The few hundred who came to The Ready Room to see MISSIO Wednesday night were in for another treat, the opener Morgan Saint. You may have even recognized a song or two, that made it into your Pandora rotation not realizing who the artist was.
Her bio reads: “Saint calls her music ‘moody pop,’ and says her goal is to craft songs match indelible melodies to lyrics that deliver substance. ‘I want for it to be super catchy and stay in your head, but I also want to tell a story and have people relate in a way that’s real and raw,’ she says. ‘I don’t want to be afraid to say things that might be a little dark or a little questionable.’ Which made her a perfect opener for MISSIO. If you didn’t make it in time for her set, you should check her out.
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Morgan Saint
And then out comes MISSIO, blasting onto stage with their high-energy set. Lead singer Matthew Brue, clad in a white robe for the first few songs dances and jumps all over the stage merging singing with rapping on the opener “Temple Priest.”
They went on to deliver a total of 15 songs, maintaining the energy throughout. They included a cover of Lana Del Rey’s “West Coast,” and came on with the encore “Black Roses,” a newer song by them.
Named by Rolling Stoneas one of “10 New Artists You Need To Know,” it was easy to see and hear why at this Wednesday night show.
They were told not to go on a headline tour this early in their career, but with 15 sold out shows so far on this 32-city Loner tour, they made the right decision. And the fans (aka MISSIO Mafia) in St. Louis were ecstatic throughout the night, singing along to every song they performed.
Best known for “Middle Fingers”—a fan early on made them a glass middle finger figurine hand which sits on the tour van’s dashboard—Brue and David Butler thought that fans may only know the lyrics to that song, but have been amazed that fans of all ages know all their songs.
This Billboard interview with Butler gives some insight into what MISSIO is: “MISSIO is a weird mash-up of Matthew’s melodies, which are almost folk-influenced, and my burning desire to mess things up. It was never a calculated thing, but looking back it makes sense. There are a lot of elements where the record is programmed like a hip-hop record, but done through guys who’ve come from a rock background.”
Their lyrics resonate with people, no matter their age, because everyone has “stuff” they’ve gone through and Brue brings that to light. And while they’re touring to entertain, they’ve also put a lot of thought into where they want to be in 10 years.
Brue shared on stage that in order to do that, they had to consider what they’re doing right now to still be relevant in 10 years. “Society says that you have to have your shit together all the time and if you don’t something’s wrong and you’re not allowed to say so. And that’s absolute bullshit. One of the ways is to hope that you leave this room knowing you’re not alone. If you struggle it’s okay because everyone does.”
A lot of why Brue and Butler do what they do is because so many people feel so alone even when amongst others. Their lyrics have a way of reaching people of all ages, that they’re not alone in their feelings, that at some point everyone struggles and to say that’s okay, you are not alone with that.
St. Louis Magazine sat down with Matthew Brue and David Butler of MISSIO before their show Wednesday night at The Ready Room. Is saying people are nice still a bad thing? Because these two were genuinely nice—and unpretentious.
MISSIO
How’s the tour going so far?
Butler: This tour has been a crazy blur. So many good memories. It’s our first time on a true headlining tour—a lot of uncertainty on how exactly the tour would go, but it’s far exceeded expectations.
You try and have realistic expectations balance with the way you see things in your head as an artist which is “everyone’s going to love us.”
Brue: I went in with if we can get 200 people in the room, I’ll be satisfied.
Butler: The fans have been unbelievable. Fans singing lyrics to every song, not just “Middle Fingers”. It’s been so shocking and satisfying to us to see everyone sing.
What’s the story behind “Twisted?”
Brue: It’s the second version of a demo I did a long time ago. The lyrics were first written for MISSIO 3.5 – 4 years ago. Got its second wind with Butler.
This song is very literal to my relationship I have with my family and how I view myself as a little crazy and twisted.
Butler: In the mix, it sounds like an insane asylum and that’s what we were going for.
How is everyone getting along on the tour?
Butler: Surprisingly, everyone is very compatible. Everyone on tour is positive. But people have bad days, so we rally around them when they do.
Brue: It’s been easier with more people.
Butler: We’ve learned everyone’s quirks like don’t talk to Matthew before 10 a.m.
Brue: This tour is a little bit easier as we’ve left a little bit later.
What are you looking forward to after the tour?
Butler: A week off. Then getting down to business and writing. Touring is a whole different beast. You become a different version of yourself. It’s a whole different mindset. I’ll spend a day organizing my in-home studio (which is where most of “Loaded” was created).
Brue: First thing I’ll do is go and get Home Slice Pizza. https://homeslicepizza.com
Butler: The first couple of days after tour are the best. You can guilt-free do nothing.
Brue: I sign off my emails. Don’t talk to me for a couple of days.
Food?
Thai food and ramen is their go to. They eat pretty healthily, they think. Lots of salad. Brue is so tired of salad. And no dairy, as a vocalist, Brue has to be careful as dairy isn’t good for his vocal chords.
Brue: A lot of artists don’t think long-term when it comes to their vocal chords. Need to take care and work out vocal chords, it’s a muscle.
Fun St. Louis fact?
Butler: I lived in St. Louis Monday—Thursday for 2.5 years about 9 years ago. In a previous life, I was a computer nerd so I spent a lot of time here. I’ve experienced the brutal, cold winters. And the humidity, I didn’t think it would be humid in St. Louis.
He also did the touristy things, like going up the Gateway Arch.
If you missed MISSIO on this tour, don’t miss them on their next.
