MewithoutYou

7 March 2007

“If they ask you for a sign of the Father, tell them it’s movement and repose,” Aaron said. He was a bearded man marked by tattered clothes as the audience stared expectantly back.
I had been looking forward to this show for months. I was hooked to MeWithoutYou’s music after I saw them a few years ago at Cornerstone Florida. The singer, Aaron Weiss banged a tambourine on his head while dancing on a stage covered in flowers and leaves.
My expectations were high for the show this Saturday. Aloha played a few songs and created a relaxed atmosphere. MWY took the stage second and Sparta followed, playing music that everyone seemed to know the lyrics to.
The majority of songs MWY played were from their newest album, “Brother, Sister.” Their music tells poetic stories and usually starts off slow and picks up towards the middle.
MWY’s set had the crowd dancing along, especially when Aaron brought out an accordion. There is something about the lyrics that hits a nerve within me. Something about the way the music plays and the words are spoken stirs something deep inside me.
I was disappointed when Aaron said he would not play my favorite songs “Gentleman” and “Silencer” off their oldest album, “[A-B] Life.” He told us that he wishes to promote hope and love for nature, not the “angst” he was feeling when he wrote those songs in his early twenties.
When the show was over, I saw Richard, the drummer of MWY, hanging out by the bar. He told me that this tour was the first real chance for the band to play the new songs off “Brother, Sister” for their fans. The fans have given a good response from the album, according to Richard.
Richard told me about how the old albums consisted of the band playing heavier music. They are now going towards a softer style because that is what each of the band members prefer to listen to.
The band’s members are Christian, but they are not trying to convert people. “I’m not trying to evangelize,” Richard said. According to Richard, Aaron would say that he does not think MWY is a Christian band, but he wishes they were. “I don’t think we are controversial, maybe if Aaron says something we don’t like,” Richard said.
Richard still wonders what it means to be alive, and is scared of what he may find. “That’s the mystery of faith,” Richard said.