Excellent interview! Watching this in 2020 cause youtube suggested it. I miss this band and its hayday moments. I remember seeing them here in Los Angeles at the Avalon and being blown away by their energy. Amazing!
I love mutemath but I think Darren King was jumping ship before “play dead” came out. That was a pretty horrible album and didn’t even come close to highlighting his talents.
Did anyone else catch Paul saying “you’re pushin’” to the interviewer when he continued to ask Paul about the statement? There was also a cut before that? Hmm seems odd :( I guess Paul isn’t comfortable talking about it? Especially if there are hard feelings.
can't recall what it was about but one thing I know is that we had a great conversation (both during and after the interview) and Paul was totally OK with the way I asked questions :-)
Daar dachten mijn ouders anders over. Als je niet gelooft in de woorden "tot de dood u scheidt" moet je geeneens die belofte maken. Naai maar gewoon rond tot je scheel ziet maar ga dan niet eens zeggen dat je van iemand houdt. Houden van is namelijk geen gevoel. Dat is verliefd. Houden van is de band tussen twee mensen die hun leven niet meer kunnen voorstellen zonder elkaar erin. Mijn ouders kwamen tenminste nog van een generatie die dat begrijpt. Ze hebben goede en slechte tijden samen meegemaakt. Ziekte en gezondheid. Het ging niet over rozengeur en manenschijn en altijd gelukkig zijn samen. En toen door verhuizing en niet kunnen settelen in de nieuwe omgeving ma super depressief werd en opgenomen moest worden, snapte niemand er wat van dat pa besloot niet te scheiden. Waarom scheidde hij niet? Omdat hij wat beloofd had en een man van zijn woord is. Door achter haar te staan toen ze hem het meest nodig had, keerden goede tijden en geluk voor ons als familie weer terug, in plaats van dat hij egoïstisch zoals velen koos voor zijn eigen geluk en haar liet barsten. Liefde is niet egoïstisch. Eeuwig trouw hoort WEL bij mensen. Alleen niet meer bij generatie X en Y en verder.
Been with Mute Math since their self titled EP. With Darren’s departure, Mute Math will NEVER be the same. That doesn’t mean they still won’t be amazing, as usual, but will never be the same again
I haven’t heard anything after 2009. It’s like I forgot about Mutemath. Partly because I lost interest. This band just came to mind after thinking of Earthsuit’s “Osmosis Land” song. Wanted to see what’s new with Mutemath. Good interview.
Listened to the DK 'your favorite band' podcast interview and to be blunt , his explanation pissed me off. To see this band break apart (DK, Roy) was rough because they had a creativity and talent unlike anything, unlike any other band. Real damn shame. Saw PDL show in Raleigh and it was still good, but not the same. MM is no adolescent dream, to fans it is music that really lifts spirits and brings a sound that is truly unique. I hope Roy and DK can find a context to still offer their creativity to the world. Much thanks to Paul for keeping on. The fact that the PDL show was good so soon after the semi-breakup gives me hope for the future of MM.
Musicans took home roughly $50k/year. Mortgages, Bills, Disneylands, College funds, Vehicles etc .... reality kicks in. Sad that he left, but understood.
Excellent but heartfelt interview! Yes MuteMath is different without the fantastic Darren King, and for whatever the reason(s) his departure was, I too will respect his decision as Paul did. MuteMath is an extremely talented band, and from what I've heard from Hutch's drumming filling (Darren's) "big shoes", I'm very impressed and have faith MuteMath will continue if as a band they really want to. I'm absolutely on fire by the Play Dead album, possibly my favourite of theirs. PLEASE DON'T STOP! Thank you so much for sharing your talented musicianship and your gift of genuinely inspiring songs!! Please tour Alberta, CANADA!!
I'm glad to hear Paul speaking about Darren's departure as sad as it is. As a fan, I'd just like to have some closure. You could tell that it was very hard for Paul to talk about. After watching this, I went searching to hear Darren's side of things, and finally found a thread on Reddit that links to the "Your Favorite Band Podcast" which did an hour-long interview with Darren just this week (Jan 15th) where he briefly addressed leaving MuteMath. I'm summarizing and reading between the lines here, but it sounded like Darren had lost his fire for MuteMath a few years ago (some time after Odd Soul it seems) and had been wanting to leave for awhile, even if he'd never voiced that desire to his bandmates. At its core, the issue doesn't seem to be related to artistic differences, but the pull of Darren's personal life and issues involving balancing his family with the band. He still played vague with the details, but he heavily implied that MuteMath was putting pressure on his marriage. Darren mentioned something about how his wife made sacrifices to her life and her own career to support him in MuteMath and that Darren was kicking the can down the road waiting for "that moment" where MuteMath would make all their sacrifices worth it. He did indicate that he and Paul aren't speaking but he still wishes nothing but success for the band going forward. He also said that he was glad that he left and wishes he'd done so sooner and timed his departure better. If I had to guess, Darren quit the band because he felt like he needed to be a better husband. I'd also guess that desire to be a better husband includes a dream he and his wife share of creating their own music together - something that would always take a backseat as long as he was "married" to MuteMath. I don't think his departure alone would be enough to destroy a decades long friendship with Paul, but the manner in which he left MuteMath (very abruptly and right before a huge tour) probably led to some heated exchanges between Paul and Darren and also probably led to some money arguments because of Darren not fulfilling his duties to tour in support of of the Play Dead album. I think this is why they aren't speaking. I can see both sides of it. I'd be pissed if I were in Paul's shoes because the manner in which Darren left was kind of a dick move. But at the same time, I understand and respect that Darren is putting his money where his mouth is and is making sacrifices for the betterment of his marriage. The whole thing just sucks.
SSPspaz yes, thank you for this. I was guessing something like this would be happening right after Vitals, the vibes were kind of lingering there for many years. Been listening to Sucré but unfortunately don’t find it THAT good, I mean they have some pretty nice music going on but that’s not Mutemath, honestly.
If only bands like MuteMath still made boatloads of money in this day and age. Truth is, most bands don't. Bands these days survive by having day jobs, and endorsing and selling their signature gear. Gone were the days where you just toured and your single gets radio play and the family back at home won't be as stressed with the money you make off of living the dream. I guarantee if music was as lucrative like it was 2 decades ago, the decision to stay in a band would be much easier.
Thank you for your explanation and point of view. I definitely support Paul in this issue - honestly how many bands broke up because of family life? Thousands of them. Paul does have a wife and a daughter too, yet he still knows music/Mutemath is his destiny. I pray they found a way to restore the relationship again with Darren, they can't be succesful enough without each other imo.
@@HannahMojave, exactly. I don't see why there needed to be a complete break-up of the band. Why not take a hiatus like so many other bands do? If you're Darren, you say, "Hey Paul, after this next tour, I need a break man. If we keep going at this pace with all the touring and stuff this is going to destroy my marriage and my family." IMO, it all comes down to poor communication. And honestly, as much as I love Darren as a drummer, I kind of put this on him. He clearly was having these thoughts for awhile and he never voiced them to his bandmates.
Paul is a really lovely genuine guy and I was so honoured to meet and have a photo taken with him after a memorable gig two years ago in Bristol UK. And Darren was superb which made his departure so shocking
Ironically I was there to see Hutch jump down from the stage in San Francisco to tend to a medical emergency in the front row. Then he hopped back up and commenced being a bad @$$. Great show!
The authenticity from Paul - gotta' love the guy - such an amazing band overall! Also, I remember 'Spotlight' not getting too much notoriety in the states - even as a huge fan, I heard about it much later ... I think due to the age group/audience that surrounded 'Twilight' at the time limited its reach, just food for thought.
I will never forget when I was 16 years old, the Reset E.P came out. I went and saw them on Warped Tour of all things. My jaw dropped at the set from start to finish. So profound and beautiful, all the guys were incredible. Knowing Paul is the only one left breaks my heart because now those shows are only in my memories.
Saw them 2 nights ago here in Orlando. Hutch was fine, you could clearly see how impressed Paul was. Hugged him at least 2 or 3 times during the show. Was still a great performance. I saw MuteMath a LONG time ago and was even fortunate enough to see Paul in Earthsuit, and this show with Hutch was just as energetic as anything else. MuteMath is one of the best live bands out there right now.
Shame about DK, met the guy after a gig in Manchester UK after a gig the other year. Great person. Such a talented individual... I hope he will disclose why he's left he band once he's comfortable & ready to do so. Over the years I've loved Mutemath's music but as they've aged my interest has diminished due to their change in style (prefer their roots so much more). Now with DK leaving it really has me both worried yet disheartened furthermore. I wish Paul all the best though. Each to their own but I believe as a fan you don't follow something/someone blindly. If you don't like something you simply don't like it. It's not a crime. People come & go. If Paul decides to carry on then good on him - respect. He's an inspirational musician & I'm sure he'll pull through all this whatever happens. Perhaps even move onto another project.
OKEI, take away the "horrible" that I put before. But isn't something to think? As an interviewer, how not to leave your interviewees uncomfortable, to search for more sensible ways...
Rafaela Oliveira Castro as an interviewer my job is to ask the questions that needs to be asked. It's up to Paul to answer or not. We had a great conversation and Paul was totally ok with the questions asked. :-) he didn't leave uncomfortable. That's your own opinion.
