New Orleans native Paul Meany’s band, Mute Math, has grown exponentially over the last year.
The group played on Late Night with David Letterman on July 17.
“Playing for David Letterman was completely surreal,” Meany said. “We were like kids in a candy store.”
Meany currently lives in Nashville, Tenn., where some of the band members have put down temporary roots since Hurricane Katrina.
The New Orleans-based band came together four years ago and has gained a loyal following over the years.
University graduate Andres Lugo met the members of Mute Math years ago.
“Their shows are always intense and high energy,” Lugo said. “But then every show is different with lots of improvisation, so the music is always evolving.”
Public relations senior, Jodie Dupuy, recently became a Mute Math fan.
“They play all these crazy instruments and are jumping all over the stage,” Dupuy said. ” At the House of Blues, the lead singer was standing on his keyboard and dancing.”
As for the crazy instruments, Mute Math has taken a Dr. Frankenstein-like approach, creating homemade instruments. Their most famous are the “Atari,” and vintage items, like the keytar.
“I wish I could say I was underage, na’ve and innocent when I picked up the keytar,” Meany said. “I actually picked it up about five years ago from a thrift store.”
Meany played the keyboard, so he was drawn to this similar yet unique 1980s-revival instrument. Meany compared mustering up the courage of bringing the keytar on stage to the scene in “Meet the Parents” when Ben Stiller is pumping himself up to put on the Speedo.
“It’s the keyboard equivalent to the banana hammock.” Meany said.
Besides entertaining the fans with the Atari and keytar, Meany and his band mates will sporadically launch into unrehearsed acrobatics on-stage that would make circus folk gasp. Despite the consequential bruises, cuts and stitches, Meany isn’t prepared to put a physical therapist on the sidelines.
“We’re not going to hire a physical therapist at this point but maybe someday,” Meany said. “Then again having one might psyche us out.”
After shows, Meany can barely recall some of the stunts he and his band mates pull on stage.
“We kind of lose our heads in the heat of the performance,” Meany said. “I look back at the video and I’m like, ‘I don’t remember doing that.'”
Mute Math will return for its second appearance at the Voodoo Music Experience festival this fall at City Park in New Orleans.
“I had really wanted to do a local festival for a long time, but we could never get our foot in the door,” Meany said. “We’re really lucky to get to do it for our second year in a row.”
Meany said he plans on going back to the Crescent City within the year.
“We’ve been so busy with touring and traveling that we haven’t gotten the chance to move back,” Meany said. “But we’ll definitely be recording our next album in New Orleans.”
Regardless if they have replanted themselves in New Orleans, Mute Math will play at the Voodoo Music Experience festival in City Park, on Oct. 26-28.
—Contact Morgan Ford at [email protected]