History
Early years, first albums: 2001–2008
The band was originally conceived as a side project. The Weiss brothers, Aaron and Michael, together with guitarist Christopher Kleinberg, were playing together in another band, called the Operation, with bassist Greg Jehanian. Aaron wanted to start another project, to experiment with new sounds. With the help of Ricky Mazzotta, Ray Taddeo, and his brother Mike, Aaron formed what is now formally known as mewithoutYou. At first, the band was a four-piece, with Aaron on both bass and vocals. However, in only a few months, Chris Kleinberg joined to play third guitar. The band released their first EP, ''I Never Said That I Was Brave'', in 2001 and shortly thereafter signed to Tooth & Nail Records after a show at Cornerstone Festival the same year. Around this time, Taddeo had moved on, and Daniel Pishock was recruited to be the first official bass player of the band. The Operation disbanded soon after, and mewithoutYou's debut full-length album, '' →BLife'', was released in 2002. The band garnered more attention for their second release, 2004's'' Catch for Us the Foxes'', which was produced by Brad Wood. In December 2004, Pishock had made the decision to retire bass duties in order to pursue a career in teaching and explore other musical ventures, and former Operation frontman, Greg Jehanian, was selected to replace him. In 2005, they wonNew sound, new music, and touring: 2008–2012
In September 2008, the band finished recording the follow-up to '' Brother, Sister'', titled '' It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright''. The name of the album is taken from parable 518 in the book ''The Golden Words of a Sufi Sheikh'', by Bawa Muhaiyaddeen. The album was a departure from Weiss' trademark shouting and the band's rough grooves. The fast rants, thick with lyrical angst, were traded for simpler melodies with lyrics about anthropomorphic food and animals. Similarly, the band scaled back their edgier post-hardcore sound, at times trading riffs for chords and guitars for pianos and harp; a classical composer was called into their Fishtown, Philadelphia studio for various arrangements on several tracks. The album was produced by Dan Smith and Brian McTear, and mixed by Brad Wood. The band toured in a 42-foot 1976 MC8 Charter bus that ran on vegetable oil. In 2011, they added Brandon Beaver of Buried Beds to play second guitar, as stated on their blog by Rickie Mazzotta. In August 2011, Mazzotta stated in an interview that the band had parted ways with Tooth & Nail Records, due to perceived restrictions placed on them by the label. They hinted at starting their own label as they prepared to release their fifth album. Other band members, however, expressed satisfaction with and gratitude and affection toward their old label, citing different reasons for ceasing to work with them: namely, having completed their contract, the declining relevance of record labels in the current music world, and simply the excitement to try something new. In February 2011, ''Anniversaries and farewell: 2014–2022
In April 2014, the band announced a '' Catch for Us the Foxes'' ten-year anniversary tour along the US west coast and southwest, followed by a second leg along the east coast. In September 2014, they announced a vinyl reissue of the album. In March 2015, they stated that their sixth album would be released in mid-2015 on Run For Cover Records, and in April 2015, they announced that they would support their album ''Pale Horses'' with a mid-year tour and revealed that the record would be released on June 16. On August 11, 2017, the band announced an '' →BLife'' 15th-anniversary tour with Pianos Become the Teeth, Strawberry Girls, and Slow Mass and also reissued the album on vinyl and cassette. On August 13, 2018, they touted the release of a new single, "Julia (or, 'Holy to the LORD' on the Bells of Horses)", from their seventh album. The single was published on Run for Cover Records. In an interview with '' Billboard'', the band confirmed that Will Yip would be returning to produce the new record. The album '' ntitled' was released on October 5, 2018. In October 2019, they announced that 2020 would be their final year as an active band. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they extended the timeline of their farewell, stating that 2022 would be their last active year. The band played their final gigs in August 2022.Lyrical themes
The Weiss brothers are of Jewish descent and their songs use Jewish, Muslim, and Christian imagery to explore spiritual themes. The two were raised in aBand members
Final lineup * Aaron Weiss – lead vocals, accordion (2001–2022), guitar (2006–2022), bass (2001) * Michael Weiss – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2001–2022) * Rickie Mazzotta – drums (2001–2022) * Greg Jehanian – bass, backing vocals (2004–2016, 2018–2022) * Brandon Beaver – guitar, backing vocals (2012–2022) Previous members * Dominic Angelella – bass, backing vocals (2016–2018) * Christopher Kleinberg – guitar (2001–2006) * Daniel Pishock – bass, backing vocals, keyboards (2001–2004) * Ray Taddeo – guitar (2001) Touring musicians * Brandon Beaver – (2010–2012) * Kris Klein – guitar (2011) * Christopher Kleinberg – guitar (2008–2010) * Pete Syoum – guitar (2007) * Stephen Smoker – bass (2001)Discography
* '' →BLife'' (2002) * '' Catch for Us the Foxes'' (2004) * '' Brother, Sister'' (2006) * '' It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All a Dream! It's Alright'' (2009) * '' Ten Stories'' (2012) * '' Pale Horses'' (2015) * '' ntitled' (2018)See also
* List of songs recorded by mewithoutYouReferences
External links
* * * {{Authority control American post-hardcore musical groups Musical groups from Philadelphia Tooth & Nail Records artists Musical groups established in 2000 2000 establishments in the United States Run for Cover Records artists Jews in punk rock Big Scary Monsters Recording Company artists