Audio By Carbonatix
Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are Mates of State. First the back story: They call San Francisco home by way of Lawrence, Kansas. They are married, very much in love, and their music and relationship form a seamless insular loop.
And they make a lot of joyful noise for two so one. Gardner masterfully tickles the keys and stamps on the pedals of a huge, ancient, double-decker Yamaha organ that percolates and bounces off Hammel’s beats. Hammel, meanwhile, hammers away at the gaps in the sound with his minimal drumming and perfect vocalizing. They both sing full-throated cryptic love songs, harmonizing so well that it could make one think that love is real, at least for them.
Mates of State quickly gained attention with their 2000 Omnibus Records debut, My Solo Project. Relentless touring, both as a solo act and opening for others on tours with Beulah, The Anniversary, and Superdrag, helped give the duo a nice buzzy aura, even garnering a small mention in the New York Times.
They come through our desert on a national tour behind a brand-new release. Our Constant Concern, released this month by Polyvinyl, and engineered by Kingsize Studios’ Dave Trumfio, picks up where their splendid debut left off, with better recording values.
When they perform live, pounding away at their respective instruments and smiling like they are on mushrooms, the two musicians constantly watch each other. This serves not only to monitor the ebb and flow of musical nuances, but also to keep each from missing a precious expression on the other’s face.
They continue the legacy of the charmed duo, which, when done properly, seems to infer some kind of psychic connection. Like a reverse Quasi or a less raw White Stripes, they know how to fill a room with two instruments and two voices. It’s difficult to experience such unadulterated saccharine sounds and love energy without getting a bit of color in your cheeks.
