* En anglais uniquement
A blend of experimental rock structures, punky energy, spoken word melodies, and Judeo-Christian content characterizes the output of
mewithoutYou, a Philadelphia-based band that formed in 2001. Having grown up listening to
Jawbox and
Burning Airlines, brothers
Aaron and Michael Weiss initially cut their hard rock teeth as frontmen of
the Operation. After releasing an album with the help of Takehold Records,
the Operation's members decided to launch a side project in order to experiment with new sounds. The Weiss brothers subsequently formed
mewithoutYou with help from bassist Ray Tadeo, guitarist
Christopher Kleinberg, and drummer Richard Mazzotta. Tooth & Nail was taken by the fiery five-piece's raw appeal and inked them a deal, with bassist Daniel Pishock replacing the departing Tadeo. The
Operation disbanded shortly thereafter, allowing the musicians to focus their efforts on the new band.
MewithoutYou issued their full-length debut,
[A -- > B] Life, during the summer of 2002. The band's well-received sophomore effort,
Catch for Us the Foxes, followed in late 2004, after which Pishock exited the lineup to pursue other interests.
Greg Jehanian eventually took his position on bass. Tours with the likes of
Dredg and
Coheed & Cambria took
mewithoutYou through the end of 2005, and the guys joined
Thursday for a string of shows during the following year.
Brother, Sister then appeared in September 2006, featuring cameos from the likes of
Sunny Day Real Estate's
Jeremy Enigk and the members of
Anathallo. Another lineup adjustment arrived in the form of
Christopher Kleinberg's departure, although he briefly returned during the band's 2008 summer tour.
As the bandmembers looked forward to 2009, they began working on material that replaced their traditional post-hardcore flourishes with an emphasis on acoustic instrumentation and
Neutral Milk Hotel-styled folk. The result was 2009's
It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright, whose long-winded title modeled itself after the teachings of Sufi leader Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. Similarly conceptual, the Daniel Smith-produced
Ten Stories arrived in 2012, and found the band building a narrative concerning the fate of a late 19th century traveling circus in Montana.
In 2015,
mewithoutYou returned with the
Will Yip-produced
Pale Horses, which saw the group returning to the raw intensity of its earlier work.
Yip was also on board for the band's seventh full-length, 2018's [Untitled]. ~ MacKenzie Wilson & Andrew Leahey