mates of state

I will never miss an opportunity to see Mates of State whenever they either come to town or perform at a festival I'm attending. Their brand of indie pop is tried and tested, and has been as consistent as any band I've seen perform on numerous occasions. Husband/wife duo Jason Hammell and Kori Gardner brought a couple of additional auxiliary instrumentalists for this performance to fill out their sound, and it made songs like "My Only Offer" and "Rearrange Us" take on many new dimensions. They performed with a certain vigor, and made openers Free Energy look paltry in comparison – and I really enjoyed Free Energy's energetic and youthful performance. Both bands provided quite a nice soundtrack for a packed weekday performance in Warehouse Live's Studio. I happily drank and danced and sweated out what was still left in me from the previous weekends adventure to Atlanta for Phish's Fourth of July run. This show, on top of the Edward Sharpe show we caught in Dallas a few days prior, was the perfect hangover cure for one of the best weekends ever.

I took a whole bunch of pictures of both Free Energy and Mates of State, which you can check out after the jump.

Words by Melissa "Sausage" Cox. Photos by Anna "HashBrowns" Vernon.

Lovers of all things breakfast, I would like to introduce you to our new staff writer, Melissa "Sausage" Cox. Melissa is originally from Baytown but is enjoying Dallas to the extreme. We're honored to have you join the musical melee, Sausage. --HashBrowns

Mates of State produces sugar-pop, harmonic melodies that I always put on when I want to be in a good mood. Not only is their music feel-good, but their story is too. The duo, made up of Kori Garner and Jason Hammel, met and played music together because they loved it, and, as such stories go, they fell in love and got married. Their first album was released 10 years ago, so the crowd at the Granada was quite a mixture of young and old, hipster and regular music lovers, and a little heavy on the females.

The night opened with a performance from a magician, which I sadly missed, even though I’m told it wasn’t very good. I also only caught the last 30 seconds or so of Free Energy, the opening band. I made my way down to the front for the show.

Mates of State’s beginning albums featured just the two of them in their drum/keyboard set-up. Their last few albums have a more robust sound with more instruments, so, for their live shows, they have two other people tour with them; one plays guitar and the other an assortment of instruments. Check out the full review after the jump.

Indie-pop at its finest. Cute-as-a-button couple/duo Mates of State, and their young friends The Black Kids decided to finish their co-headlining tour right here in Houston, TX. Warehouse Live hosted the two groups on a night that found the Mates of State closing things out. Fronted by the undeniably charismatic Reggie Youngblood, The Black Kids performed an hour-and-fifteen-minute set of pop gems that put a bouncy spring in the steps of the audience. After introducing some new material and receiving a healthy round of shots mid-set from Jason and Kori (Hammel and Gardner, respectively, of Mates of State), The Black Kids performed a slew of hits from their debut album, Partie Traumatic, including "Hurricane Jane," "Hit The Heartbrakes" and a rousing version of "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You" that had MoS and the other openers Sunbears! taking the stage to support as backup dancers. It was short and sweet; not the most memorable performance, but good for what it was: a fun set of enjoyable pop songs.

Mates of State were next to hit the stage, bringing along 'acoustic metal' string duo Judgement Day to fill out their sound. Constantly staring at each other and giving adorable smiles throughout, Hammel and Gardner (married, but didn't change their names) played an equally entertaining set of pop tunes. While many of their songs start to sound quite similar after about an hour or so, standouts like "My Only Offer," "Get Better" and "Fraud in the '80s" are what made this group deserving of the final headlining spot on the month-long nationwide tour. The crowd that disappeared after hearing the last notes of The Black Kids set truly missed an opportunity to catch an impressive live band that is in the same vein as TBK's indie-pop genre.

After a quick encore break, MoS came back to the stage for an unique take on Tom Waits' "Long Way Home," before finishing off with a spirited version of "Goods (All In Your Head)" that had all three openers banging on water-soaked drums, screaming into the microphones and wreaking havoc upon the stage decorations. It was a fitting way to end the two-and-a-half hour dance-a-thon that we had all just been a part of.

Cereal brought her photography skills to the show, which you can peep – along with a bunch of videos – after the jump

The winner of a pair of tickets to see Mates of State and The Black Kids at Warehouse Live on Wednesday, April 29nd is:

Michael Bell

Michael, we have texted you directions for claiming your prize.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this contest! If you didn't win, you can still purchase tickets to the show for $17 here or at the door for $3 more.

Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, the adorably (sorry, couldn't help it) talented couple behind indiepop band Mates of State, charmed the audience at Warehouse Live on Thursday, June 12. Who was there? What'd they wear? Which songs were played? Get all the gossip (okay, a recap and videos) after the jump.

Mates of State

Festival season is a time to enjoy the company of many like-minded people in an atmosphere free from the worries of every day life. It is a time to see performances from several bands, spanning several genres, that you normally wouldn't get a chance to see otherwise. Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival, located just outside of Lawrence, KS, took place this past weekend, and served as Breakfast On Tour's jumping point for the 2008 festival season. It featured many highs and lows, but it all culminated into another unique festival experience for the BOT crew consisting of Toast and Eggs.

Keep reading "Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival 2008 - Thursday/Friday" after the jump

Upcoming shows in the Houston area:

Thursday, June 12

Mates of State with Headlights and Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears at Warehouse Live
Black Joe Lewis has a song entitled "Bitch I Love You" AND Barack Obama called him 'outstanding' - that would be enough to get us to this show even if Mates of State and Headlights weren't also on the bill.
Show starts at 9; tickets are $14.

Via Audio with Jukebox the Ghost and The Western Civilization at XO Lounge
We're a little thrown that this show is taking place at a club/lounge, but it should be a great time. It's being presented by Houston Indie Concerts and Coffee Shop Criminals.
Show starts at 9; tickets are $5 21+/$10 under 21.

Basses Loaded, Tha Fucking Transmissions, Satin Hooks, Shina Rae, and The Delta Block at Numbers
Part of Free Press Houston's Recession Thursdays series. $2 Lone Stars, $3 wells, $1.50 drafts.
Show starts at 8; tickets are $5 21+/$7 under 21.








Friday, June 13

Live Oak Decline at Last Concert Cafe
Show starts at 9; tickets are $7.








Follow the jump for the full list of recommended Houston shows

Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival's third round of artist additions was announced today:

Sound Tribe Sector 9
Ozomatli
New Monsoon
Mates of State
Hot Buttered Rum
That 1 Guy
Bang Camaro
C-Mon & Kypski
Oakhurst
Dirtfoot
Hoots & Hellmouth
American Babies
Big Smith
Stardeath & the White Dwarfs
Wisebird

Ozomatli at Wakarusa '07

Wakarusa also recently added Emmylou Harris, Jennie Arnau, Blue Turtle Seduction, Cornmeal, Family Groove Company, Madahoochi, Future Rock and Forth of July.

More artists will be added soon, so stay tuned! Tickets are currently on sale; visit Wakarusa's official website for more information.