- MewithoutYou
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mewithoutYou in St. Augustine, FLBackground information Genres Experimental rock, post-hardcore, indie rock, art rock Years active 2001–present Labels Tooth & Nail Records Associated acts Weiss Family, Bella Futuro, Sans Culottes, I Hate You, The Operation, Geology, Norma Jean, The Tanners, Monitors Website Official website Members Aaron Weiss
Michael Weiss
Greg Jehanian
Richard MazzottaPast members Daniel Pishock
Ray Tadeo
Christopher KleinbergMe Without You, stylized as mewithoutYou and abbreviated as mwY, is an American rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The band consists of vocalist Aaron Weiss, guitarist Michael Weiss, bassist Greg Jehanian and drummer Rickie Mazzotta. MewithoutYou's music is generally dominated by spoken-word vocals and free-ranging drums, bass, and guitar. On their third album, Brother, Sister, the band incorporated more varied instrumentation including percussion instruments, accordion, and harp.
Contents
History
The band was originally conceived as a side project. The Weiss brothers and former guitarist Christopher Kleinberg were playing together in another band called The Operation with current bassist Greg Jehanian (who released one album and one EP, 2001's There Is Hope for a Tree Cut Down & 1999's Invisible Man EP, on Takehold Records), but Aaron wanted to start another band to experiment with new sounds. With the help of Ricky Mazzotta, Ray Taddeo, and his brother Mike, Aaron formed what is now formally known as mewithoutYou. At first the band was a four piece, with Aaron Weiss on both bass and vocals. However, in only a few months Chris Klienberg joined to play third guitar. The band released their first EP (I Never Said That I Was Brave) in 2001 and shortly thereafter signed to Tooth & Nail Records after a show at Cornerstone Festival the same year. Around this time Taddeo had moved on, and Daniel Pishock was recruited to be the first official and permanent bass player of the band. The Operation disbanded soon afterward, and mewithoutYou's debut full-length album, [A→B] Life, was released in 2002. The band garnered more attention for their second release, 2004's Catch for Us the Foxes, which was produced by Brad Wood (Smashing Pumpkins, Sunny Day Real Estate). In December 2004 Pishock had made the decision to retire as the bassist to pursue a career in teaching and explore other musical ventures, and former Operation frontman, Greg Jehanian, was selected to replace him. In 2005, mewithoutYou won mtvU's "Left Field" award for most original artist for their song "January 1979." Their third album, Brother, Sister, again produced by Wood, was released on September 26, 2006. In late 2007, guitarist Christopher Kleinberg left the band, to pursue a degree in medicine. Pete Syoum filled in for guitar in the fall of 2007, but later Kleinberg returned to play with the band on their 2008 Summer tour since school was not in session. Kleinberg also played some shows on their, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright, tour in June 2009.
Aaron Weiss provides narration for the Forgive Durden album entitled, "Razia's Shadow: A Musical" which was released October 28, 2008. He also provides vocals for Norma Jean's "Memphis Will Be Laid To Waste" and Indie/Hip Hop project Bella Futuro's "70 X 7".
As of September 2008 the band has finished recording the follow-up to Brother, Sister titled, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright. The title of the album is taken from parable 518 in the book 'The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh" by Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. In this he writes, "It's all false, It's all a dream, It's all crazy, It's all over, It's all right, Let's see what's next".[1] The latest album is a departure from Weiss' trademark shouting and the band's raucous grooves. The mile-a-minute rants, thick with lyrical angst, are traded for simpler melodies with lyrics about anthropomorphic food and animals. Similarly, the band has scaled back their edgier post-hardcore sound, at times trading riffs for chords and guitars for pianos and harp. Even a classical composer was called into their Fishtown, Philadelphia studio for various arrangements on several tracks.[2] The album was produced by Dan Smith (Danielson, Sufjan Stevens) and Brian McTear and was mixed by Brad Wood.
They tour in a 42-foot 1976 MC8 Charter bus that runs on vegetable oil. Before July 2009 the side of the bus read "Altus Bulldogs." The bus has since been painted in a light beige and marked with paintings of flowers and vines by artist Salihah Moore.[3]
MewithoutYou are currently writing for their fifth studio album, as stated by their drummer Rickie Mazzotta in a recent interview.[4] They have booked studio time at the end of July and through August. They have recently added Brandon Beaver of Buried Beds to play second guitar as stated on their blog by Rickie Mazzotta.
On August 10, 2011, Chris Kleinberg and wife Nikki had a baby girl, Jubilee Kleinberg.[5] Because of this, the August 13 show in Philadelphia, PA was one of the first local shows where Kleinberg did not join the band on stage since his departure in 2007.
Later in August Mazzotta stated in an interview that the band has parted ways with Tooth & Nail Records due to perceived restrictions placed on them by the label. They hinted at starting their own label as they prepared to release their fifth album.[6] Other band members, however, have often expressed satisfaction with and gratitude and affection toward their old label, citing different reasons for ceasing to work with them: namely, having completed their contract, the declining relevance of record labels in the current music world, and simply the excitement to try something new.[citation needed]
In October 2011, Alternative Press announced that on a forthcoming tribute album to Nirvana's Nevermind mewithoutYou contributes their cover of "In Bloom".[7]
Lyrical themes
The Weiss brothers are of Jewish descent and their songs use Jewish, Muslim and Christian imagery to explore spiritual themes. The Weiss brothers were raised in a Sufi Muslim household—their mother had converted from the Episcopal church, and their father from Judaism.[8] Due to the Christian imagery in some of Aaron Weiss' lyrics, they have been categorized as a Christian band, although in interview, A. Weiss has stated he doesn't think they are a Christian band.[8] Their lyrics reflect a personal relationship with God, and are not evangelistic. Other lyrical themes explored include suffering and self-doubt.
Many lyrics are taken from the Sufi poet Rumi including the song "The Cure for Pain" from [A→B] Life and a line in the song "Seven Sisters" from Catch for Us the Foxes.[9]
In the song "Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt" from their album [A→B] Life, Aaron Weiss' lyrics are based on a poem from the metaphysical poet John Donne called "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning". John Donne wrote the poem to his wife to explain that there is no need for dreading their physical separation or distance because their spiritual love will always keep them together. The lines of the song "thy firmness makes my circle just, and makes me end where I begun" are directly from John Donne's poem where the conceit is revealed as a compass (Stanza 9, ll. 35-36). The title of the song itself is a Kurt Vonnegut quote.
The title of their second album Catch for Us the Foxes is taken directly from Song of Songs 2:15: "Catch for us the foxes, / the little foxes / that ruin the vineyards, / our vineyards that are in bloom" (New International Version).[10] This passage is also used in the song "The Soviet": "Good God, please! Catch for us the foxes in the vineyard—the little foxes". See lyrical themes of Catch for Us the Foxes for the themes explored on the album.
The title of their third album, Brother, Sister, is derived from St. Francis of Assisi's "Canticle of the Sun": "We praise You, Lord, […] especially for Brother Sun, […] We praise You, Lord, for Sister Moon and the stars".[11]
Their fourth album, It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright explores many of the teachings of Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. The sufi teacher's story of "The Fox, the Crow, and the Cookie" from My Love You My Children: 101 Stories for Children[12] is told as well as his story about the "King Beetle" from The Divine Luminous Wisdom that Dispels Darkness.[13] Other concepts from the teacher are explored in "Allah, Allah, Allah," about seeing God in every blade of grass and in "Fig with a Bellyache" dealing with sexual temptation from The Divine Luminous Wisdom and The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh.[14] Guitarist Mike Weiss has been quoted as saying that the themes of the album reflect a time in vocalist Aaron Weiss' life where he is "sort of revisiting [religion] and holding himself up to those teachings that there's no one religion that's going to be the only way to God [...]," reveals Weiss. "If you really want to just try to follow a path to God, I don't believe you need anything beyond [Jesus Christ], but it's just the idea that you're fixed on the only way and that everybody else is just completely misguided [...] that is a sort of obtuse attitude that can hurt your own spirit."[15]
Members
Current
- Aaron Weiss – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar, accordion, trumpet, keyboards, percussion
- Michael Weiss – Guitar, keyboards, vocals
- Rickie Mazzotta – drums
- Greg Jehanian – Bass guitar, vocals
Touring
Former
- Christopher Kleinberg – Guitar
- Daniel Pishock – Bass guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Ray Taddeo – Guitar
- Steven Smoker – Bass
Additional musicians
- Timbre Cierpke - harp
- Lauryn Peacock - piano
- Matt Chapin - trumpet
- Derek Paquette - trombone
- Kim Tice - accordion
Discography
Albums
- [A→B] Life, 2002 (Tooth & Nail Records)
- Catch for Us the Foxes, 2004 (Tooth & Nail Records)
- Brother, Sister, 2006 (Tooth & Nail Records)
- It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright, 2009 (Tooth & Nail Records)
EPs
- Blood Enough for Us All EP, 2000 (self-released)
- I Never Said That I Was Brave EP, 2001 (Kickstart Audio)
Vinyl
- Norma Jean / mewithoutYou, 2002 (Solid State Records/Tooth & Nail Records)
- [A→B] Life, 2002 (Gilead Media)
- Catch for Us the Foxes, 2004 (Gilead Media)
- Brother, Sister, 2006 (Burnt Toast Vinyl)
- Nice and Blue (Pt. Two), 2007 (Strange Addiction Records)
- It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright, 2009 (Burnt Toast Vinyl)
Compilations
- Songs From The Penalty Box, Tooth & Nail Volume 6, 2009 "Every Thought a Thought of You"
- Come As You Are: A 20th Anniversary Tribute To Nirvana's Nevermind, 2011 "In Bloom" (Nirvana cover)
Equipment used
Electric guitars
- Gibson Custom Les Paul Goldtop (Michael)
- Fender American Telecaster, Sunburst (Michael)
- Fender Standard Stratocaster, Pink (Michael)
- Rickenbacker 360, Fireglo (Michael)
Effect pedals
Michael
In order of appearance:
- Dunlop crybaby Jimi Hendrix model
- Line 6 DL4 Delay x2
- Electro-Harmonix Small Clone Analog Chorus
- Demeter TRM-1 Tremulator
- Fulltone Fulldrive II MOSFET
- Boss RV-5 Reverb
- Rocktron HUSH Noise Reduction Pedal
All pedals are connected to the effects loop in Michael's Vox AC30.
Greg
- BOSS RC-2 Loop Station
- Maxon OD-9
- BOSS DD-3 Digital Delay
- BOSS CS-3 Compression/Sustainer
Bass
- Fender Jazz Bass (Greg)
Percussion
- C & C Drums
- Meinl Byzance Heavy Hi-Hat Traditional 14"
- Meinl Byzance Medium Thin Crash Traditional 19"
- Meinl Byzance Medium Ride Traditional 21"
Videography
- "Bullet to Binary" from A→B Life directed by Shane Drake
- "January 1979" from Catch for Us the Foxes directed by Shane Drake
- "Disaster Tourism" from Catch for Us the Foxes directed by Casey McBride & Daniel Davison
- "Leaf" from Catch for Us the Foxes directed by Josh Bender (unfinished)
- "Paper Hanger" from Catch for Us the Foxes directed by Lex Halaby
- "Nice and Blue, Pt. 2" from Brother, Sister directed by Shane Drake
- "The Fox, the Crow, & the Cookie" from It's All Crazy! It's All False . . . directed by David Bell & Amy Carrigan
References
- ^ Google Books
- ^ US (2010-02-23). "Please support our composer, Joshua Stamper. van mewithoutYou op Myspace". Myspace.com. http://www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou/blog/529731416. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ Synthesis Interview Jeremy Enigk and Aaron Weiss Catch Up as the World Waits, 2006-12-07
- ^ kick/snare/hat interview with drummer, Rickie Mazzotta
- ^ Announced at the 08-13-11 show in Philadelphia, around friends and family, after the naming ceremony held that day.
- ^ [1]mewithoutYou leaves Tooth & Nail
- ^ Alternative Press Article Nirvana “Nevermind” tribute album to feature Murder By Death, mewithoutYou, 2011-7-20
- ^ a b Fink, Matt (2007). "Busted: mewithoutYou". BustedHalo.com. p. 1. http://www.bustedhalo.com/features/busted-me-without-you/. Retrieved 2008-09-04. "
- "So my dad was raised Jewish and became Sufi, but he still identifies himself as a Jew. My mom was raised Episcopalian and she converted thoroughly to Sufi Islam."
- "It’s not like I’m offended if someone says we’re a Christian band. I just don’t think it’s true. I don’t think we live up to that calling, so I’d be reluctant to go saying that"
- ^ "Rumi - Wikiquote". En.wikiquote.org. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Rumi. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ Song of Songs 2:15, NIV
- ^ St. Francis of Assisi's "Canticle of the Sun" at prayerfoundation.org
- ^ "Children’s Stories : Sufi Books, Audio and Videos by M. R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen | Sufi Bawa Muhaiyaddeen | Books on Sufism : Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship Online Bookstore". Bmfstore.com. http://www.bmfstore.com/Scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=33. Retrieved 2011-01-22.
- ^ M R Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, The Divine Luminous Wisdom: That Dispels the Darkness
- ^ Q&A With mewithoutYou
- ^ REDEFINE magazine Interview With mewithoutYou, July 2009
External links
EPs Categories:- American Christian rock groups
- American post-hardcore musical groups
- Musical groups from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Tooth and Nail Records artists
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