BENGARLAND!com

Mates of State was awesome last night at the 40 Watt. For once, I think the 40 Watt didn’t screw up the sound. MoS last played in Athens 3 years ago at the Caledonia, which I like a lot better. Time flies. I still can’t believe it was 2 years ago that I saw them on my birthday in Atlanta. Anyway, the show was awesome, upbeat, and happy. But why were there only 8 people dancing? What the hell? And there were these 3 girls upfront near me who kept mouthing every single lyric to every single song, like they had sat at home and memorized them all to be cool, yet they were barely moving. How can you go see Mates of State and not jump around? I don’t know.

Maria Taylor opened up the night. She was OK. For a few songs they really cranked it up and pumped out a wall of sound. It was nice. So I bought the CD… and it’s a total disappointment. Sounds like something you’d hear on Dawson’s Creek. WTF. And what the hell is with her video? Too bad Maria Taylor is pretty good live but totally lame on record.

On the flip side, the new Mates of State album is amazing.

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