Tonight, Vieve, John and I went to the Middle East Downstairs to see Mates of State open for Cake. This post, however, is not about Cake. I enjoy their music. I listen to it more than a lot of other stuff. I have seen them before. They were good. It turns out I didn’t really have to see them again.

Mates of State, however, rocked the house. I was very impressed. I had listened to their album once or twice, but not very closely. The live experience is just so different. Sometimes, it takes a live show before I really get into something. That’s how it was with these guys.

Mates of State are married. He plays the drums, she plays the organ and they both sing. It’s pretty surprising when you find out that there is only two people and two instruments in all that music. The music sounds so full. This has a lot to do with with fact that they are constantly harmonizing with their voices and change the tempo and the groove of the song. They are also both equally featured. In their FAQ they say “We both write the songs. We are equals.” That completely shows in the performance. Not to mention all the body language and signals that they have between one another.

Plus, she is completely pregnant like she’s about to bust open!

If you get a a chance to see this guys, take it. If you want to pick up an album, the one we have is “Team Boo” and the song “Ha Ha” is particularly catchy.