Rose Hollow Productions - Mature Innocense "Suttertown News Interview"

Article by Liz Weber

     Mature Innocence's debut performance occurs June 10 at 8:30 p.m. at Harding Hall. 215 15th St, Sacramento California 477-0834 for more information.
     It seems as if I have spent the last couple of weeks simultaneously bemoaning the lack of culture in this town, and then contradicting myself when I write about the latest artistic breakthrough. I guess it's a sign of the times: Sacramento is coming of age. More and more, artists of all persuasions are popping up and striving to create an alternative cultural scene in a town not previously noted for its diversity.
     Getting people to listen and to think is what counts.
     The newest event/hand to hit the Sacramento scene is Mature Innocense, and I use the term "event" deliberately. This is a group with a message, a clarity of purpose, and a faith that comes across in even a casual conversation. For Mature Innocense, the message is the music; getting people to listen and to think is what counts. Although that message, stripped of its musical context, may sound somewhat preachy, in person they are anything but.
     "We're not trying to insert a dogma or philosophy into our music," says Jon Murray, the lead vocalist. "We just want people to think, to realize how they influence things, not just their own lives but on a global level as well." In articulating their basic philosophy, band members shift rather bewilderingly from intense analysis of the effect of music to self-deprecation, In the same sentence, Jon calls Mature Innocense a revolution of the mind, then admits that his ideals can be "pie-in-the-sky." What is unusual about this band is the sheer unity of thought that propels them. Even the fact that three of them are brothers does not account for the almost frightening way they complete each other's sentences.
     When I comment that they sound like one entity with four mouths, they are pleased and offer it as proof of their message of universality. The members of Mature Innocense see themselves as teachers, as using music as a tool to try and shape society. Eric, a teacher in his other life, feels that "schools just maintain the status quo. We're offering a different solution," and Craig finishes off for him, "wrapped in a fun package." They strenuously resist being tagged as a "socially conscious" band, however, "We're not trying to be pseudo-saviors; we're not Bono or Sting," one of them (I forget which says. "We don't get together and ask, 'what social problems should we conquer today?' Our music is just an extension of what we feel--it's a medium for growth, for others and obviously for ourselves."
     Despite their protestations, the message they espouse could be heavy going . . . but, refreshingly, they're able to walk that delicate line between sincerity and self-parody. "We're just ticks on the back of a dog," Eric intones in a mock-serious tone, breaking the intensity.
     The band doesn't mind people's misconceptions; they see it as an opportunity to change their perceptions. If someone gives them a casual glance and thinks, oh, another U2 clone, well, good. Better to be a U2 clone than a Guns 'n' Roses clone.
     "Besides," says Eric, getting fired up, "how pretentious to think that one group or one individual has a copyright on an attitude or a message."
     In keeping with their belief that Mature Innocense has a valuable message to disperse, the band has rented a hall on June 10 for their first performance. Jon laughs and hopes out loud that he's not coming off as arrogant.
     "What we are is confident-our confidence isn't ego, it's totally divorced from ego," he says.
     The funny thing is, the cynic that I strive to be believes them. Mature Innocense is a group that knows what it wants to say, knows where it wants to be, and is pursuing its goals with admirable clear sightedness.