Smoot, Seth
Mates of State
Issue #27
The duo’s been together through thick and thin, perms and mullets, tours and birth, and they’ve still got time to talk about the 1970s vibe of their latest release, Bring it Back
By Sujan Hong
Published: March 1st, 2006 | 12:00am
Change has always had a role in the lives of Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel. Since forming Mates of State in 1997, the two have moved from the Midwest to the West Coast, put their traditional careers on hold, moved all the way cross country to the East Coast and most recently, welcomed a new member into their family: a daughter named Magnolia. Now based in East Haven, Connecticut, Mates of State are preparing to release Bring it Back, their fourth full-length and first for Barsuk Records.
The one thing that hasn’t changed is the composition of the band. Mates of State have always been about Gardner and Hammel and how they work together. The duo has earned a reputation for intense live shows that accentuate their affinity for each other, as well as their love for what they do. On Bring it Back, Gardner and Hammel push and pull each other to new levels of jubilance and complexity, making for perhaps the fullest sounding Mates of State record to date. It’s also the first time each has had 100% creative control over a single track. No, it’s not a crack in the Mates foundation but a further extension of the trust in this relationship.
Over authentic British chips and treacle pudding in Brooklyn, Gardner and Hammel discuss what happens when two becomes three and how they manage to succeed in areas where so many others fail.
Bring it Back has a 1970s vibe — songs you’d find from movies from the ’70s.
Kori Gardner: That’s exactly what [art director] Sean McCabe felt when he heard the record. That’s where he got some of his inspiration for [the album cover] art, so I can see that.
Jason Hammel: That wasn’t a conscious decision. In the past, we would set up our instruments and play through all the songs. But with this record, we’d break down all the drums, break down on the keyboards and ask, “What does this song require sonically?” Then we’d set up the drum kit to make it sound exactly like that. So across the board, every drum sound is different, every organ sound is entirely different.
KG: It’s like a lot of those ’60s and ’70s records. People just don’t get sounds like that anymore. How do we get those sounds again? Sonically we definitely talked about some older records.
How do you fill up space with just drums, an organ, and two sets of vocals?
JH: We scream real loud.
KG: In the beginning, we didn’t really know what we were doing. We thought in order to make this a full sound, we’re going to have to have lots of harmony, ’cause you see that as another instrument. The organ that I have has a really heavy, loud bass. It’s harder in a lot of ways to have more people who really want to play the whole time.
JH: Sometimes, we’re like, “It’d be so fun to not be attached to your instruments.” We could rock out a little bit.
Was it difficult quitting your day jobs to pursue music full time?
KG: I got to a point where I realized I couldn’t give 100% to teaching. I was burning the candle at both ends and felt guilty about it. There were weekends when I’d come to work after being up in Seattle for the whole weekend playing, get to school on Monday, and just be like, “Oh my god, I’m living a double life!”
How is it juggling parenthood and your music careers?
JH: The misconception is that because we’re artists — and it’s such an untraditional career — that it’s a lot different for us being parents. If a 9-to-5 couple had a kid, they would have to make a ton of adjustments, too. We just did the same thing within our careers. And at the end, I want her fed, I want her to sleep, I want her safe.
KG: We definitely have a different home life than a lot of families. On one hand, it’s way better for Magnolia because she has 24 hours of two parents. When we take her on tour, she gets to see the road. But it’s just like anything else — you just have to get used to it.
JH: On the first tour we did with Magnolia, we went out in an RV so we could have her by us all the time.
KG: It was parked outside the club. I was breastfeeding, so I had to finish the set and run out to the bus.
Did the arrival of Magnolia change the way you write and record?
KG: We used to really analyze things way too much. We’ve gotten to a point in our lives where there are things you can’t control and you should just go with what you really feel.
JH: Like, “This is just a moment.” One moment. If you’re feeling something that great this moment, then it will become great. If it’s not great, then who cares? You’re going to have the next moment.
KG: It also changed the way we had to practice and the scheduling of it. Somehow it gave us a little more clarity in a creative sense. We knew that we had a certain amount of time to write the new record, and we were super excited for that time to come. We work well under pressure, and it was a pressured situation in a way. As far as how our mindsets have changed, the stuff I used to care about — the bullshit that you worry about as a band — is totally gone now. And for me, that’s a really good feeling. I know the things I worry about in life now are the main things I should be worrying about and not petty little things.
It’s apparent you two have an amazing rapport with each other. You keep each other in check.
KG: You have to have a sense of humor.
JH: You know each other’s dirty little secrets.
KG: It’s happened over a long time, but I think we’ve developed as great a working relationship as can be. Working that much with the person that you’re in love with is a total test. It’s either going to make you or break you. For us, it totally worked. We were talking the other day about if we had to quit the band and have real jobs, how we wouldn’t get to see each other 24-seven. Most people respond with “I cannot believe you are with that person non-stop.”
JH: (jokingly) “There’s no way I could be around my wife that long!”
KG: We know when to shut up with each other. We know how to annoy each other and make each other laugh. We’ve been doing it nonstop for a long time. It wasn’t like it was easy from day one.
JH: It’s funny, though. All those bands that have couples who were in a relationship at one point. They weren’t able to handle the sexual tension, so they broke up and stayed a band. Us, we can handle that sexual tension.
KG: (laughing) You think it’s about sexual tension?
So is being in Mates of State a key to your relationship success?
KG: Probably and it goes vice versa. It’s so intertwined we can’t even separate ourselves from it.
JH: There was maybe three weeks of our relationship where we weren’t playing music together when we first started …
KG: … And we talked about playing music together!
JH: But we were afraid to because we thought it would ruin our relationship.
KG: There were definitely worries. “What if I play something and he tries to tell me what to play?” “What if I think he sucks at this?” The first time we played together, we were totally nervous. We pulled out our guitars and we were matching. It sounds totally cheesy, but it was one of those “it was meant to be” moments.
You know, Mates of State has been a band for nearly a decade.
KG: We’ve talked before about how many years it’s been, and I can’t believe it’s been that long. It really doesn’t feel that long. Another thing is you literally cannot have an ego if you tried. Because the second you say some kind of lie, the other one totally calls you on it. [She turns to Jason and says,] “I saw your perm when you were in the eighth grade.”
JH: What are you talking about, red mullet?
KG: That’s more daring than a perm.
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