2005 ACL Fest Home > Reports from the ACL Festival > Archives > 2005 > September > 23 > Entry
Mates of State sate crowd
Stable, public couplehood is such a rarity in rock ‘n’ roll — heck, in popular culture in general — that to see it on display is to be reinspired by the possibilities of marriage. Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are Mates of States, and indeed, they are mates. Straight out of Lawrence, Kan., she takes keyboards, he plays drums, they both harmonize of tight, sharp pop songs. No wonder they’re one of the hottest indie rock acts around and no wonder the large crowd at the AMD stage seemed thrilled to see them. Or maybe they were screaming from the heat. It was hard to tell at 3:30 in the afternoon. Beet-red behind her keyboard, a lock of blond hair hanging in her face like she was bird who flew from A Flock of Seagulls, Gardner swayed in time to the zippy tunes, her voice shining like a girl with her first crush. Hammel’s striped-shirt, bowlish hair and wrap-around shades made him look like a mod who stepped out of “Quadrophenia” and right onto stage. The demi-hit “Fluke” — with Hammel’s drums finding the sweet spot between indie rock’s thump and disco’s shake — got the large crowd moving. Again and again, the Mates demonstrated that their songs didn’t need anything more than what they brought with them: killer melodies on that organ and lithe, swinging drums. It’s the two of them against the world, baby and that’s more than enough.
Comments
By tcl23
September 23, 2005 11:33 PM | Link to this
Steve Earle, on the other hand, was there with his 47th wife, Allison Moorer, who has a lovely singing voice.
At a previous concert, where they also sang together, I heard him tell a joke (in reference to her). This is the rated G version:
What’s the difference between a tornado and a red head from Alabama?
Not a thing. Sooner or later, they’re both gonna get your trailer.