STORY WRITTEN BY BRETT SHOLTIS
bsholtis@ydr.com @BrettSholtis on Twitter
Music scenes come and go, and bands evolve or die.
Case in point: mewithoutYou came up in a certain early 2000s East-coast indie scene. Grunge. Emo. Screamo. Post-hardcore. Call it what you will, it was a definite time and place. Today, many of those bands are little more than a Wikipedia entry and a faded bumper sticker.
Not mewithoutYou. Five albums in, the Philadelphia-based band has shown an incredible willingness to experiment with new styles and instrumentation.
With a new album about to be released, a new record contract and a bevy of tour dates lined up with Dr. Dog, mewithoutYou drummer Rickie Mazzotta said he feels better than ever about the band.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” Mazzotta said. “I don’t know when the last time I do it will be. But it feels like the best place we’ve ever been.”
The new album
To hear Mazzotta talk, Fans of their early work should be excited. The new album is going to be heavy, foregoing the studio bells and whistles of their divisive 2009 album, “It’s All Crazy! It’s All False! It’s All a Dream! It’s Alright,” for a raw, 90s-tinged sound.
“There’s nothing on the record we can’t do live, give or take a couple harmonies,” Mazzotta said.
This will be the second album the band recorded since their departure from Christian alternative label Tooth & Nail, and Mazzotta said they were free to take their time and get it right.
The band also enlisted veteran Philadelphia producer Will Yip, who has worked with artists ranging from Lauryn Hill to Arctic Monkeys.
“We’re really stoked,” Mazzotta said. “When I listen to it, I don’t even believe that’s us, and I’ve never felt that way about an album before.”
Songwriting
Mazzotta said the band has always written songs together, often beginning with a guitar riff or drum beat.
“We don’t have a central songwriter,” he said. “Every change, every single part is masterminded by everybody in the band. And one big brain, sometimes, can be frustrating, but when it clicks, it really is amazing.”
After 12 years playing together, Mazzotta said the band was able to relax and have fun writing these songs.
“It’s almost like we just de-evolved back to being 18 year olds playing garage rock,” he said.
UPCOMING
Where: The Depot, 360 W. Cottage Place, York
Tickets: $18 advance, $20 at the door
For more info: visit The Depot website, www.thedepotyork.com
Then, on May 16 the band will be at Asbury Park Oceanfront in Asbury Park. For more information, check http://mewithoutyou.com/
A list of concert at which the band will be opening for Dr. Dog can be found HERE
– Digital First Media staff contributed to this report
The Philadelphia-based band, mewithoutYou, will play the Depot in Y ork, Pa., on Monday, March 23. The band is, from left to right, Greg Jehanian (Bass), Brandon Beaver (Guitar), Aaron Weiss (Vocals), Rick Mazzotta (Drums) and Mike Weiss (Guitar). (Submitted)
