Recap: Mates Of State and Black Kids at The Varsity Theater

Mates Of State
by Carl Atiya Swanson, photos by Stacy Schwartz April 13, 2009

Article Tools

Related artists

It's too bad that there wasn't a greater sense of expectation or excitement for Black Kids, who opened for Mates Of State at The Varsity Theater on Sunday. The more middle-aged crowd in the back of the theater seemed little concerned with the indie-poppers onstage. Closer to the front, the crowd got younger and bouncier, but there still wasn’t much connection between band and audience. Black Kids worked through their set with a practiced air that undercut any sense of fun. Although they shot for danceable and quirky on “Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo),” the song came off more as bland and awkward. This was not aided by frontman Reggie Youngblood’s stage banter, which included a story about an ex-girlfriend being hit with a shoe, and his tendency to overpromise the songs (“This song will make everything better”). At the end of the set, while thanking the audience and exhorting them to buy T-shirts and CDs, Youngblood announced, “We’ll be in the back, posing, looking cool.” An innocuous enough statement, but it opened up worlds as to the intention behind Black Kids' music.
Black Kids
Black Kids
In contrast, Mates Of State played with precision and still looked—and sounded—like they were having a blast. The husband-and-wife duo of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel led with their strong suit, opening with the singles “My Only Offer” from 2008’s Re-Arrange Us and “Like U Crazy” from 2006’s Bring It Back, but didn’t let their energy wane throughout the set. They were aided by multi-instrumentalists (and brothers) Lewis and Anton Patzner of opener Judgement Day. Hammel called Anton Patzner “the greatest fiddle player in the U.S.,” and the siblings added swirling harmonies and sharp accentuations with guitar, violin, cello, xylophone, and trombone to Gardner’s keys and Hammel’s drums.
Jason Hammel
Gardner often leaned over her keyboards in a mock stare down with Hammel, playfully challenging each other to finish the lyrics or join in the call-and-response of a chorus. They transitioned smoothly through most of the set, pausing only towards the end to ask the audience how fast they should play. During “Parachutes (Funeral Song),” they invited two couples onstage to dance—to the chagrin of security, but a gesture much appreciated by the audience.
Couples Slow Dancing On Stage
For their encore, the duo put a little country-western spin on Tom Waits’ “The Long Way Home,” turning it into a song about returning home to each other, and sounding not unlike the duets of Johnny and June Carter Cash. Closing with a choppy, up-tempo version of “The Re-Arranger”, Mates Of State provided a solid reminder that bands do not need to be infinitely complex to produce a rock sound that is large, loving, and inviting.
Kori Gardner
Kori Gardner
Kori Gardner
Mates Of State
Mates Of State
 
Black Kids set list:
"Listen To Your Body Tonight"
"Partie Traumatic"
"I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again)"
"Hefner"
"Look At Me (When I Rock Wichoo)"
"Hit The Heartbrakes"
"UFO"
"Hurricane Jane"
"Love Me Already"
"I’m Making Eyes At You"
"I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You"

Kori GardnerMates of State set list:
"My Only Offer"
"Get Better"
"Like U Crazy"
"Ha Ha"
"Open Book"
"Think Long"
"You Are Free"
"Fraud In The 80s"
"Fluke"
"Now"
"Parachutes (Funeral Song)"
"So Many Ways"

Encore:
"The Long Way Home" (Tom Waits cover)
"The Re-Arranger"
 
Mates Of State Set List

« Back to A.V. Twin Cities home

Article Tools