MewithoutYou is a defunct American rock band created in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2001. The band disbanded in 2022 after operating for two decades.
MewithoutYou was initially conceived as a side project because the pioneers of the band were already part of another band “Operation”. The Weiss brothers, Aaron Weiss and Michael Weiss wanted to experiment with new sounds with the new project, and with the help of some other artists like; Ricky Mazzotta and Ray Taddeo, MewithoutYou was established.
Before the band became inactive, it was very prominent in the religious music scene. They were regarded as an eclectic and passionate band that perfectly blended post-punk and emo with other music styles. The members were; Aaron and Michael Weiss, Richard Mazzotta, Greg Jehanian Jr., and Brandon Beaver.
Songs by MewithoutYou have been considered religious songs owing to the prevalent religious themes in the songs and being formerly signed to a Christian rock record label, Tooth, and Nail. Fans have probed into the religious status of the band with questions like; Is MewithoutYou a Christian band? This article will address this question.
Is MewithoutYou a Religious Band?
One can easily conclude that MewithoutYou was a religious band after listening to a song from the band. The band explores spiritual themes and religious imagery in their songs and some members of the band have been linked to different religious groups.
The band’s vocalist Aaron Weiss and guitarist Michael Weiss are linked to the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian religions. The duo was raised in a Muslim home, their mother was a Christian convert while their dad converted from Judaism to Islam as well and because of this, they have a base in all three religions. The themes in their songs are mostly a reflection of their religious beliefs.
Weiss revealed that their parents never forced them to follow a particular doctrine, rather theirs was just an overall sense of believing in God, praying, loving God and others, and living a good life. This gave them the leverage to explore the different religions and learn from them.
The band’s bassist, Greg also has a religious background and holds some religious beliefs. The bassist graduated from a seminary in Portland. In an interview with Aaron Weiss and the Aquarian, he revealed that Greg was studying in the seminary. In his words “But I’ve seen Greg, my bass player; he’s studying in seminary. so he’s been reading about something to do with prayer or spiritual discipline. I’m not sure, I’ve deduced from what I hear him say or looking at the names of his books.”
In an interview with Michael Weiss and Magnet Magazine, when asked if the band shares the same religious beliefs, he stated:
“I think we all have a certain faith in a God that exists. There are moments of doubt in everyone’s faith. Sometimes that doubt is stronger than others. Seriously, I think that everyone believes in God; they just don’t know how to express it. That’s my opinion on faith. I believe that it’s the voice inside you that is your conscience. We all have that voice that says we shouldn’t be doing things, but we do them anyway. But it’s the beauty of our lives. It’s something that unites us. I feel like Aaron tries to harness that, and there’s nothing more glorious to us than when we’re on the same page, onstage playing our music. That’s our little goal.”
In Aaron Weiss’s 2016 Doctoral dissertation, he included that he has identified with Christianity, Judaism, and Islam at different points and his concerns in life are informed by the values shared in the three religions such as love, compassion, humility, kindness, and mercy.
Apart from members of the band owning up to being religious, the lyrical composition of songs by the band says a lot about their religious beliefs. Below are some examples;
Allah, Allah, Allah by MewithoutYou
“in everywhere we look,
Allah, Allah Allah!
in everyone we meet,……..
in every blade of grass,
Allah, Allah, Allah!
it doesn’t matter what you’ve done…
What effect is without a cause?
So what does it matter what you think you’ve done?
now, lay your faithless head down
in necessity’s Cotton Hand
there’s a Love that never changes
no matter what you’ve done
or if you’re Old Man did you wrong,
maybe his Old Man did him wrong
so if you’d care to sing Forgiveness songs
come down and join our band
we’ll cut you like a Sword
and sing Forgiveness songs”
The song above talks about forgiveness, how God forgives humans no matter what we’ve done wrong. The songwriter uses “Allah” which is the Islamic name for God, merging both Islamic and Christian religions in one song.
The Sun and the Moon by MewithoutYou
“Daniel broke the king’s decree,
Peter stepped from the ship to the sea
there was hope for Job like a cut-down tree,
I hope that there’s such hope for me
dust be on my mind’s conceptions
and anything I thought I knew
each word of my lips’ description,
and on all that I compare to You
the sun and the moon,
I want to see both worlds as One!”
In the lyrics above, the songwriter uses several Bible characters as seen above to send a strong spiritual message. He sends a message of faith and hopes to listeners with the song.
What kind of Music Band is MewithoutYou?
MewithoutYou was an American Rock band. Rock music is a broad genre of pop music that was established in the United States in the late 1940s. MewithoutYou’s music is a fusion of rock subgenres and styles like; indie rock, post-hardcore, art rock, spoken word, and emo.
These genres and subgenres are characterized by; fast tempos and heavy bass levels, aggressive or clean vocals, sensitive lyrics, complex guitar work, electronic influences, emotional or confessional lyrics, and poetic performances. Songs by the band contain themes like; religion, spirituality, kindness and mercy, self-love, faith, passion, pain, suffering and self-doubt, hope, love and relationships, sexuality, animals, politics, and social issues amongst others.
Many songs by the band are deeply poetic and the band’s frontman, Aaron Weiss has shared some information about his interest in poetry. In his words:
“I wanted to be a poet; I wanted to be a prophet; I wanted to be a Messiah,” Weiss said. “I wanted to be all these things as a frontman of a band singing about my ideas about God and souls and things like that.”
He revealed also that he was inspired by philosophers, Sufi Mystics, Literary Modernists, Bhagavad Gita, and some artists.
Before disbanding, MewithoutYou released 7 studio albums the most recent as “Untitled” released in 2018. Their songs remain a great body of cathartic writing and beautiful vocals that transcend religious and social backgrounds.
Is MewithoutYou a Christian Band?
A Christian band must publicly label itself a “Christian” band. Members of the band must identify as believers of the faith, and live a life that reflects true Christianity. The lyrical composition of the band must include Christian messages and themes, and biblical references, and must portray the beliefs and pillars of Christianity.
MewithoutYou was labeled as a Christian band because of the Christian imagery in their music and their affiliations with Christian record labels and stars in the Christian screamo scene. Songs by the band contain biblical and spiritual messages and listeners might be partially right to label the band a Christian band.
However, members of the band do not label the band a Christian band. According to MewithoutYou, a Christian band is explicitly Christian and their songs are more about evangelizing. Members of the band have stated that they are not evangelistic but their lyrics reflect personal relationships and experiences with God.
In an interview with bassist Greg Jehanian, he revealed that being called a “Christian band” is a bizarre concept and they are rather a band that makes music influenced by their faith and spirituality.
According to the artist: “we are a band who loves to make music. We have chemistry; we have a family bond; that’s what we do. And because Aaron is a person who wrestles and seeks when it comes to spirituality and faith, that’s certainly a prominent theme in our band, but I don’t think we’ve ever taken the stance that we’re doing this thing from an evangelical standpoint.”
In another interview with busted Halo and Aaron Weiss, the artist revealed that he is not offended if people label them a Christian band but that’s not true and he does not think they live up to that calling.
MewithoutYou Christian Songs
Even though the band did not want to be pigeonholed as a Christian band, we won’t deny the fact that they had created a significant and aesthetically-made body of soul-lifting songs that will appeal to different people.
Some of the band’s songs have been listed on Christian music charts and websites because of the deep Christian messages embedded. Some such songs include;
- Chapelcross Towns
- Red Cow
- Allah, Allah, Allah
- The Sun and the Moon
- Hebrew Children
- Every thought a Thought of You
- A Stick, a Carrot and String, etc.
Is MewithoutYou a Satanic Band?
No, MewithoutYou is not a Satanic band. Songs by a Satanic band reflect the practices and ideals of Satanism. They encourage demon worship and glorification. Every element of music by a Satanic band Portrays Satanism. Since MewithoutYou has not shown any association with Satanism in their lifestyle, concepts, lyrical contents, graphics, and other elements, we do not consider the band a Satanic band.
Wrapping Up
MewithoutYou’s status as a Christian band depends on how one might choose to view it. Though they did not outrightly disassociate themselves from the “Christian band” tag, they believe they do not live up to that calling and we respect that.
Nonetheless, the band has gracefully wandered across different styles and elements to produce melodic sounds that transcend social and religious backgrounds and resonate with listeners from diverse religious backgrounds.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!