The Mathematicians, the band based on numbers, will be dividing the stage 8 p.m. Tuesday at Monstro's Pizza in a show that is sure to add up to an explosive night of music.
"They fucking rock," said Rachel Loveless, singer for Gruk, which will also be playing at the show. "One of the best live bands I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of live bands."
The Mathematicians base their music on math and their lyrics on math metaphors. The band is made up of three former mathematicians, Dewi Decimal, vocals, keyboard and vocoder; Albert Gorithm, vocals, drums and sampler; and Pete Pythagoras, vocals and bass. The three fulfill their obsession with math through their music, Pythagoras said.
"Pretty much, we're mathematicians," he said. "We thought, 'What better way to portray that then composing music?'"
The band dresses in "nerd attire" when on stage and maintains the persona throughout the show, Loveless said.
"They dress up like nerds with pocket protectors," she said. "When they put on the clothes, they become the people, super high energy."
Pythagoras disagrees.
"I hear all these people say that we put on a persona when we get on stage," he said. "I've never really seen it like that."
The band, from upstate New York, is on a national tour tapping into the West Coast at the end of March. The Mathematicians released their second album, "Level Two," in 2006. The show will be focused around that album and a few new songs, Pythagoras said.
"We don't play old songs too much," he said. "We're feeling the 'Level Two' vibe right now."
The Mathematicians have incorporated video sequences produced by Jonathan Phelps into their live sets. Phelps also produced the band's music video for "Weapons of Math Instruction."
"It's live video mixing, a DJ, but visual," Pythagoras said.
Phelps locked himself in his room and put together things on film he felt when he listened to the band's music, Pythagoras said.
The concept of math and music may seem elementary, such as in the movie "School House Rock," but the Mathematicians are anything but.
"It's a mix of punk, rock, hip-hop, electronic, dance - any music that we can wrap our brains around," Pythagoras said. "Originally, it was to make some fun music, but with 'Level Two,' it got a little darker and a little more serious."
The band members have incorporated their past band experiences to create something unique. The music is catchy and poppy, but there are serious issues vocalized through numbers.
"The music came from the total sum trace of all the elements of older bands we were in," Pythagoras said. "I met Albert on a bus in Portland, and we came to the East Coast, met Dewi, who had a lot of good ideas and said, 'Let's start a band and try to solve this equation.'"
The band has been playing together since 2003, and Tuesday's show marks its second trip to Chico. Gruk and the Mathematicians met in Redding at a house show in May 2004. Since then, Gruk has made the trip to the Mathematicians' hometown and vice versa.
Gruk starts a national tour in July, and the Mathematicians are wrapping up their tour at the end of April. Both bands have plans for future releases. Gruk will be releasing a 7-inch discography and a split 7-inch with the Wobblies. As for the Mathematicians, they are working on their third album, "Level Three."
"The tour is going pretty well," Pythagoras said. "It always starts to pick up in the western part of the country, pretty good to finally be here."
Also included in Tuesday's lineup are Kids with Headlice and Baghdad Batteries. There is a $3 to $5 donation, and education will be provided while you rock out.
"It's serious rock," Loveless said. "But it's funny seeing these guys get up on stage and sing about math."
Maxwell Rowe can be reached at mrowe@theorion.com --
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