11.3.11 | MathGames

Words & Photos by Sean Petykowski

Chicago is filled with so many incredible and beautiful venues that some times it is easy to overlook the neighborhood bars complete with carpeted stages and seating for 20. Anyone who was ready for a break from the overzealous crowd looking to rage would have instead found themselves sharing an evening with Moog guitar wizard Fareed Haque and his band MathGames. This three-piece band occupied The Tonic Room dressed in white painter smocks and shared with the audience a ridiculous amount of music that was so monumental passers-by could be seen watching through the windows outside. To say these guys are talented is an understatement. Every aspect of the performance felt as if it was meticulously planned and rehearsed over and over again, until it was exactly how they wanted it. Fareed was accompanied on stage by Alex Austin and Greg Fundis, playing the drums and upright bass respectively.

Advertised as a electro-funk-jazz band it was to my surprise that throughout the night they could be heard playing some wildly spacey sci-fi rock sounds. The organic droning nearly obliterated the speakers as it exploded through the woofer and used its beauty to hypnotize its way around the bar. The wailing of the guitar screamed its way into the night while Alex produced a never-ending amount of fills followed by Greg's progression into deep soulful walk, hooking each string with the utmost care. The band was incredibly enthused with their set that night, and they had every right to be.

Fareed made an announcement that they have just finished recording their new live EP, SpaceMath, which album includes six songs and a bonus track. After this announcement the group invited Chris Graham on stage to play the vibraphone with them for a few songs. Chris was a unique guy who didn't have much to say when he approached the stage but as soon as he positioned himself behind the vibes he spoke through the mallets. Chris' style was radical and strong with his personality breaking it's way through with every bar being hit. Yet it wasn't just the music that allowed MathGames to put on such a successful set. The ability to turn that into a show really helped.

The Tonic Room's stage was draped in white sheets and used a projector to display video that had been put together. The video and music matched perfectly as the band broke into this awesome tin cowboy anthem that inspired the urge to want to get on horseback and ride away into the sunset. Images of cowboys riding around town shooting and roping created a remarkable relationship with the sound for this particular song. MathGames continued playing throughout the night after taking a short break before midnight. Overall the trio put together an unbelievable performance with what appeared to be minimal effort, this is one band that you do not want to miss.