Adam Pranica, filmmaker and principal over at Dorsia Films and true indie rock enthusiast, with the perfect opening line:

"In the winter of 2011, Victoria VanBruinisse came up with a crazy idea to invite John Roderick of The Long Winters over for a potluck dinner. He played a few songs, told some stories, and ate all of the food."

And that's pretty much the long and short of it. When I found out that I was going to be in New York at CMJ for this past year's City Arts Festival, and would subsequently be missing the only performance by the Long Winters for the 2011 calendar year, I almost cried. Not literally, but still. It was a huge disappointment, a sigh to end all sighs, the conundrum that comes from being vested in so many interests and not being able to be everywhere at once. And so I did what any fan would do: I suggested to John that perhaps he might want to play a show in my living room.  I base much of my interactions on the simple methodology of the old adage that it never hurts to ask, because as the lottery tells us, you can't win if you don't play.

Well, we played alright, and we won. All of us, and that's you {yes, you!} included, because we won something big: a beautiful, candle-and-twinkle-light-lit evening with two dozen of our closest friends, where we enjoyed food, comraderie, and a series of brilliantly performed songs by the one and only John Roderick. And because of the genius embedded in Adam Pranica, Tyler Kalberg, and Zach Varnell -- the latter two being names you should recognize from the Notes from Home series -- we get to share the collective product from that near-perfect night with the world.

more...

In the throes of a killer party at the Neptune last night, we were thrilled beyond belief to find out the details on another most excellent year for the Sasquatch! music festival, taking place out at the Gorge on Memorial Day weekend {May 25-28}. Sasquatch! is by far one of our favorite fests every year, and 2012 is going to be no exception.

We're particularly excited about partying down with the likes of Jack White, Beck, Tenacious D, Beirut, Girl Talk {hell yes!}, The Head and the Heart, Tune-Yards, Wild Flag, Blind Pilot, Mark Lanegan Band, The Cave Singers, Grouplove, Ted Leo, Deer Tick, Alabama Shakes, We Are Augustines, Shearwater {!!!!!}, Charles Bradley, Pickwick, Hey Marseilles, Sallie Ford, Dyme Def, Fresh Espresso, and Katie Kate -- but by no means does that even scratch the surface of the seemingly-zillion fantastic bands included on this year's lineup. As usual, there's a thoughtful mash of notable locals and squee-worthy headliners, so much so that slapping down the ticket price to spend the long weekend with twenty-plus thousand of your closest friends is an absolute no-brainer.

more...

It's coming! The crowds, the sun, the bands -- my stars, THE BANDS. We're beside ourselves with anticipation as we wait for the announcement of this year's Sasquatch! music festival lineup, and it won't be long now! The news will be public in less than forty-eight hours, as the folks at Sasquatch! HQ gear up for the announcement party taking place tomorrow night {2/2} at the Neptune. And you can join in, too! The show is all ages and tickets are just $16.00, which is a fair price to pay to be spending the night with the likes of Junip {feat. Jose Gonzales}, Matthew Caws {of Nada Surf, also playing a sold-out show later that night at the Tractor}, and The Physics.

Add the cherry on top of Luke Burbank playing host, and you've got the best party / show / festival lineup announcement / gathering-thing this side of the Puget Sound. We can't wait to start making our schedule for this year's trip to the Gorge, and hope to see you tomorrow night!

{All ages / $16 adv / 7p doors. Photo of the main stage at Sasquatch! 2010 by Victoria VanBruinisse.}

If you’re in the mood for some civic engagement this weekend, the City of Seattle is hosting its third annual open house on Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm. The mayor and other city officials will be available for a Q&A, and workshops on credit reports and how a bill becomes law will be offered. Meanwhile, The Fred Hoadley Trio will play Latin jazz and Eagle’s Jump, featuring Arlie Neskahi, will play Native American music. There will be an on-site farmers’ market selling local produce and food trucks selling lunch. The Seattle Animal Shelter will also be onsite with adoptable animals.

For more publicly-sponsored live music after the open house, catch light rail down to SeaTac. Gabriel Mintz, Kris Orlowski, The Requisite, Kristin Gaerlen, Chad Knight, Quixote Radio, Whitney Ballen, Josh Baez, Justus Yearous, and This is Your Captain Speaking will all be performing on random trains.

more...

We are always bursting with pride to count Chris Estey as a friend, let alone be honored enough to have him share his words on Three Imaginary Girls.  But today, the thunderous applause coming from the imaginary office for Chris is deafening.

This morning we heard the amazing news that there are now public screenings scheduled for Have You Ever Had a Beard?, a new film which captures the first meeting of our dear Mr. Estey (wait, should we make that the title of a new advice column?) and the King of Indie, Calvin Johnson (wiki K Records, Beat Happening, all things rad)! 

This meeting of the two mega-minds took place in the historic Columbia City Theater where Chris and Calvin chat and delve into their contrasting tones: Calvin's mysterious cosmos, mesmerizing baritone, and weighted works, with a concentration his latest solo incarnation ("he spits literary bop prosody in the form of three songs") versus Chris's torrential confessionals told with his signature unsurpassable jubilance that spills out like a spoken-word graphic novel (and inspired by Phil Ochs’ seminal Greatest Hits album).

The world premiere of the movie is at Portland's Hollywood Theatre on Friday February 24, 2012.  Calvin Johnson (who will perform a couple of songs and answer questions) (!!!!) and directors Kathy Wolf and Pat Thomas will be in attendance.

The Seattle showing is a couple weeks later, on Monday March 5th at the Northwest Film Forum in Seattle at 7 pm.  Rumor has it that both Calvin Johnson and Chris Estey will be at the Seattle showing (be still my heart!!!).

Mark your calendar!!!  We'll let you know when tickets are available for advance purchase.

(photo by Kathy Wolf)

Fans of all things Carrie Brownstein have an extra reason to rejoice this holiday season: having just wound up her amazing Wild Flag tour, Brownstein and SNL's Fred Armisen have recently announced they are taking their comedy hit Portlandia on the road with a six-city tour! The duo don't just star in the series, they also co-created and wrote everything too, accounting for the ease with which the characters interact onscreen. Can't you just imagine the pair sitting in a cafe together, brainstorming and kidding around?  There are so many great moments in the series, from the "Flyer Wars" skit, to one couple's quest to find out just "how local" their locally sourced meal is... whether you're a self-proclaimed hipster, cyclist, or groupie, there's sure to be a moment in the series where you find that you and your friends are gently laughing at yourselves (I, like many of us, have been known to "put a bird on it" myself).

more...

I would like to take this moment to announce that I think SIFF purchasing the Uptown Cinemas and rescuing them from languishing in certain doom is the best thing that they have ever done, ever. EVER. 

Okay, now that I have that out of the way - let's get to the good stuff. The Uptown is having its Grand Reopening this week! Starting Thursday, 10/20, there will be a serious of Sing-Alongs (Hedwig, Purple Rain, and Grease) as part of the Heineken City Arts Fest, and then they're gonna show a whole bunch of awesomeness -- officially known as Uptown Cinema Classics -- starting on 10/23.

You can view the full schedule here, but the films I'm most excited about are West Side Story, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Royal Tennebaums, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, LA Confidential, and The Godfather. They'll also be rounding out the week with Bob & the Monster (which we heartily recommend you get tix to!). Even better: all these films are only $5 - OR FREE with a same-day receipt from any Queen Anne area business. omg. what. 

Anyone up for drinks at The Mecca followed by a film? 

more...

I know in this age of streaming movies, mail delivery, and video on demand, it's tough to find people who still make a habit of going to their local video store to actually, you know, RENT physical DVDs. Coming from the VHS era, in which this girl's life was saved, enhanced, and made more interesting by her next-door rental joint, I still make a point to walk over to the Video Isle near my house every once in awhile in hopes that video stores will stick around for awhile longer. 

Saturday, 10/15, is officially Independent Video Store Day, which is the perfect excuse for you to get off your ass couch and head to the store nearest you to browse the aisles and find something awesome. And Scarecrow, the grandaddy of ALL video stores in Seattle, is also celebratin' with sales and events -- and donating a portion of their pre-paid rental sales to REEL GIRLS. I spent many days of my Senior HS year skipping classes (no wonder my GPA was so low...) and digging into the rows and rows of tapes at Scarecrow, so they have a special place in my heart.

You should swing by from 11am-midnight and check out the following: 

50% off their entire inventory of used Blu-rays, DVDs, VHS, and Laserdiscs
$3 off new DVDs & Blu-rays for sale
Movie recommendations from the Seattle Film Community (TIG's will be there too! just sayin') 
Drawings for prizes: 50 free rentals, a theater rental at Grand Illusion Cinema, prize packs from Criterion (!!!), Kino, Zeitgesit Films, and more
Pre-paid Rental Sale: Get 10 rentals for $35, which saves you $10. Scarecrow keeps track of what you've used, and they never expire. 

So, I'll see you there, right? You'll probably be able to find me in the horror section, lamenting my lack of a region-free DVD player...

Bands. Art. Comedy. Community. These are just a few of the things you can expect from the upcoming City Arts Festival, taking place at various venues throughout the city from Thursday, October 20th through Saturday, October 22nd. They've done a damn fine job of showcasing a ton of local artists as well as featuring some national acts, both sure to pack their respective houses -- and thus, it's through a sea of tears that we give you some of our picks for what you should do to make the best of those seventy-two hours.

City Arts isn't bringing us to tears, of course, unless you count tears of JOY at reading the full lineup! But we are a little sad to report that part of our imaginary team will be in New York for CMJ this year {for those of you keeping score at home, yep: it's the same week / weekend}.

THURSDAY

The Don't-Miss: The Long Winters / Campfire OK / Cobirds Unite / Cataldo
Where: Showbox at the Market
{tickets}

The Long Fucking Winters. At the Showbox. Seriously!! The rumors are true -- we're presenting this show, it's going to kick ass, the night will be full of surprises, and the lineup is killer. Cataldo will be warming up the night, fresh off the release of their latest album Prison Boxing, Cobirds Unite will send the masses swooning, Campfire OK will undoubtedly win the house over... and all of this before John Roderick and Company take the stage. Any night when he and Rachel Flotard are in the same house, whether they perform together or not, is sure to go down as one for the books.

The Runner-Upper: Seateeth
Where: Theatre Off Jackson
{tickets}

more...

Mark your calendars, friends in Tacoma {and friends in Seattle who are up for a ride!} because the Fall Free For All is coming your way this weekend, and you're not going to want to miss it.

First off? Yep, it's actually free. Free-free, no-strings-attached free, ain't-gonna-cost-you-a-thing FREE. Second, the weekend includes performances from bands like Pearly Gate Music, Drew Grow and the Pastor's Wives, Kelli Schaefer, Laura Gibson, the Local Strangers -- along with plays, movie screenings, and tons of theater exhibitions and family-friendly events. And third? You hardly have to lift a finger to sign up to go: just head on over here to sign up for your free wristband.

more...