The past few months have been nothing short of hectic for indie pioneers Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Mute Math.
They began touring on March 3 and they will continue in the states until May 12. Then the tour picks back up at the end of the month on May 29 in Europe, starting in Germany and inching it’s way across to the UK.
If you didn’t make it to any of the shows in Knoxville, Atlanta or Asheville, chances are you missed your opportunity to see one of the trippiest light shows the area has to offer. Not a problem to those with epilepsy, as Mute Math has a habit of hitting the stage with high-beam strobe lights.
The Cinematics of TVT Records, also touring with the former two, have received quite a bit of acclaim with the release of their debut album, “A Strange Education.” When I first heard their music I was a little apprehensive, as I thought they sounded an awful lot like another Killers rip-off, like The Bravery. However, don’t let the electronic sound throw you off – The Cinematics are definitely packing some heat.
The band has a reputation for being pretty wild, and on several occasions have been spotted smoking joints quite blatantly in public view. “We are not permanently smoking weed,” lead guitarist Ramsay Miller says. “We roll our own cigarettes and they happen to look an awful lot like reefers.”
Go figure.
Coincidentally, lead-vocalist/guitarist Scott Rinning acquired a bit of a sore throat near the end of March and unfortunately was unable to perform at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville.
The band quickly recovered to put on a rather remarkable show the following week in Asheville, and the Glasgow foursome have been rocking out at every opportunity since.
Tech lords Mute Math started off the show with a very dramatic entrance as front-man Paul Meany suddenly appeared on top of a pedestal the moment the lights kicked on. The opening gesture initiated the band to burst into song with “Typical,” a rather … typical song about breaking the norm. Regardless, “Reset” was an ass-kick. Of course, it couldn’t have been anything but, what with all of the build-up created by the chanting crowd.
One of the first things you will notice when you go to a Mute Math gig is that the drummer is not confined to the back of the stage. Never before have I seen a band that actually allowed the drummer to set up his kit at the very front of the show.
It was a strange sight indeed, but then I don’t suppose many bands have to grovel beneath the sheer authority that Darren King has as a drummer.
You thought you’d never see another key-tar after the ’80s, but let me tell you, ladies and gents, Paul Meany is bringing it back – or at least trying.
A sort of awkward thing to carry across the stage, the instrument seemed to turn Meany’s strut into a bit of a pout … and I found it a bit unnecessary towards the close of the set when he began smashing the rarity into pieces. Sorry, but destroying your key-tar just doesn’t have the same effect as busting up a worthless, distortion-peaked telecaster. It’s about the equivalence of, say … meany-weany versus bad ass.
The highlight of the performance had to be near the end when the entire band participated in a percussional break-down. Every member grabbed a drumstick and headed over to the front right of the stage to join King in all of his glory, who sat like a ring leader on his drum throne.
SSLYBY wasn’t a bad show, but don’t expect to hear what you heard on the CD. Broom is an indie-pop joyride – the live show was just a rougher version. Alas, every rock legend has a weak show.
Afterwards, I met up with a few of the guys from SSLYBY, Philip Dickey and John Robert Cardwell. They were very down-to-earth and laid back, definitely sporting the guy-next-next-door aura. They were a bit buzzed after the show, if you know what I mean, but they still seemed more than happy to participate in a bit of an interview and some pictures.
John started to go outside for a smoke break until a security guard stopped him with “Hey, you stay in here with that drink, buddy.” John looked nervously over his shoulder and just nodded in submission. “That’s cool, this is fine.”
It was hard to picture that this was the same guy that had such a strong voice on “Broom,” but sure enough, he had all of the right answers.
So how did they start out?
“Well, we all played instruments back in Minnesota. We were just a group of friends having fun at first,” says Cardwell. “I grew up in Arkansas, so I listened to a lot of country music, but I’d say for the rest of them, the biggest influences had to be bands like The Beatles and Nirvana.”
Their first tour was last year, and they seem to have been on the road ever since.
“Mute Math found us over the Internet somehow and they had been looking for someone to go on tour with … So they asked us to go,” John Robert claims.
“We’ve done four tours now, with varying results, definitely varying crowds” John says. “We did really well in Washington, D.C., and the West Coast area.”
Apparently the East Coast has been a tougher audience to please.
“We’ve played a few venues in New York, it’s a lot harder to rile the New York crowd.” says Cardwell.
Don’t worry, someone still loves you, Someone Still Loves You, Boris Yeltsin.

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