The stage at Webster Hall was covered with garlands of
greenery and two puffy white clouds hanging from the ceiling for the Mates of
State show October 12th. A
full house of fans arrived to see indie pop’s married couple Kori Gardner and
Jason Hammel, who have been creating music together for over a decade. After a
deviation to a covers album last year, the duo is back on their game, offering up
buoyant and carefully crafted songs about going through life as a twosome. They took to their instruments to bang out an
infectious mix of hits and new tunes off the latest release, Mountaintops. There seemed to be lots of pairing off in
the audience as well, yet everyone was ready to sing along and pump fists in
support. Gardner stood at command in
front of her keyboards, wearing a graphic print top and her blond hair in a
high ponytail, while Hammel sat at his drum kit in a dress shirt and vest ready
to rock. Throughout the night, there were lots of knowing smiles and mouthing
of words to communicate with each other -- when they weren’t busy singing of
course. Kenji Shinagawa supported them
solidly on guitar and John Panos brought a magnetic stage presence, playing extra
keys, trumpet and tambourine as needed to broaden the Mates’ signature sound.
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| Meeting up w/Kori after the show |
The band began with “Get Better” off 2008’s Re-Arrange Us to get things rolling. Then new songs were introduced: a rollicking beat
in “Maracas” along with two compositions allowing a softer side, “Unless I’m
Led” and “Desire.” Although, the lyrics,
You’ll learn to live without me, seemed
an unlikely thought from this songwriting team.
The sentiment behind “At Least I Have You” sounded much more applicable,
not that it really matters. Crowd
pleasers such as “The Re-Arranger,”
“Goods,” “Like U Crazy,” “Now,” and “My Only Offer” punctuated the
night, along with more contributions from Mountaintops. The soaring new single “Palomino”
provided the finale with the band exiting to strobe lights, leaving behind a
flashing energetic afterglow.