhythm.

Remember when I said "A-freakin'-mazing, Out-freaking-standing, Un-freaking-believable"? Well add to that, un-freaking-real. I did not get to play the trademark instrument of the frontman from my favorite band during a concert where I got in for free. All I ended up paying for was $10 for parking and $15 for the Mute Math T-shirt that I knew I would kick myself if I didn't purchase.

I was on overload man. How many Cinderella-type experiences can one man have in the span of a lifetime? Amel Larrieux, Crystal Lewis, Mute Math, pretty much everybody musically significant to me, God has allowed me to touch in someway. I'm humbled, bowled-over, and short-circuited with incredulous joy. These guys are all so cool though. After the kick-butt show they put on, I would have understood if they came off the stage speaking in 3rd person about how good they were, only interrupting their speeches to pause and pose every few seconds like The Rock^TM. They were just down-to-earth, talking to everybody while they were loading gear into their trailer.

Still, I had to revert to my long retired groupie nerd style and ask for autographs and pictures. Greg, Paul, and Darren all signed my Reset CD and as if I couldn't be any more floored, when Greg noticed my thin li'l Sharpie was drying up and running out, Greg grabbed a fresh one and had the guys re-sign. Then when we took the group picture, not only did I get the whole band in one place long enough to take the photo, but Roy Mitchell-Cardenas (formerly of Earthsuit, filling-in on bass guitar tonight) was in the pic too, and I even got one with Adam LaClave (formerly of Earthsuit, now the frontman for Macrosick) jumping in at the last minute, but that one came out blurry.

Hey, I forget to mention one of the coolest things though. Tonight in Hollywood was the last show of The Reset Tour which included 40 club dates all across the United States. How fitting was it that on the last hit of the last song, the same drum head that Darren had played for the whole tour finally ruptured. And as the me and the rest of the crowd were cheering our heads off, Darren threw his sticks and the piece of a broken drum right about in the direction of me and my friend Aaron. I picked up the drumstick and he picked up the drum head. Does it get any cooler? Darren even autographed the drum head too. I think the stick speaks for itself. Wow. Wow. Man. Wow. That's about all I was saying for the rest of the night, and I'll never forget it not even when I'm old and gray, that is unless I decide to be one of those grandfather types who still dye their hair black. Heh.

This was the set list:

1. Chaos
2. Plan B
3. Stare At The Sun
4. Noticed
5. Reset
6. Peculiar People
7. Control
8. We All Break The Same