Last night DC, KP and I went to dinner and a show. What a wonderful way to spend a cloudy Wednesday night. I'm exhausted today, but it was worth it.

We all had tickets to see the Mates of State show at the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown. Since we were in the neighborhood, there was no other choice than to have dinner at the beautiful Loring Pasta Bar. I've been there a few times for drinks and once for their hip hop night where they b-boy battles and live MCs. Last night was the first time I've had the pleasure of dining there. The food was decently priced, less than I was expecting. Pasta dishes were around $10-$13 and entrees were $15-$18. I had the fettuccini carbonnara. I've been obsessed with watching cooking shows lately. I don't have cable, but luckily I have 2 DVD collections of 30 Minute Meals and Everyday Italian. They ALWAYS make fettuccini carbonnara in some form on both shows. I've been craving it for a while. It was delicious! DC and KP also had pasta. The portions at the Loring were perfect. Just enough to fill you up. Not leaving you with pounds of leftovers you'll never eat.

KP and I also had desert. Lemon creme brule for me, strawberry shortcake for KP. The best part of the meal though was getting to sit at the table next to Mates of State!!! OMG. When I Jason Hammel walk in the back door right past me, my cheeks flushed and an enormous smile crept across my face. I tried SO hard to keep my cool. Luckily they were behind me so I couldn't stare. From the back, I'm sure I looked normal and not like a crazed fan. KP tried to talk me into going to the bathroom trip when Kori Gardner got up from her table, but I was too nervous I would do something stupid. (btw, the bathrooms are a must-see at the Loring - just don't go when there are more than 2 people in there. They have a creepy stall with just a sheer curtain as the door. No thank you.) I'll admit. I totally get star-struck. It happened with Josh Hartnett when I used to work at a certain store he frequented. And maybe because of that job I found out his address and hope that I'll see him in his yard every time I drive by. Which is daily because it's conveniently on my way to work. I'm not a stalker. I promise.

Anyway, the Mates of State peeps were eating, and it was kind of comforting knowing we could take as long as we wanted because they couldn't start the show with out the band!

Since there were two opening bands, we figured we'd play it safe and go claim a spot by the stage. The high schoolers that frequent the MoS shows can be brutal. And the show was all ages. Unfortunately we walked out of the back door of the Loring right into the incredibly long line just to get into the Varsity. Great. The long line did make for some awesome people watching. The girl in front of us was wearing ratty suede cowboy boots, pale pink ballet tights, the ugliest skirt I had ever seen which was bright orange cotton mesh with regular cotton of the same color underneath, a pale yellow t-shirt with a grey baby tee over it, and hair that was died yellow at the roots and orangish towards the gnarled ends. Kids these, days. You know?

We also watched as Kori and Jason walked out of the Loring, down the line waiting to get into their show, and right into the theater. It must be weird to be in a band where you sell out shows regularly, play at huge concert festivals (they'll be at Coachella this year) but no one knows what you look like. I do, but only because I've been to every one of their Minneapolis shows since... 2001? And the one I missed I made up for by seeing them at Austin City Limits last fall. Yes. I'm a big fan.

Right before we got in the building, they announced the show was sold out. TG I bought our tickets 2 days after they went on sale!

The Varsity Theater is an interesting place. When I was at the U it was run-down, vacant, and kind of scary looking. Last night the lights on the marquee were on and sparkling! The inside is really great too. They have it set up so there's a stage in front, large open space for the audience, and platforms along the sides and back section of varying heights with couches and chairs and tables on them. It's brilliant! You can sit on the top platform (if you get there early enough, of course) and still see over the standing audience. They did a fabulous job with remodeling!

The first opening band was Hockey Night. I think they said they were from Red Wing, MN. The guys in this band all looked like 17 yr olds, but they had a really full and rehearsed sound. I was impressed. It made me want to dance. Until the lead singer started singing. He sang with a fake British accent, which was distracting. I use the term "sang" loosely because he more talked then sang in a monotone pitch. It wasn't bad, so much as it completely did not fit with the music they were playing. Mates of State had some pretty terrible opening bands back in the day, though, so this was alright with me.

Next was Maria Taylor of Azure Ray. I was excited to see her once DC informed me that she was kind of big herself. Although he tried to tell me she was bigger than Mates of State, which I find hard to believe since I've never even heard of her. But whatever. Her music was very... slow. Well done, but slow. Sleepily slow. The whole time I was listening, I kept thinking: I will totally download this music, but it's the last thing I want to listen to right now. I think DC was frustrated with the complaints KP and I were making, since he was really enjoying their show. I kept my complaints to a minimum after calling DC an a.hole for loudly making fun of Hockey Night.

During Maria Taylor, I tried to keep myself focused by staring at the hair ball that was in front of me. I'm not exaggerating when I say this lady's hair made her a full head taller. I took a picture, but it's hard to tell since her shoulders aren't in it. I mean seriously:



Luckily she wasn't that tall to begin with and she shifted away from me once Maria Taylor ended.

Finally at 10:30, after 2 and a half hours of waiting, Mates of State started. Heaven! Just so we're clear - Mates of State is a 2 person band. Kori Gardner plays this old school Yamaha organ/piano and Jason Hammel plays the drums. They both sing like their lives depend on it, and it's like nothing you've ever heard before.

They opened with Fraud In the 80's from their new album "Bring it Back". Excellent choice. They played a mix of songs, at least one from all of their 5 albums. They ended their encore with the one cover they do - Nico's "These Days" which might sound familiar to you if you are a fan of the Royal Tenenbaums movie. KP and I went wild! Dancing, singing, jumping. I loved every minute of the entire show. About 4 songs in they invited their 4 yr old niece up on stage to dance. Talk about adorable. She knew all the words!

It's weird because a Mates of State show is never flawless, but the mistakes they make never have you questioning their talent. It's almost like the complex rhythms and harmonies they write are too much for even them to handle sometimes. They always recover pretty fast. Or should I say, Jason recovers pretty fast. The interaction between the two during a show is the best part, I think. They look to each other for cues, they make cute little faces. It's great. Did I mention they're married and have a baby girl named Magnolia?

To conclude, the Mates of State show was fantastic! DC loved his first live experience with them, and KP and I rocked out like usual. I'm exhausted and crabby today, but I'm still on my musical high, so it's all good. You can read the review of their new album on pitchforkmedia.com. Then go buy it! :)

Also, IT'S SPRING!! Look what popped up outside my building!! Those are real! One cute little white flower amongst little yellow flowers. Beautiful.