Between a No. 1 hit, an Album of the Year candidate and a Grammy Award nominee, the rock bands MuteMath and Twenty One Pilots made their respective names in places like Columbia. Just one year ago, for instance, Twenty One Pilots played The Blue Note here in Columbia. On July 10, the bands will prove they’ve graduated when they play the Sprint Center in Kansas City.
Both bands are further proof that Columbia, like other college towns across the country, serves as a jumping-off point for indie-music stardom. The pattern is simple; bands from across the world come to smaller, college-based venues in cities like Columbia, where the young, die-hard student fans receive the band with thunderous applause, even if the band is just two guys and a Roland 808 sounddeck. The Blue Note has held acts such as Imagine Dragons, Smallpools and the Glass Animals, all bands that began selling out venues like that before reaching even greater heights.
Because these bands are well received, they book bigger venues and go on to play gigantic shows across the world, but it was the crowds in college towns that loved them and “found them” first. It’s a hipster’s dream.
Still, it doesn’t happen overnight. Wind the clocks back two years ago and there was no smash-hit song titled “Stressed Out,” MuteMath was seemingly on the verge of hiatus after a label dispute, and both bands were as close to playing a show together as the difference in fans from Kansas to Columbia.
####College Town Roots
Two years ago, Twenty One Pilots was headlining shows. Maybe not in venues like Madison Square Garden or The Greek, but here at The Blue Note, the Twenty One Pilots stole the show. No, they weren’t playing “Stressed Out” or “Ride,” but songs like “Car Radio” or “House of Gold” were well received by those in attendance.
Twenty One Pilots played Columbia with the same goals and fervor that hundreds of bands headlining small college towns across the country display: the enthusiasm of a band just trying to “make it big.”
They certainly made it big. The 2015 release “Blurryface” stands to be one of the best-selling albums of the year and has led to highly anticipated international and domestic tours. It was this small, alternative two-man band from Columbus, Ohio, that was propelled by the passion and energy that only college-based venues like The Blue Note can bring. They are shows that can be that final glass-shattering break into superstardom.
On the other side of the spectrum, already established bands still appreciate the value college crowds bring. Touring alongside Twenty One Pilots, MuteMath, known for its neo-soul, synth-pop style and critically acclaimed music videos, still appreciates college towns because of the authentic atmosphere that sets the tone for the show.
####MuteMath
MuteMath guitarist Roy Mitchell-Cardenas says the appreciation of playing a college venue brings fond memories of his time not only playing, but watching live music in college, saying that the college atmosphere is “just way better.”
“For me, growing up, I saw a lot of great shows in Austin, [Texas,]” Mitchell-Cardenas says. “I feel like there’s definitely just a better vibe because the highest population of people are students and kids.”
Mitchell-Cardenas recalls how genuine and lively the atmosphere of a college venue is when packed to the brim with students dying to see an indie band visit his or her town. Those who attend serve not just as fans and listeners of the music, but as representatives of the band’s unappreciated or unheard talent.
“People (at universities) are just more aware of music, (because) they are actually
into the music,” Mitchell-Cardenas says.
####Domestic Tour
For two bands that made their names in towns just like Columbia, their achievements combined with enormous followings echoes that venues like The Blue Note still serve as a launch pad for musical success.
The upcoming tour with Twenty One Pilots includes venues like New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheater and Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.
“All of our tours we do not take for granted, and this one is particularly special because of the timing of it,” Mitchell-Cardenas says. “We’re going on tour with one of the biggest bands, with one of the biggest songs (on the radio). The tour has been sold out forever. Two nights in MSG, two nights at Red Rock. We just feel fortunate for this tour.”
_Both bands begin their combined tour titled “Emotional Roadshow” on May 31 at U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati and will finish the tour Aug. 11 at Madison Square Garden._
_Edited by Katie Rosso | krosso@themaneater.com_
