I didn't see much music while at Cornerstone last week. Occasionally I could hear, or feel, the thumping of a bass while I was giving a talk. Someone told me that there were about 500 bands there, which is an amazing number, to be sure. So it's probably a shame that I didn't see more than I did. But, the fact is, I have a strong aversion to Christian music in general, so I didn't have a great interest to begin with.But I did see one group, whom I loved.
Before going to Cornerstone, I had asked via this blog, Twitter, and Facebook, what band(s) I should make sure and see. One name came back over and over: mewithoutYou. Though I'd never heard of them, I figured that this must be a sign, so I made a point of staying for the main stage on Friday night to hear them.
And I loved them. They're a post-punk, high energy, spoken word group with a bit of a 70s
psychedelic sound. Being able to watch their drummer, Richard Mazzotta, is alone worth the price of admission. That dude is off the hook.
I read up on them a little bit after I got home, and it turns out that they were discovered at Cornerstone a few years ago and signed by Tooth and Nail, a Christian label. But they aren't a Christian band, exactly. The lead singer, Aaron Weiss, and his guitarist brother were reared by parents who had converted from Judaism and Episcopalianism to follow M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen in Philadelphia in the 1970s. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a Sufi mystic who developed a significant follwoing during that time, and his writings and parables have influenced mewithoutYou, as have other Sufi poets and the Bible.
So, I'm digging me some mewithoutYou right now. Thanks to all of you who recommended them.
And I loved them. They're a post-punk, high energy, spoken word group with a bit of a 70s
psychedelic sound. Being able to watch their drummer, Richard Mazzotta, is alone worth the price of admission. That dude is off the hook.I read up on them a little bit after I got home, and it turns out that they were discovered at Cornerstone a few years ago and signed by Tooth and Nail, a Christian label. But they aren't a Christian band, exactly. The lead singer, Aaron Weiss, and his guitarist brother were reared by parents who had converted from Judaism and Episcopalianism to follow M.R. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen in Philadelphia in the 1970s. Bawa Muhaiyaddeen was a Sufi mystic who developed a significant follwoing during that time, and his writings and parables have influenced mewithoutYou, as have other Sufi poets and the Bible.
So, I'm digging me some mewithoutYou right now. Thanks to all of you who recommended them.
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when mewithoutyou screams, they do screaming right. None of the other bands at C-stone do screaming well, imho. And there was far too much of it...
i'm guessing that show was probably the largest crowd the mainstage saw... that was the only mainstage performance I showed up for, and there was massive entrance for their show, and then a mass exodus when they were done. i caught Bill Mallonnee after that show, which was a huge genre jump--one of the beautiful things about C-stone.
i think they do better in smaller venues for sure, because they're lyrically driven, which allows their listeners to make out what they're saying a bit better...but I loved the show. their new album is great. i didn't know that part of their story--thanks for sharing. makes sense that the most fantastic song on the album is "Allah Allah Allah" which they performed to my great pleasure.
Yeah, there's much greater variety these days in terms of music created by people who happen to be Christians: lyrically, musically--there are plenty of Christians out there just making good music. So try not to let the label deter you too much in the future :)
I can see why you might have beef with the Christian music industry, but it almost sounds like you like mewithoutyou more now that you've found out they aren't purely christian in their beliefs? What if they were? You'd like them less? That seems a bit odd.
im pretty sure your buddy mark scandrette is friends with them
Ever since I was 16 I have had a love/hate relationship with "Christian music." There have been times when I wouldn't listen to it and others when that is all I wanted to hear. I guess for me I finally decided that I glean from all music the beauty and wonder of God. I don't care if the artists are Christian (though I wish they were) what matters to me is if the music is good. Mewithoutyou are a great band and more than that really awesome guys. I saw them in Memphis and Aaron the lead singer took questions for two hours from kids eventhough they had a gig the next day in Texas. There are tons of good bands that are signed to "Christian" Labels. The one that I am highest on is As Cities Burn. They are great guys too and have some of the most thoughtful lyrics out there.
Peace,
Nate
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