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SHOW REVIEW: Mates Of State

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Mates Of State, Sean Bones, Canary Oh Canary
Monday, February 20 at The Canal Club

When The Canal Club hosts shows of this caliber, the results are impressive, to say the least. It provides a better understanding of the space, and helps to showcase that it may be slightly underutilized. Some prime examples of shows that made this clear are Deerhunter, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, and Matt and Kim. Now Mates of State can be added to this list.

It’s been interesting to see Canary Oh Canary in the new year. Almost inevitably, as soon as the article written about them for our publication was released into the world, all things Canary began to change. Drummer Noell Alexander left the group, and they enlisted Mark Hutcherson as his replacement. Alexander and Hutcherson are two very different drummers, and their work displays different phases of the band. There is a transition required, but it's exciting to watch. For all intents and purposes, version 2.0 of Canary Oh Canary is still a strong band that offers a unique sound to the Richmond musical landscape. They performed to a slowly growing crowd at the Canal Club and engaged everyone with their five-song set. Michael Harl’s voice is still a machine to be reckoned with. There is no denying that “Embrace” still evokes chills out of those who have heard it numerous times. I for one can say that I am excited to see what Canary Oh Canary has in store for everyone. In many ways, they have even more at stake and more to prove than ever before.

Sean Bones was the treasure of the evening. His approach wasn’t exactly indicative of what he brings on a regular basis. He performed solo with digital skeletons that helped to flesh out his tunes. Switching between electric and acoustic guitars helped to distinguish the personalities of the artist in a way that never seemed confusing, and resonated beautifully from song to song. His sound can most easily be described as taking the music from Leonard Cohen’s Death Of A Ladies Man and mixing it with the lyrical musings of Townes Van Zandt. The set was truly magical, and he offered a clever rapport with the audience as each song carried itself splendidly throughout his short but sweet set. Bones promised to return to the city, and it cannot come too soon.

Mates of State had delayed their appearance in Richmond to perform on David Letterman's show, and this was their make-up date. The show may have deserved a larger turnout from the city, but it can be tough to fill any club for a weeknight show. Despite this though, the enjoyment factor never diminished for the participants and those in attendance. I had not been that big a Mates Of State fan prior to this show. There was nothing to detract me from listening to them; it just never became a priority for me--and it’s a shame. Thankfully, this set helped me to see why so many people are attracted to the group. They write glimmering pop songs that are catchy and ridiculously cute. Sometimes maybe even too cutesy, but when you can tell it’s coming from an honest, natural place, it doesn’t really seem to matter all that much. The crowd was hooked on to every song and it was a wonderful introduction to a band that I had spent an unfortunate amount of time being lackluster to as far as my enthusiasm went. One other factor to remark on is the dynamic of the full band they have behind them. The backing band consists of John Panos and Kenji Shinagawa bouncing back and forth providing various instrumental accompaniments for each song. The two accomplish a lot with the pop backbone orchestrated by Kori Gardener on keyboards and Jason Hammel on drums. On occasion, old school fans of bands that expand their lineup will speak nostalgically of the days when the live setups were minimized. I cant imagine this being the case for Mates of State. This lineup seems focused and realized in a way that can make both old fans and newcomers like myself fall for a band like them.


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