hiphop-elements.com

...off and on I check out http://www.3wk.com and hear some bands here and there from this genre. I dig it quite a bit to study to. I am only familar with a handful of bands like Antarctica and just checked into some 65daysofstatic. Any other suggestions?

Don't know about Antarctica, but 65daysofstatic is not really math rock, they're much too straight to the point and hardly use odd time signatures and crazy guitar and drum lines to even be considered math rock. If it's this type of stuff you like though, check out some post-rock (that's the right genre).

My favourite math rock bands (I don't really see how on earth you can study to this type of stuff though, much too frantic and unpredictable for me to be able to concentrate on something else):
volta do mar: http://www.myspace.com/voltadomar (these guys are my favourite, breaking ribs for tom thayer is fantastic)
by the end of tonight: http://www.myspace.com/bytheendoftonight
don caballero: http://www.myspace.com/doncaballeropgh
...

why is it called math rock?

just a lame reason to 'subgenrelize' something. it's based on calculated beat patterns. it's just a way for white people to claim something.

I highly recommend Between The Buried & Me. If you're interested, I'll upload a few tonight or tomorrow in the other place.