Interview Date: 09/10/2009
Run Date: 09/28/2009
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Rock band Mutemath had some difficulty when they were rehearsing new material for the follow-up to their 2006 debut album. Finally, after enlisting a new producer in Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse, The Hives), and scrapping the songs in favor of an entire batch of new ones, the result is a stunning album, Armistice, that may be even better than the debut. We had the chance to talk to Mutemath lead singer Paul Meany just after the album’s release, and before the tour kicks off in late September.
Paul Meany: Hi Mike.
Bullz-Eye: Hi Paul. How are you?
PM: Doing good today. How are you, man?
BE: Doing good. Love the new record.
PM: Thank you, man.
BE: I was a big fan of the first one. I didn’t realize you guys literally almost broke up before writing the tracks for this album.
PM: Tense times.
BE: How close was that to really happening?
PM: It was a reality, I’ll say that. You can only beat your head against the wall for so long trying to come up with songs and write songs that you’re unhappy with. So, it was good. We pushed ourselves as far as we could possibly push. And thankfully we found an artery of creativity that finally started yielding the songs that would become Armistice, which was something for the first time we were all vibing on.
BE: Very cool.
PM: Yep. The songs saved this band.
BE: How much pride did you guys have to swallow in order to scrap your original 16 songs and write and record new ones?
PM: No, it wasn’t about that. Scrapping the original songs was less about swallowing pride and more about accepting defeat in a way. (to someone in the background): What did you say? Swallowing shame. (laughs) Yeah, well said. That was from my guitarist (Greg Hill)
BE: Nice.
PM: (laughing harder) I’m sorry. Yeah, we invested a lot of time and energy into those songs and had to accept that, “Man, those aren’t very good.” And to just kind of have to start from scratch in a way of just shelving that. We’ve botched so many deadlines throughout the course of thinking we were done with the record. It was just another deadline where we had to say, “Alright. Looks like the record is not going to come out this year. We need to keep writing.” And that was it. But it was great once we did. Once we could accept that and we just let ourselves let songs fall out the air, they certainly did.
BE: That’s cool. It’s a really cool story. What was it like working with Dennis Herring, and how did he treat your music differently as he produced you?
PM: It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. We realized pretty quickly that we couldn’t produce our own record. For one, we didn’t have enough time. And once we shelved all the other songs, we really had to focus on writing it. We needed to find a partner we could trust to help record them and see the songs through. So we met with a bunch of producers, and Dennis just wound up being the guy that we connected with. He was familiar with what we had done and was a fan of it. I think it meant something to us that he already had a vocabulary in where our band was and we could talk freely about where we could go, and still retain the things about the band that we liked. It was just a natural fit. He was an easy guy for us to get a long with, in the beginning. (laughs) Then we brought shop over to Oxford, Miss., and we definitely had our share of butting heads trying to figure what was going to be best for the songs. But it was good. We learned a lot.
BE: What do you hope to accomplish with Armistice, and how has it been received so far, besides from me?
PM: I think good. I know we’re excited about getting back on the road again and just expanding the show and getting to incorporate some new songs. We’ll see. We’re really curious. These songs have already taken on a new life. We kind of feel like we’re re-writing them again as we’re putting them into a live environment. It’s strange how that works.
BE: You basically haven’t played them live before, have you?
PM: Exactly. And that’s a first for this band. This is the first time we have un-road tested material that’s out. Up until now, we’ve always had the luxury of being able to play a song live before we’d record it and work it out that way. Yeah, we’re going a little backwards this time, but it’s been nice. It’s pushed us.
BE: To me, the music you guys make seems to hearken back to a time in the music industry when songs mattered, because this stuff is so much better than most of the crap on the radio. Do you agree?
PM: I’m not going to deny -- I’m addicted to a good song form, a good pop song. I grew up loving Phil Collins and Steve Winwood, Peter Gabriel, The Police. It’s just that whole ‘80s song, quick shot, whatever. Those types of singers. So I think we’re always flirting with that. But we also get bored with that too, which I also actually love about this band. We’re not afraid to mess with the formula. When we started this band, that was the idea, to try to steer clear of what we felt were imposed formulas on music, so that we could just really shoot from the gut and see what would happen.
BE: What are some artists you have looked up to and tried to emulate as a band?
PM: It’s hard to deny U2 and what they’ve been able to accomplish and how many records they’ve made it through. I think they’re still doing great work now. That is quite an achievement. I hope we’ve got 12 to 13 records in us, but you have no idea. That seems like such a pipe dream. But, I really hope we can hold it together for the duration because I think the four guys in this band make up something special. I try not to get hopes up too much. I’m just an eternal pessimist. I like setting low expectations for myself so I’m not too much of a disappointed guy. We’ll definitely try to ride this out as long as we can.
BE: Do you guys all still live in New Orleans?
PM: Half of us do.
BE: Okay. What is it like living there four years after Katrina?
PM: It’s a little more disheveled. But slowly it’s coming together. It’s all right. Tax and insurance are extremely high. It’s ridiculous how it just shot through the roof. But I’m hopeful that New Orleans will stay on the map, that they can get the levees built up before another big hurricane can threaten it again. Scientifically though, it doesn’t seem like the odds are on our side. They projected that in 30 years, New Orleans won’t even be there just out of simple coastal erosion. So, I don’t know. (laughs)
BE: I think there was a special on the History Channel that we saw a year before Katrina, and it said this is going to happen and it did. That’s pretty scary.
PM: Yeah. Well, we’ll keep our fingers crossed. I hope New Orleans can stay on the map. Maybe some breakthrough in technology can keep swamps where you can see them from space that they won’t become part of the ocean.
BE: No doubt. So what is the reason behind using all caps for the band’s name and what does the name mean?
PM: (laughs) Well there’s no reason for using all caps. I think we’ve used all kinds of methods for writing the name. For all we know, the typewriter might have been broke. It’s not an acronym if that’s where you’re getting at.
BE: Okay, thanks.
PM: It was as simple and brainless as -- it was our drummer’s e-mail address. It subliminally just connected with us. We liked it. We liked what the name implied, the chemistry of it. And we were just sick of thinking of other names. So we landed at MUTEMATH.
BE: That’s hilarious. So, what is your favorite thing about being on tour and your least favorite thing about being on tour?
PM: Well definitely the shows is the high point. I wish tours were comprised more of actual shows. A lot of it is waiting, preparation, anxiety, trying to figure out what to do on your downtime. And you do all that -- well at least this time there will be more, because last time all we had was an hour show. This show is going to be at least an hour and a half, maybe some nights two hours. That will be nice. We find ourselves a lot on the road. You live for that 60 minutes you get to go on stage and play your songs. That’s what keeps you going. That’s why you’re out there. So fortunately we get to do that a little more on this tour.
BE: Cool.
PM: We have more songs to play. The worst thing, I didn’t tell you the worst thing. The worst thing is trying to kill time.
BE: (laughs) Actually the next part of that question was if you could describe a typical day on tour with MUTEMATH.
PM: It depends who you’re with. The last tour, you wake up and try to find something to eat. That’s your first quest. Try to figure out where the hell am I and what kind of food is close by. After you’ve completed that quest, sometimes there are media and press activities for us, and we’ll go do that. Go to radio stations, go to whatever. Meet people. Interviews. Sound check. And then it’s after the sound check, that’s the spot where it gets kind of, “Now what?” You’ve got time to kill. You can’t go too far because the show’s gonna start. That’s where we usually loose Darren (drummer Darren King). I think a typical day in the life of Darren is he wanders and lives on locusts and honey after sound check and then he just happens to show up five minutes before we play. Yeah, he’s the guy that stresses out our tour manager. He’s the hardest guy to keep tabs on where he’s at. He’ll have his cell phone off. You can’t get a hold of him. And I think he just walks around and reads and meets people in the city. He’s a nomad.
BE: That’s funny. Well, final question. Are you guys Saints fans?
PM: (laughs) Yes. Greg and myself, which are the two that live in New Orleans.
BE: So how do you think they will do this season?
PM: Exceptionally well. But I think if history has taught me nothing -- again, the eternal pessimist will come out -- history has taught me nothing. (laughs) We’re in for a big disappointing finish. I think we’re going to come out of the gate blasting, people are going to talk about them as contenders, and wow, this is going to be wonderful, then we’re going to fall apart in the end, whether it be to lose in the first playoff game or not even making it to the playoffs.
BE: Well, in one of my blogs I picked them to win the division. I hope that doesn’t curse you.
PM: Oh, okay. No, it won’t. It will just disappoint you. (laughs) Just another bet lost.
BE: (laughs) Right.
PM: If nothing else, I think we just signed, the perfect synopsis of the Saints. I don’t know if you follow football much, but this is my last story.
BE: I do.
PM: The perfect scenario of being a lifetime Saints fan is the one game they played, I don’t know, seven years ago, where they ran back that last minute touchdown. It was the only choice they had. They were throwing it around, you know, the scramble. The only chance we had, we had to run back the final kick-off for a touchdown. And they did, by a miracle. And then all we had to do was have the field goal kicker come out and kick the extra point and we could send it into overtime. And he missed the extra point.
BE: (laughs) I do remember this. I remember that game!
PM: And do you know that’s the one bad thing. They just signed him back to the Saints. That kicker. So (sighs)
BE: Was it John Carney?
PM: (laughs) I think so! But anyway, that’s the perfect scenario. I hope that the whole season doesn’t play out like that game. Something tells me it will.
BE: Oh, that’s not good. All right, cool Paul. I really appreciate the interview.
PM: Yeah, no problem man. Thanks for the call.
For more on Mutemath, including information on Armistice and tour dates, visit www.mutemath.com.
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