Live Session: The Young Maths

Valley based dance-funk band The Young Maths has recently returned from their month long summer tour and completed their follow up studio album ERRORRS. OME recently had the time to ask these gents a few questions.

 

OME: Hey guys how are you doing, how does it feel to be back?

TYM: It always feels weird to come back. It’s nice to sleep in your own bed and have a place to come home to, but after being in a different city every night around new people and living in this alternate reality, normal life just doesn’t compare.

 

OME: Any crazy stories to tell?

TYM: Probably the craziest thing to happen to us was meeting these really weird guys who were going to let us crash at their place. They just smoked pot all night, and their dog was constantly trying to hump us. The highlight of the night was listening to one of them try to tune an electric guitar for about 30 minutes. The same string. We ended up leaving and getting a hotel.

 

OME: What did you all miss the most?

TYM: Whataburger! We finally got to have some once we got into Oklahoma. Please sponsor us, Whataburger. We believe in your company.

 

OME: Your new album ERRORRS is finished and had its release at McAllen’s Cine El Rey Theatre August 13, you all had an amazing turnout! How satisfied are you all with the final release of ERRORRS? How long did it take to complete?

TYM: It feels amazing to have it out on vinyl, instead of just a CD people are going to lose or via digital download. You can actually hold this physical product of your work that looks like a piece of art itself. Overall, I’m really happy with how the album has been received. The kids and the bloggers seem to like it, even though it’s a departure from the sound people are used to hearing from us. I’m relieved people weren’t like “UGH, this is too different, I wanted Sheets Part 2.” They totally could have responded that way. We wanted to challenge people a bit with this album; as a band you can either repeat yourselves or try to progress. We finished it pretty fast, about 6 days in the studio, spread out over the beginning of May.

 

OME: What studio did you all record at? Who else has recorded there?

TYM: We recorded it at our friend Charlie Vela’s studio. It’s more like, who hasn’t recorded there? Charlie’s recorded almost every band down here in the local scene at one point or another.

 

OME: What are some of your favorite highlights on the album? What are you favorite tracks? Did you all try and take a different approach to this album?

TYM: I loved having the guests on this album. Lindsay, who used to play drums with me in my old band (Yoink!) essentially recorded her parts at home in Austin, emailed them to us, and we added them in. She sent us a lot of takes and layers of harmonies. Having Jonathan and Ryan play the horns on the title track was also really awesome, just being there while they layered all those chaotic horns. Our approach on this album was to try and make it sound as raw and live as possible, with minimal overdubs. We didn’t want it to sound as polished as “Thank You, Good Night, We Are…” As for a favorite, I couldn’t say. I never thought we’d be writing songs like “ERRORRS” and “Practicing Invisibility,” so maybe those two.

 

OME: What is your most personal song on ERRORRS? Who does most of the song writing?

TYM: Probably “Practicing Invisibility,” but it’s not personal in any obvious way the listener can immediately grasp. I usually come up with ideas at home and email them to the guys, then at practice we mess around with them and figure out what works and what doesn’t. What’s cool on this album is that Patrick came up with the music for “The Cannon Choir” and I just added the vocal lines, and bam, new song.

 

OME: What inspired the album art? Looks dark! Is there any message you’re trying to convey or symbolism in the picture?

TYM: All I can say is look at the smoke, it’s not just any smoke. It’s from a well-known image. It’s timely.

 

OME: Of all the venues you’ve visited which would you say was the best, sound and audience-wise? Worst?

TYM: The best sound might have been at Glasslands Gallery in New York City. There were others on this tour, but Glasslands immediately stands out. The best audiences are always here in the Valley, the sweaty ones at Ambrosia or Galeria 409. Worst sound and audience might have been in Greensboro, North Carolina. The sound guy told us to turn our amps down, I had no vocal monitor, and we played to a bunch of disinterested coffee shop patrons.

 

OME: Where do The Young Maths draw inspiration from musically? Where are their roots?

TYM: We draw inspiration from a lot of stuff. Talking Heads, The Hives, Weezer, James Brown, Motown, everything. We try not to wear our influences on our sleeves too much, because that gets really boring. “They sound like [insert indie band here].” You can’t say that about us anymore. Our roots were definitely in dance-rock, and we STILL get compared to The Rapture sometimes, but we aren’t really there anymore. The Rapture comparisons are just lazy. What about Liars, !!!, Moving Units, Bloc Party? That just shows how little those people know about dance-rock.

 

OME: I have to ask, what exactly is a young math? How did you all end up with your name? What were other name options?

TYM: A Young Math is an equation, whereby:

(My age – X) = 18, and (My girlfriend’s age – X) = Y.

Now imagine me at 18 making out with a Y-year old.

If I was 24 and dating a 19 year old, then:

(24 – X) = 18 [X =6]

(19 – 6) = Y [Y is 13]

So you have an 18-year old making out with a 13-year old. There were never any other name options. It was perfect from the beginning. Please nobody ask this question ever again.

 

OME: What does the diet of a Young Math consist of? What do you all do/enjoy/work at when the band is taking time off?

TYM: On the road, the diet of a Young Math is a hierarchy of:

1) Whatever’s free

2) Whatever’s cheap

3) Muscle Milk bars

When the band is taking time off, we all work at various jobs and hang out at scene parties and die a little inside each day.

 

 

OME: How do you think the Valley scene is turning out? What do you think we can improve on? What do you wish to see more of or less of?

TYM: The Valley scene feels dead to me, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Those of us who want to do more are doing more, and those who are content within the Valley scene are still doing their thing. There will always be bands from the Rio Grande Valley, but they don’t need to think of themselves as being any better or worse for it. Look at us, at Dignan, at Sick/Sea. I don’t like to think in terms of the Valley anymore, it’s pointless. It’s the cultural and intellectual equivalent of being stuck in your high school days. You can cling to them or try to do something better.

 

OME: What are some of your personal favorite Valley bands?

TYM: Dignan, Sick/Sea, The Ex-Boyfriends, Night Dudes, Seafoam Green, Japanese To English, Darm Darm Dudes, White Zebra

 

OME: What does your show schedule look like and when can we anticipate seeing you guys again?

TYM: We have absolutely no idea when we’re playing again down here. We plan to tour in November, and probably play some shows around Texas until then. Gotta sell those records.

 

OME: Fill in the blanks.

TYM: We sure as hell aren’t BROS but we’re definitely NICE DUDES !!! There can never be too many PEOPLE AT OUR SHOWS .

 

 

 

Stay buzzed in to OME, when these guys start playing again you’ll be the first to know! We thank The Young Maths for their time and you can check out the new album ERRORRS streaming on the their bandcamp page at :

theyoungmaths.bandcamp.com

or follow them on twitter for the new updates on their tour at

http://twitter.com/theyoungmaths

Recommended tracks: Truth Tables and Treble Reducer

 

 

Without further ado enjoy Ouch, My Ego’s first of many monthly Live Session series: (special thanks to Charlie Vela, Gabriel Elizondo, George Dean, and Sal Torres)

 

The Young Maths – Body Bags

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The Young Maths – Truth Tables

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