New Orleans based, alt rockers, Mutemath have a reputation for outstanding performances, it’s widely known, among their fans and industry experts, a Mutemath show is like no other. Consistently performing an amazing live representation of the music along with top-notch design and planning they present an unmatched visual experience.

Paul Meany, the frontman, is one of the few performers, who can actually make playing a keytar look cool. He hopped around on stage like my kids after a trip to the candy store, energetic to say the least. With a spectacular, signature headstand move on his keyboard, and plenty of climbing on instruments, the enthusiastic crowd was bombarded with a performance like no other.

And right from the start, you know you’re in for a wild ride when the drummer, Darren King, as part of his pre-concert routine, uses gaffers tape to attach his headset to his hairless dome.

For almost two hours, this quartet throughly rocked the outdoor amphitheater at BGC, with their brand of alternative music. Think instrumental post/math rock, meets the indie world and interestingly were originally labeled as Christian rock.

A label they weren’t fond of, feeling it limits your fan base and they even sued their record label when they were marketed as Christian rockers. They are Christians but the music itself is a far cry the sound of CCM, nothing like Creed, closer to the Fray, as far as style goes. Rolling Stone calls them “kinda sorta a Christian rock band”.

To round out the band, Todd Gummerman on guitar and Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas on bass, also skilled on multi instruments, you’d often find them mixing it up at various stage locations during the live show.

And if you have a few minutes, checkout the carefully orchestrated video for the single “Typical”, it makes bands, known for video production, like OK Go, look like amateurs. The entire song is performed backwards, yes backwards, while they incorporate visual elements, even the drummer, Darren, learned to play his parts in reverse.

How a band exits the stage can tell you just as much about them as how they take the stage. At the finish of a gig, if your lucky, performers toss souvenirs into the crowd, like drumsticks and guitars picks but these guys just didn’t randomly throw them, rather hand-delivered them to particular fans in the front rows.

And the recipients weren’t random either, the people chosen were obviously huge fans and appreciated the performance. They paid attention, to who was paying attention. They even awarded the handwritten, taped to the floor set-lists, to deserving individuals in the crowd, a task usually reserved for stage hands as they break down the set.

A leap of faith, with clear instructions to the crowd, whatever you do, don’t drop me! One of the features of this show is an air mattress adorned with LED lights for crowd surfing in comfort and there’s only one way to get on, jump. The crowd managed the mattress well, but getting off was a whole different matter, fortunatly Paul managed never to hit the ground.

Mutemath has been around for awhile, they formed in 2003, now in the double digits of their establishment, as Paul enthusiastically announced to the crowd, they have 3 records so far and a new one coming out soon, can’t wait to hear it.

Had the opportunity to briefly meet them, pleasant, approachable and friendly, first impressions; nice bunch of folks.

A gorgeous high-res big screen as the backdrop, emitted live feeds of scenes from a variety of angles, one camera even zipped across a cable suspended above the crowd, fantastic video work.

Each tour, they reinvent their visual presence, and the Odd Soul didn’t disappoint, obviously a creative bunch, it’s contagious and the decent sized crowd just ate it up, an unforgettable show.

Special thanks going out to the gang at Church Simplified for another successful event…