Earthsuit was a

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

-based

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band formed in 1995. The band consisted of guitarist Dave Rumsey, keyboardist/vocalist

Paul Meany Paul Meany (born July 2, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music director and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and keyboardist for the alternative rock band Mutemath. Career While under the mon ...

, bassist Roy Mitchell, drummer David "Hutch" Hutchison, and vocalist

Adam LaClave Adam LaClave is an American musician and singer. He was one of the vocalists and songwriters for the Christian band Earthsuit. The group's only major-label album, ''Kaleidoscope Superior'', was critically successful. However, the band broke up s ...

. Earthsuit's sound was primarily

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

, but also incorporated elements of hip-hop,

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

, and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

. The group recorded several independent EPs and played primarily in their New Orleans area before becoming noticed by Sparrow Records at a concert in 1999. The ensuing record deal saw the band's only commercial release, a critically acclaimed album entitled '' Kaleidoscope Superior'', in 2000. Shortly after, the band left Sparrow and drifted out of the public eye. A final album, entitled ''

The Rise of Modern Simulation Earthsuit was a New Orleans-based Christian rock band formed in 1995. The band consisted of guitarist Dave Rumsey, keyboardist/vocalist Paul Meany, bassist Roy Mitchell-Cárdenas, Roy Mitchell, drummer David "Hutch" Hutchison, and vocalist Adam L ...

'' was independently released before the group disbanded in 2003. Many of the band members continue to play together and collaborate in various bands, namely

Mutemath Mutemath (sometimes styled as MuteMath or MUTEMATH) is an American alternative rock project founded by American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer Paul Meany. Originally co-founded as a band with Darren King in 2002, Me ...

and Club of the Sons.

Biography

Earthsuit began in 1995 as a collaboration between

and

, who began composing music together after being introduced at a church in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. In an interview with

Family Christian Stores Family Christian (formerly called Zondervan Book Store, Family Book Stores, and Family Christian Stores) headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan is a Christian themed web retailer. The two regularly performed at Café Joel, a small coffeehouse their church had started where Meany was music director. These performances helped cultivate their unique sound and introduced them to future band member David Rumsey. In 1997 they released a self-titled EP, which is sometimes called the '' Headless Clown EP'' due to its album cover. The record featured an early version of "One Time" (of which they later made a music video) as well as portions of live performances where Earthsuit covered

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...

's " Killing Me Softly", albeit with re-written lyrics. Rumsey helped produce the EP and played guitar; however, the official band lineup only comprised LaClave and Meany. Shortly after, Rumsey officially joined along with bassist Roy Mitchell, another Café Joel regular. The band played and ministered in their hometown and did not tour much. In 1998, the band recorded and released a second EP, entitled '' Noise for Your Eyes''. The EP included a remix of "One Time" and early song demos, which were interspersed with short clips of live performances. Drummer David Hutchison joined the band after they met him through a friend. In 1999, Earthsuit performed two sets at the

Cornerstone Festival Cornerstone Festival was a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around July 4 near Bushnell, Illinois, drawing some 20,000 attendees each year. In a given year, many artists that played at Cornerstone also playe ...

, one in a label showcase and the other opening for

P.O.D. P.O.D., an initialism for Payable on Death, is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992 and based in San Diego, California. The band's line-up consists of drummer and rhythm guitarist Wuv Bernardo, vocalist Sonny Sandoval, bassist Traa ...

on the main stage. This garnered the attention of several major Christian labels, and the band subsequently signed to

Sparrow Records Sparrow Records is a Christian music record label and a division of Universal Music Group. History Sparrow Records was founded in 1976 by Billy Ray Hearn, then artists and repertoire (A&R) director at Myrrh Records. Purchased by Thorn EMI in ...

. The band began working with

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

producer David Leonard on their debut record, which excited Meany: " parrowloved what we were doing musically, and they wanted to find the producer who would capitalize on that." '' Kaleidoscope Superior'' was released on June 20, 2000 and elicited positive reviews from critics. It also received a

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards are presented annually. Formerly held in Nashville, Tennessee, the Dove Awards ...

nomination and experienced some success on Christian radio stations.Beaujon, p. 255 Christian rock peers Rebecca St. James and

dc Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...

members,

Kevin Max Kevin Max Smith (born August 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and poet. He is best known for being a member of the Christian pop group dc Talk. As a solo artist following the band going on hiatus, he has recorded 12 full-length studi ...

and

Michael Tait Michael DeWayne Tait (born May 18, 1966) is an American contemporary Christian music artist. Michael Tait met Toby McKeehan in 1984 when he was in high school. Both Toby and Michael met Kevin Max while attending Liberty University in the late 19 ...

, expressed excitement over the record. The same year, Earthsuit embarked on a tour called Festival Con Dios with other Christian bands, such as the Elms, PAX 217, and

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (guitar, keyboards, back ...

. The following year saw the band embark on their "Do You Feel The Distortion" tour with Ill Harmonics and

The Benjamin Gate The Benjamin Gate was a South African Christian rock band formed in 1998 by friends of musician Ben Herbert following his death in a traffic collision. Their name, which was also the name of one of the entrances into the original city of Jer ...

. Despite critical reception, ''Kaleidoscope Superior'' would remain the band's only commercial release; they were soon dropped from Sparrow's lineup due to "creative differences and marketing conundrums". Earthsuit disappeared from the public eye and began posting on a website about a new independent album. In September 2001, Hutchison left the band so he could spend more time with his family. Rumors began circling that the band would break up. In 2003, Earthsuit revealed they were disbanding and released their last record, ''

''. The final collection featured six original studio songs and ten bonus tracks, including a live remix of "Against the Grain", practice sessions of concert material, and covers of various songs. The album could only be purchased on the internet. Meany would later state "most people didn't care when

hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...

broke up". Shortly after Earthsuit's break up, Meany began working with drummer

Darren King Darren Charles King (born June 25, 1982) is an American drummer and percussionist, best known for his association with the band Mutemath until his permanent departure in August 2017. He played the drums for the New Orleans-based Christian rock ba ...

in a production team called "The Digitals". The name later changed to "Math" while the group helped produce music for Christian music stalwart

TobyMac Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

. The band recruited guitarist Greg Hill and changed their name to

. To accommodate new recordings, Meany and producer

Tedd T Tedd T., born Tedd Andrew Tjornhom (CHURN-home), is a music producer, songwriter, arranger, programmer, and engineer. He launched the independent record label Teleprompt Records in 2003 as a joint venture with Word/Warner Music Group. His interes ...

started an independent label named

Teleprompt Records Teleprompt Records was an independent record label that was formed in 2003 by record producer Tedd T, keyboardist and Mutemath vocalist Paul Meany, and manager Kevin Kookogey. The label was formed to promote and distribute music for Meany's band M ...

. Their first release was an EP titled '' Reset'' in September 2004. Earthsuit alumnus Roy Mitchell joined the venture in 2005. Teleprompt later signed a distribution deal directly with

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

, allowing Mutemath to release a full-length self-titled album on September 26, 2006. Adam LaClave formed two bands,

Macrosick Macrosick is an American independent art rock band based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Macrosick was formed in 2003 by Adam LaClave and is influenced by acts such as like Devo and Talking Heads. The group consists of LaClave as frontman, and a so ...

and Club of the Sons. Macrosick has released only an independent CD titled ''demodisk''; the

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

disaster of 2005 forced the band members to go on hiatus. LaClave then turned his attention towards Club of the Sons with friend and bassist Jonathan Allen. They released an EP called ''The Roughs'' in spring 2007 and an album entitled ''Young Quanta'' on July 7, 2009.

Musical style and influences

Earthsuit music was primarily

, but also possessed strong hip-hop,

, and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

elements. Their sound had sometimes been compared to

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

, while Meany's

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

had been likened to the

Beastie Boys Beastie Boys were an American rap rock group from New York City, formed in 1978. The group was composed of Mike D, Michael "Mike D" Diamond (vocals, drums), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (voca ...

. Adam LaClave stated the differing musical tastes of the band helped cultivate their sound: "Each one of us is really into a lot of different things ... it helps make our sound because you can hear all kinds of things". Live performances were characterized by sunglasses, futuristic costumes, and energetic showmanship. Many bands have influenced Earthsuit's style; the group has performed covers of songs by

Basement Jaxx Basement Jaxx are an English electronic music duo consisting of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. The pair got their name from the regular club night they held in Brixton, London, UK. They first rose to popularity in the underground house scene ...

Black Sheep In the English language, black sheep is an idiom that describes a member of a group who is different from the rest, especially a family member who does not fit in. The term stems from sheep whose fleece is colored black rather than the more comm ...

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

, and

The Talking Heads Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991.Talkin ...

. They have also utilized samples by

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sha ...

and

The Verve The Verve were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Wigan in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones (musician), Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. Guitarist and keyboard player Simo ...

. Adam LaClave and Paul Meany were the primary songwriters for Earthsuit. As

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

, the two wrote lyrics that often communicated a Christian message. For example, the song "Said the Sun" is an allegory about God telling Christians to be carriers of light. "Whitehorse" was written to present a different view of the return of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, as LaClave stated in an interview, "Most people, when they hear the term "white horse," think of the analogy of Jesus coming back ... ewanted to bring a different meaning to it, because ... He comes to rescue us in our everyday life oo" The men's lyrics also reflect experiences they have had. Meany once had a dream that inspired him to write "Gummy Buffalo"; he found himself in a candy store and squeezed a gummy buffalo whereupon he heard the melody for the song.

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...

has proposed the lyrics in "Foreign" may have been inspired by their departure from Sparrow Records. The lyrics read "There's no place in your world for me / I've been from sea to shining sea / And I can't retain your policies, excuse me / If I'm just hanging around, I'm foreign."

Discography

*''Earthsuit (aka The Headless Clown EP)'' (independent, 1997) *''Noise for Your Eyes'' (independent, 1998) *'' Kaleidoscope Superior'' (Sparrow Records, 2000) *''The Rise of Modern Simulation'' (independent, 2003)

References

Bibliography

* *

Notes

{{Authority control American progressive rock groups Christian rock groups from Louisiana Reggae rock groups Musical groups established in 1995 Sparrow Records artists