Three Imaginary Girls - Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press

Our top 10 'What we did at that great indie-rock show in 100 words or less' list

three imaginary girls — Sun, 28 Jan 2007 05:17:53 +0000

19 Apr 2003

"The Natural History, the French Kicks, Bettie Serveert, the Sights, the Datsuns, Caesars, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, Aerogramme, the Delgados, {phew} April 2003"

We were insane. But how could we say no? All these bands were from out-of-town — who knows when we would have gotten another chance to see them? So we crammed in all the shows; we saw, we stopped sleeping, and now, when faced with the daunting task of writing about all of them — we fudged (a little). They all deserved mentions, and they all deserved more attention... but there was only so much we imaginary ones could handle.

Therefore, in an effort to be equitable, we wrote about all the bands — but they each got 100 words only (or as they say on The Price is Right, we needed to come as-close-to-100-words-without-going-over). Those of you familiar with our writing styles recognize what a challenge this was for us.

{In that spirit, please be advised that words strung together with hyphens count as one word in Word®. And who are we to argue with Word?}

The Imaginary Girls staggering run of incredible out-of-town shows...

The Natural History
{3.28.03 at Graceland}

The Natural History sounded hot! They sounded... Hot Hot! Okay, they sounded like Hot Hot Heat, with a smidge of Strokes. But — HHH sound like the Strokes, too. Is this a derivative of a derivation? OR — as igLiz wisely noted — does TNH pre-date HHH, who perhaps just luckily got signed first by Sub Sub Pop Pop? Hmm. The trio enthusiastically opened the night for French Kicks and Idlewild, front men Julian and Max Tepper are obviously brothers ("you don't get hair like that by coincidence," chimed the posse), and hell, if you've gotta resemble a band, HHH's not too shabby...

The French Kicks
{3.28.03 at Graceland}

The French Kicks went on a shopping spree at the Strokes store. They bought the white low-slung belt and the mussed hair, but tragically forgot to purchase the charisma, the hooks, the sex appeal, and the pop-sensibilities (aisle eight guys, next to the how- to- get- Hollywood- girlfriend- manual!). I have no idea how the French Kicks (or as oui like to say, the Freedom Kicks) got to open for the lusciously-fabulous Idlewild. Their songs left me void, like they weren't quite done, and I hated Nick's icky-falsetto. The bass player was cool; he actually looked French. "Right on time, right in line..." Ce qui?

Arab Strap
{4.04.03 at the Showbox}

The music that Aidan and Malcolm create sounds just as Glaswegian as you'd expect. The place swooned with each trill as Aidan's brogue jabbed between the soothing string section parts {thanks to the breathtaking guest female string section}, contemplative guitar strums and Casio drumbeats... melancholic songs broken up by pub-bie self-deprecating witticisms. Whenever I closed my eyes, I felt like I was in the middle of a sad movie... the one where the rain is pounding on the drenched protagonist as he quivers with tears in the deserted park. But the best part was when they played AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."

Bettie Serveert
{4.08.03 at the Crocodile}

Ah ha! Bettie Serveert is a band, not just a woman!! How did I not know that?!? And how had I never heard of this fantastically-skilled Dutch band before? They've been around for years, they have all sorts of indie-cred, leader singer Carol Van Dyk (who *is* female) has a sultry, silken, powerful voice fronting a stellar, hook-laden, solid band — there's nothing to argue about here — they're tight and clean and cut. Lucky for BS (ooh, unfortunate acronym), other Seattle-ites were far wiser than I; the Croc was packed with a most reputable and uncharacteristically enthusiastic crowd of fans.

The Sights
{4.09.03 at Graceland}

One could imagine it would be quite a daunting task to open up for the Datsuns – an act critically acclaimed for their high energy performances and nonstop punches of purist rock. Thank goodness the Sights were chosen for such a mission. Without them, I wouldn't have gotten what I came for – honest to goodness garage rock nodding to the Zombies and the Jam. They've truly earned their tangible ties to their Detroit brethren the Detroit Cobras, Ko and the Knockouts and the Henchmen with their talent to create stunning songs worthy of the grand decibel at which they played.

The Datsuns
{4.09.03 at Graceland}

The Datsuns have- a- solid- case- of- the- emperor's- new- clothes. This garage-rock band earned incredible indie-hype as the talk of SXSW. "It's gonna start stinking in here soon," grinned Liz just-pre-show, gleefully recalling how fellow Kiwis D4 had rocked Graceland. The Datsun's rocked — sure — but with a little-r, without stench. Liz bemoaned that she didn't find anyone in the band attractive and truly, I thought they offered nothing innovative that I hadn't already heard on K102 in South Florida before they went off-the-air in 1986. They just needed eyeliner and hair-mousse. Fellow music-lovers, methinks we've been duped. We're listening to buttrock again... {not that anything's wrong with that...}

Caesars
{4.10.03 at Graceland}

Caesars solidly opened the night for TSOOL with at least 39 minutes of jingling-jangling guitars, dark curly locks, and driving catchy rock-pop bliss. Tragically, many fans missed them, as the bar appeared as full as the showroom {all-ages grumble}, but anticipate their obvious stand-out hit "Jerk it Out" as the lead contender for the pervy-feel-good-favorite-hit-for-summer 2003. A bonus: after the show, we witnessed the most incredible scenster clash between Ben Lashes and Jon Whitney, who both managed to appear at this show as well as the Hint Hint/Divorce show for the one-year anniversary of Chop Suey. Good job, boys!

The Soundtrack of Our Lives
{4.10.03 at Graceland}

Mmm, The Soundtrack of Our Lives: we should all be so lucky to live lives that warrant such soundtracks as this: lush, evocative, introspective, textual, swirly and gorgeous — not to mention, filled with hot Swedes and fronted by a gargantuan man-bear with the kindest face and most sweetly expressive voice. The show highlight: after murmuring a bit of Donna Summer's "Love to Love You Baby," front man Ebbot "Hagrid" Lundberg requested everyone sit down (which we did), and he walked through the audience, peering curiously at our faces, smiling and singing his way through the crowd — who went crazy. Fantastic!

Aereogramme
{4.12.03 at the Crocodile}

What I love most about Aereogramme is their name. Some might suggest that they were being frivolous with their use of the alphabet. I say they just got their money's worth when they were buying vowels. Their latest album, Sleep and Release, paled in comparison to their knack for spelling. But, when I heard their loud, thick monstrous guitar textures divided by sensitive finger-picking and whispers coming from the showroom, I found myself drawn away from my comfortable seat in the restaurant towards the stage lights. Now that I've heard them live, their new album isn't so nondescript.

The Delgados
{4.12.03 at the Crocodile}

Oh God, the Delgados. What a fantastic band, what a fantastic show: two violins, one cello, one flute, a bunch of typical rock instruments, and the incredibly otherworldly voice of Emma Pollock just caressing each melody. The uniqueness of her voice first drew us both into the ethereal Delgados web {igLiz with Great Eastern, igDana with their latest release Hate}; live, it was positively breathtaking on songs like "The Light Before We Land," "Woke From Dreaming," and "American Trilogy." Oh God, it was gorgeous. Did you know they're named after a Spanish cycling champion, Pedro Delgado? Well, now you do...

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100 word about 10 bands, including The Natural History, the French Kicks, Bettie Serveert, the Sights, the Datsuns, Caesars, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, Aerogramme, and the Delgados {*phew*}.

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

three imaginary girls — Thu, 22 Sep 2005 07:00:00 +0000

22 Sep 2005

Featuring stellastarr, Two Gallants, NW Film Forum Anniversary, Sameer Shukla, The Pharmacy and more.* {as of September 22, 2005}

Last Saturday's {September 17, 2005} stellastarr* show was a packed one at the ole Chop Suey. This is a good sign for our band from NYC, especially considering it was the same night as the KEXP "John in the Morning" showcase as well as the NME acclaimed Antony & the Johnsons; the stellastarr* show was packed with folks.

I am not sure who my fellow showgoers were, but the place was full with what felt like Bellevue-types in tight-black-shirted mall attire and Hot Topic Goths. I must admit that it makes me proud that their appeal has grown past the inner-circle hipsters that use the lines from "My Coco" as punchlines with their significant others. stellastarr* know how to write stylish and catchy songs, and it's nice to see that the masses are starting to take notice.

Sure the performance was tight, the fashions were tight and the rockstar banter was charming and, well, tight... but the most memorable piece of the evening was the out of control smoke machine. As you can see by the photos taken by our lovely imaginary boy photographer Brian, most could only see silhouettes of the band. Rumor has it that the men's room, which is about ten feet from the stage, fell victim to the machine as well and was filled with the dense fog by the set's halfway point.

Even though I'm not a fan of encores, I was happy to hear {since seeing through the fog was difficult at times} stellastarr* come back on stage and play my two favorite songs, "My Coco" and "Somewhere Across Forever". I'm pretty sure I wasn't alone {although I could have been — again with the fog}. The crowd went crazy as soon as they heard those first familiar, catchy riffs.

It is always ambitious for a band to tour in support of an album that is just a couple days old {Harmonies for the Haunted was released three days before this show}. Who knows, maybe next time they come to town, folks will be bursting at the seams for a piece of the HftH action.

Now, looking ahead, hold on to your bonnets, because on Friday {September 23, 2005} the Two Gallants are back in town. They are part of the spectacular Portastatic / The Rosebuds / Holy Ghost Revival show at the Crocodile. The Two Gallants exude cool in each of their heartbroken bluesy folk lullabies. They have the souls of seniors and the stamina of freshmen. Their recent signing to Saddle Creek Records came as no surprise since their part Bright Eyes, part White Stripes sound has been known to incapacitate mortals.

Then, you may not know this, but I am a picky film buff... which means that when I find a film that makes me want to learn quotes from it, it is something spectacular. Next Monday, September 26th {at 9:15p} the Northwest Film Forum is showing one of my favorite films of all time as part of their 10th Anniversary celebration. Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains is a brilliant film and a "rarely seen music industry satire following angst-ridden Corinne 'Third Degree' Burns (a 15-year-old Diane Lane) and her riot girl band's rise to fame." It is a cult classic that also stars Fee Waybill {The Tubes}, Steve Jones and Paul Cook {Sex Pistols}, and Paul Simonon {The Clash}.

This Tuesday, September 27th, local singer-songwriter Sameer Shukla will be having his CD release show There's Only One Side Tonight at the Crocodile with Chris Staples and Matthew Shaw. The album was produced by Shane Tutmarc of Dolour and clearly was influenced by Shane's Pet Sounds influenced pop, but Sameer is a talented song-writer in his own right. Sameer's breezy pop stylings are spot on, his voice is clear and earnest yet has just enough of an edge to hold your interest, and he combines wise lyrics with hooks galore.

I have picked other two favorite shows for the week, and of course they fall on the same day: September 28. So I can tell you about both shows, but you will likely have to select one {like an indie-rock Sophie's Choice}.

First off, I'm sure you've all h eard about ::W:I:R:E:: by now, a Wednesday night extravaganza at the Baltic Room that features great DJ and dancing, paired with one up-and-coming (and generally Brit-pop flavoured) band of the moment.

This Wednesday you can catch The Pharmacy, brazen pop-infused punk with just enough attitude to keep the hipsters happy. They pretty much blew our stripey knee socks right off. And check it out — their CD will be released on my new favorite local record label {um, based on name alone at this point}: Don't Stop Believin' Records.

Damnit, I wish I had thought of that name myself...

That Pharmacy album, B.F.F., has been in high rotation in my cd player for weeks. Their songs are full of energy with A.D.D. punk sensibilities fueled by Kane Hodder adrenalin. I doubt they'll be contained by the wee Baltic Room stage.

And then, for those of you up for an ambitious night on the town, you might want to scoot down Pine and down 2nd (oh wait, you can't go down 2nd... go down 3rd, swing around Crack Park looking for parking, and then go...) to the Crocodile for a sweet ass local lineup featuring The Joggers, The Planet The, and The Preons.

If you are looking for a way to help a fellow Seattle music fanatic, on Thursday, September 29th, travel a couple minutes south to Jules Maes Saloon in Georgetown for a benefit to help John Nelson with his medical bills. John is a radio DJ at KMTT (The Mountain), Metro Traffic Reporter, all around local music lover and has been in the hospital since late July. Your $15 suggested donation gets you a front row seat to an auction, free food and performances by The Dusty 45s, M-Set, Two Buck Chuck, The Waterbabies, Jerry & The Phillbillys, Twink the Wonder Kid, and Shane Cobane as Elvis.

I won't forget you, Coco.

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I am not sure who my fellow showgoers were, but the place was full with what felt like Bellevue-types in tight-black-shirted mall attire and Hot Topic Goths...

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

three imaginary girls — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 07:00:00 +0000

14 Sep 2005

Featuring Kayne West, Izabelle, Augustus Sweetheart, The Vera Project's 'Cut-Out' Fundraiser, Hattie's Hat, Jared Clifton, stellastarr, and more.* {as of September 14, 2005}

Like most of the country, I've been listening to the new Kanye West album and heralding it (and the political musings of the artist) nonstop. I apologize for hipster-izing him or coming off like a fair-weather hip-hop for the masses fan — but his sentence-following uhs, his eloquent use of "digga" — I'm loving my most recent dabbling in hip-hop 101! Viva Kanye!

Surely you've all heard by now about the "George Bush hates black people" refreshingly honest speech he gave at a live Katrina benefit show on NBC {that they subsequently censored before airing the reply on the west coast. I'm not even going to use this fun-loving column to vent about how terrifying that concept is...}

Just in case you haven't seen it, go watch Kayne be awesome.

We are so excited to have finally seen Augustus Sweetheart and Banner Barbados! On Tuesday night, they played on the bill with Boat at the Crocodile, and it was a surprise treat to catch these two up and comers. Augustus Sweetheart filled the stage with three guitars, a bass guitar, keyboard and drums. Although this shouldn't be noteworthy it is — the band boasts the cutest of female drummers that totally held her own amongst the legion of guitar / keyboard wielding boys lining the stage in front of her. They supplied concentrated guitar choruses without letting testosterone get the best of them. The outcome is a batch of songs that are both friendly and feisty.

Last Saturday night I had the honor of assisting the lovely Miss Anna Banana of Pretty Parlor during the Habitude fashion show. Specifically, we assisted Glam Garb by Gunlis, an amazing line of hand-dyed vintage slips that paired beautifully with vintage wear from Pretty Parlor. Here's what I learned:

It's hard to dress other people, especially when they are gorgeous, skinny models who are in a big hurry.

Slips make fabulous clothing.

I heart Anna Banana.

It might not have been indie-rock, but it wasn't a bad way to spend a Saturday night. Another perk was seeing the recent line by Tes de Luna of Zuzupop, who dazzled the crowd with at least 30-40 gorgeous and original outfits, as well as with stunningly stoic models who strolled the runway to amazing tunes by Interpol and Bjork. What an amazing and talented local artist! You can find Glam Garb and Zuzupop fashions at both Pretty Parlor (in Phinney Ridge) or Velouria (next to Sonic Boom in Ballard).

But enough blathering. Let's talk about up-coming shows!

The thing I've been most looking forward for the past few weeks is the stellastarr* show at Chop Suey on Saturday {September 17, 2005}. I've only heard selected tracks from their new album, Harmonies for the Haunted, but already know that it is a natural follow-up to their 2003 self-titled album. They continue to make music that has goth-undertones yet remains catchy. The Cure-esque song structure, David Byrne style'd vocals and Pixies guitar rifts are still bound by NYC panache.

Live, I promise stellastarr* will not disappoint. The last time they were in town (remember when the Killers opened up for them in April 2004 at the Crocodile?) I was so impressed I roadtripped it to Portland to see them the following night. (What? Me, moved to the point of superfandom and extreme-adulation over a band?) To hear their songs through club PAs, any perceived over-calculation of their songs is replaced with 'back of the cha cha' grit. Their show on Saturday at Chop Suey will surely be a hipsters delight.

Ahh, stellastarr*. Sweet asterisk how I love stellastarr*. In fact, I've found a new-to-me band that sounds a bit like stellastarr* hopped up on no-doz. They're from Denmark, they're called Tiger Tunes. Give their mp3s a listen. Angry kids of the world... UNITE!

Good call Char! I've been singing that "Kirsten is a f***-machine" song in my head since you had me listen to it multiple times in a row last time I was in your car.

Looking for more new music? Or even looking to fill in the cracks of your prize-worthy collection? Get thee to the Mirabeau Room this coming Sunday {September 18, 2005} for "Cut-Out" — a fundraiser for the Vera Project.

Simply put, it is a sale of promo and demo albums pitting all the clubs, papers, djs, radio stations and collectors against each other to see who can raise the most money with the sales of their cd, vinyl & promo item donations. The group with the most popular collection of music (i.e. the most sales) wins the super special 'platinum' trophy!

There will also be drink specials, dj's, projections, and food — it will be a an all day music party. Let your music geek side SHINE!

My recommended show of the week is the Izabelle CD release show at the all-ages Paradox on Saturday {also with Some By Sea, The Broadcast Debut, Hypatia Lake, and Ambulance For Angeles — now that's a lotta bang for your eight bucks!}. While I haven't seen Izabelle live yet, their MySpace recordings have the slightly theatrical vocals of an indie-rock Rufus Wainright, blended with showy Britpop instrumentation flavored like one of those nice UK bands with boy names (James, Travis, Keane). They have a nice edgy grit to their guitars too, to keep things interesting.

If you'd like to see them while inebriated (who could blame you?), they have a show at the High Dive on October 22 with the likewise Brit-poppy local band Mono in VCF.

Looking for something to do early next week that will give you cocktail conversation fodder for months? On Tuesday {September 20, 2005}, you should check out the hottest French export since Air. Nouvelle Vague will be headlining the night at Chop Suey and filling the place with lounge-y takes of early eighties classics {from Joy Division to XTC}. More than just a novelty, Nouvelle Vague will leave you feeling smart, cultured and giddy. Also on the bill is Lushy and Velella Velella.

But don't stay up too late, you must save some of yourself for the next night {Wednesday, September 21} for the Death Cab/Harvey Danger Hurricane Katrina Benefit at the Showbox. It's home grown turned international indie pop rock for a good cause. There's no better reason to go into work hung over on a Thursday. Tell your boss you did it for charity.

Oh, and before we sign off — thanks to all those who came out to our guest-bartending shift at Hattie's Hat! It was nice to see some long lost souls in the booths and those folks at Hattie's are so nice!

I learned that bartending is hard, so we ended up spending most of our time on our typical side of the bar than behind it.

It was especially nice to see our pal Jared Clifton from Radio Nationals there. In case you haven't heard, Radio Nationals is about to be no more. So while we're giving shoutouts about future shows, make sure you mark your calendars for their final show ever, on October 21, 2005 at the Tractor Tavern (with I Can Lick Any SOB in the House).

Oh! And before we go, remember how last week I told you that our favorite coffee shop {Top Pot Doughnuts} was going to be opening in the north-end of Seattle {Wedgwood} this week? Well hold onto your creamer, friends — looks like the opening will be delayed by a week. Sorry to get your hopes up for one of those mouth-watering soy lattes {and old fashioned cinnamon sugar doughnuts, OMG}. We'll keep you posted on the date...

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We saw some great shows, and we have loads of great shows to tell you about, including Augustus Sweetheart, Izabelle, Nouvelle Vague, and loads more.

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

three imaginary girls — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:00:00 +0000

8 Sep 2005

Featuring Dwight Pelz, Daylight Basement, Bumbershoot, The Decemberists, Aqueduct, Okkervil River, The Brazilian Girls, Tegan and Sara, The Divorce, Tom Brosseau, and more. {as of September 8, 2005}

Did everyone have a great Labor Day weekend? I'd say that my Labor Day fun officially started last Wednesday.

First up, karaoke to support city commissioner candidate Dwight Pelz, who was, in a word, rad. He wanted to sing "Baby Got Back" {hey, that's bonafide local music!} but the KJ (who was Bryan from local band Laszlo, another rad dude to know in town) didn't have it. So instead he sang a rounding rendition of "Kyle's Mom's a Bitch."

As the wise Kurt B. Reighley said, "I am inherently suspicious of politicians who do not like music." I think the willingness to sing South Park karaoke is about the best barometer for a political candidate, so I now proudly boast a Dwight Pelz campaign sign in my front yard.

If that's not a good enough to motivate you to check his box, he lists the following as his top priorities {with a far more detailed breakdown of his ideas available here.}

Dwight is a major regional leader on transit and transportation issues.

Dwight is a tireless advocate for the environment, and growth management.

Dwight has consistently fought for funding for human services throughout King County.

Dwight has led efforts to maintain a high quality of life in our neighborhoods.

Mark your calendars, Seattle-folks: the primary elections are September 20. Don't forget to mark and send in your absentee ballots as soon as possible!

After my rousing renditions of "Maggie May" and "Shadows of the Night," I headed up to Chop Suey to watch a real singer wrangle the microphone at the Daylight Basement debut show.

Daylight Basement were seriously incredible. Our imaginary writer Chris Estey called it his "favorite live show of the year" in his review {hint: go read. Chris rocks!}.

What he doesn't mention, though, is that among the hipsters and fans were these folks {see picture}. Look how awesome they are! Now I know who I want to be when I grow up. Check them out, having a blast, right in front of the speakers — and sans earplugs too. Totally rock and roll.

Speaking of Chop Suey, did any of you get caught up in that whole announce@chopsuey email snafu that went on this weekend? I must have had over 200 emails in my inbox. Folks mindlessly hitting "reply-all" to ask why they were getting all these "reply-all" emails.

It soon degenerated into folks emailing complaints about how hot it can get in Chop Suey, swearing mindlessly, and sending out their grocery lists. Then, folks just started "replying-all" just to let every one know that they shouldn't reply-all. It didn't matter how many times people explained the difference between "distribution lists" and "hitting reply-all" to the list, folks kept the freakout responses flying all weekend. Since when is it easier to hit "reply-all" and type out exclamations than to just hit delete? Completely amusing.

What I found most surprising is that not one of those sassy folks mouthed off about those dangerous random levels at the Chop.They are a safety hazard if I've ever seen one. I shudder before I attend every show for fear of tripping {a fear that is personally well-founded}.

I know! I have fallen knees-to-the-floor whilst carrying a full cocktail. But, being a professional, I have yet to spill it. And let's not even talk about the times I've tripped while completely, utterly sober.

If I could get a word in edgewise here, I'd like to talk about a little music festival I attended this weekend called Bumbershoot! I mean, hello!

It was so worth getting there early to see the ever-enchanting Decemberists. Colin Meloy ended the astroturf-carpeted show with "The Mariner's Revenge Song" and begged for audience participation. And not your commonplace, mundane, hand clapping audience participation... no siree. When prompted, he had the audience cry out "as if being swallowed by a whale." I'm not sure what noise I would actually make in that situation, but now I feel properly prepared in case I were to be consumed by a whale. Thanks Colin!

Aqueduct ended their set by doing a cover of Geto Boys' "Damn It Feels Good 2 Be A Gangsta" which had me walking through the crowds the remainder of the festival singing "Ridin' around town in a drop-top benz; Hittin' switches in my black six-fo'" Um, yeah.

For a gentle band, Okkervil River sure are loud. Frontman Will Sheff was unimpressed by his minimal string breakage (he only broke two) so he ripped the rest of them off after the last song. Hey, if you have to change two, you might as well change them all.

I didn't get to catch much of the Brazilian Girls set because it competed with Okkervil River {too. much. good. music.} but embracey (our film god extraordinaire) reported back "The Brazilian Girls were utterly amazing and gave me moments of sheer bliss."

And for my own person sheer bliss: Tegan and Sara. Oh how I love me some Tegan and Sara. The stage banter... the harmonies... the Canadian accents. I think this is my 6th or 7th T/S show and I was still jumping up and down when they played my favorite songs. That's a lot of jumping up and down.

As for up-coming shows this week, for me it's all about the Divorce, the Divorce, the Divorce.

How ready am I for the release of The Gifted Program? I feel like I've been waiting years for their second album... and finally, I can talk about it freely with the world.

And not only that, we {me and the world} get to see them perform them live this Friday {September 9, 2005} at the very official album-release party at the Crocodile! Also on the bill for the night: Danko Jones, Tourist, and DJ Curtis.

For those of you imaginaries in the Portland area, you should go see Pleasure Club at Musicfest Northwest at Mississippi Studios on Friday nite (Sept 9), not only because they're an incredible live band, but also because they're from New Orleans. James Hall, former lead singer of Pleasure Club, got out of his hometown with his wife and his son, a grocery bag of belongings, and two guitars. They've lost everything else during Hurricane Katrina.

The Seattle show was September 8 so we didn't get to warn you in advance dear readers {sorry!}, but both of the shows will directly benefit James and his family. So hit up that Portland show if you're in the area! Also on the bill are Robert Roth, Pat Macdonald, and Gruesome Galore.

Back in Seattle, another not-to-be-missed-show-for-a-great-cause is the John in the Morning at Night KEXP benefit on Saturday Sept 10, featuring Bobby Bare Jr., 50 Ft Wave, Tom Brosseau, the Pale Pacific, and Ian Knapp at the Crocodile.

I caught Tom Brosseau at The Triple Door earlier this year, and found him enchanting in this bizarrely honest, old-fashioned sort of way. You know when you meet a guy and he seems too good to be true? Like, no one could possibly be as nice/thoughtful/chivalrous as said dude...? You delight in the first few dates, all the while dreading the fatal flaw/bad breath/split-psycho personality that's bound to emerge. But then one day, after yet another incredibly thoughtful act of goodness, you realize the guy is in earnest. And you realize there really are people out who simply mean it, with no ironic intent.

Tom Brosseau is the musical equivalent of said realization. Tom is a North Dakotan native (I mean seriously, are there really people from North Dakota?) who writes, sings, and strums delicate, twangy melodies that defy contemporary alt-country and harken to simpler times, like a Guthrie reborn. He sings of heartbreak, hard times, and hope with such sincerity that you can't help fall for him. Hell, Loveless Records did, and they're not usually ones for the quiet releases (as anyone who hearts the Ruby Doe and Vendetta Red can confirm).

Mark your calendars for Monday, September 12, 2005! This Monday you can spend the workday looking forward to a couple hours, cozied up to the Hattie's Hat bar with us. OK, that isn't so different from most evenings in Seattle. But this time, we'll be BEHIND the bar, serving drinks and yelling out numbers for fabulous raffle prizes {mix cds, imaginary t-shirts}.

We'll be there "guest-bartending" from 8p - 10p and, besides all the other reasons to head out to Ballard on a school night, there will be an imaginary drink special {The TIG: Absolut Madrin, soda water, lime for only $4} and a burger/fries special!

And before you go thinking that Tuesday night is for laundry... STOP! There's a killer show at the Crocodile this Tuesday, September 13th. We've been counting down to the night that we can see this Banner Barbados band that the imaginaries have been talking about around the water cooler. Also on the bill is Boat {who you might have read a thing or two about on TIG recently} and Augustus Sweetheart. Keep your eye on Augustus Sweetheart; they'll be on tour with one of my newest loves, Cars Can Be Blue in November.

And if you can put off doing laundry one more day {which I recommend — clean laundry is highly overrated}... Wednesday you should go to either The Nevvers, Sameer Shukla and The Parttime Lovers, and The Epochs at the High Dive or see The Elephants at the Baltic Room.

Also — for you north-end folks in Seattle, we have great news! Our favorite coffee/doughnut shop in the world, Top Pot Doughnuts, is coming to your 'hood! The newest store is in the Wedgwood neighborhood, and will open to the public on Friday, September 16. Prepare for your next addiction.

OK, now we'll stop being so bossy. Have fun at the shows!

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Shows you should catch, shows we caught and want to tell you all about...

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

three imaginary girls — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 07:00:00 +0000

31 Aug 2005

Featuring BOAT, the Elephants, Calvin Johnson, The Decemberists, The Long Winters, and more {thru 8/31/06}

As expected — last Monday (August 22) was a late night. Boat headlined a night worth missing a good night's sleep over.

It was a wonderful and late night indeed. Before we launch into the details (The Elephants! Boat!), I'd like to discuss an issue in our imaginary community: the four-band bill. This phenomoenon that seems to be taking over Seattle shows. We have always maintained three is the magic number...

Four-band bills should be outlawed — especially for Monday and Tuesday night shows! Four bands on a Monday or Tuesday night?

But I can play their little game. Here are my top four reasons against four-band bills...

It cuts down on the amount of time you get to see the band you are going to see,

It increases the amount of downtime between music (more bands to set up, soundcheck),

It increases the likelihood you are going to miscalculate when the band you want to see goes on stage (which is what happened with me and the Elephants on this night),

It decreases the likelihood you can talk a friend into attending with you (the usual response is, 'you want me to sit through *four* bands in one night? There is no way we aren't going to get out of there in time for me to catch the 'West Wing' at midnight!').

It just doesn't make sense.

Not to mention that it's unfair to the bands. Who wants to go on at midnight on a Monday? That isn't fair — especially because the band that plays at midnight is carrying the most burden for getting people to stay out...

Luckily, the Elephants and Boat made it worth staying up so late. The Elephants self-titled debut release is literally one of my top three {magic!} records of the year so far, local or otherwise. It's beautifully produced, with a diverse sound reminiscent of morsels of so many of my favorites, including the Magnetic Fields, Echo and the Bunnymen, and the Shins. The release sounds so pro I'm still astonished that we lucky ones in Seattle are some of the few peeps in the whole world who know this band yet. It feels nearly as iconic to me as Songs to Learn and Sing.

Live, the Elephants are wee bit sloppier (in the best of ways), endearing, and incredibly mobile. The three members effortlessly flip around the stage and the instruments, sharing the microphone as well as their instruments {in fact, their MySpace bio, all three band members (Trevor Dickson, Jason Freet, Cody Jones) list their band duties the same: "writes songs, sings, plays instruments."} Most bands who employ these Sebadoh stage sharing antics tend to bore/annoy me; I generally pick a favorite front man and get irritated each time I have to wait for another rotation. But in this case, each player brings such strength and ingenuity to each role, it feels simply joyous and exciting to watch them move about.

I can't say enough positive things about the Elephants.

I feel the same way about Boat!

I know! It's like the booking gods looked kindly upon the imaginary ones and consolidated our two favorite lying under the radar Seattle bands onto one imaginary-worthy bill. Well, except for the four-band-late-night component (not to disparage Ed Wang or Little Champions in any way! We're not grumbing about the bands — the bands rock! — we're grumbling about the system.)

Boat just keep getting better and better. Of all the times I've seen them, this was by far the best they've ever sounded. They were fuller and each peppering point of clever instrumentation really stood out.

Plus, tonight they brought Saundrah Humphrey from Math and Physics Club. The addition of her violin to a few of their songs sounded AMAZING.

Um, can we talk about the Boat encore? An encore on a Monday night after midnight?!

Totally! This was my first live exposure to Boat, and while they impressed me with their rolicking charms, quirky yet catchy melodies, and incredible sense of FUN, what impressed me most was that they got a true encore.

And I don't mean an Aerosmith- esque- leave- the- stage- before- playing- Dream- On- and- forcing- half- the- crowd- to- burn- their- thumbs- on- lighters- while- the- band- snorts- coke- and- then- fakes- humility- and- comes- out- for- three- more- songs- the- last- of- which- is- Dream- On- and- you're- stuck- in- the- parking- lot- at- some- shitty- stadium- for- three- hours- cause- you- couldn't- leave- before- hearing- Dream- On sort of encore.

Boat had honestly left the stage and the fans (ahem, I'm looking at you, Roshan) simply would not let them leave without one more. And they played Neil Diamond, no less. But wait, there's more — they played Neil Diamond, and frontman Dave Crane dedicated it to his mother, who was there to see her son cover Neil Diamond. Truly awesome.

And cutie Trevor Elephant joined them for the encore and was so caught up in it, he slammed the maracas to the floor so they smashed in a brillant display of Boat-rock grandeur.

Then post-encore, the crowd attacked Boat with pleas for them to open the merch booth. A quickie Boat store was assembled at a back table, and by the time the feisty gang cleared the area, I think they sold out of small and medium t-shirts and were left with just scraps of CD wrappings.

The audience was so hungry for more Boat, the handmade EP's just weren't enough for the ravenous crowd. Our little local band is getting all grown up!

Just when you think folks would be conserving their energy for the big Bumbershoot weekend, the calendar forces have put together a hectic week for those of us looking for a hip-happening time (ed note: I am not promoting or even condoning the use of the term "hip-happening").

Anyhow, our imaginary boy friend Lorenzo is always my consultant for all things political. When we were approached about the Dwight Pelz fundraiser, I immediately consulted him if he thought the candidate was worthy.

His response was, "I spoke for Dwight at the 36th legislative district meeting. Dwight is the guy who got tax removed off of food. Dwight is an unabashed progressive Democrat. Dwight was Howard Dean's campaign organizer for the 37th legislative district. Dwight is the ONLY candidate in that race, as far as I'm concerned."

How was that for a "yes?" So, we're incredibly proud to support this candidate, and would love to see you at the event. Learn more about it here.

As we mentioned last week, you must come to Chop Suey to witness the debut of Daylight Basement.

The backgroud: Daylight Basement started off as a lo-fi electronic project of Bre Loughlin from Kuma, has fleshed out into the most promising lineup we've heard in ages, featuring Bre (guitar and vocals), Dejha Colantuono from Rotten Apples (bass and vocals), David Bos from the Jeunes (guitar), and Davis Martin from Maktub (drums).

Kuma fans will be relieved to know they can still hear the dazzling vocals of their favorite chaunteuse {Bre has left Kuma for Daylight Basement — more news about that coming soon to your favorite imaginary website}. But Daylight Basement definitely takes a different direction from Kuma. The songs are playful, poppy, with a bit 80's nostalgic and some of the most brazen hooks I've heard. I've had a chance to hear a few of the demos, and they're stuck in my iPod as well as my brain.

If that's not enough to get you outta the house, Seattle's favorite dance sibs the Long Ranger will follow Daylight Basement. Check out Ted from Long Ranger's sweet break dancing skills. He makes the music and then he dances to the music he makes. They're the ultimate DIY party band. And they own two-fifths of the songs on my "Shake your Ass" iPod playlist.

Rounding out the bill is EMI recording artist the Juan McLean. Come witness what just might be Seattle musical history in the making {and dance/sweat/party in the process}.

On Thursday (September 1st), Calvin Johnson will be commuting up from Olympia to make the Queen Bee toting set giggle and groove with glee. I've got my fingers crossed that, in the process, he will also debut some material from his upcoming release, Before the Dream Faded... (currently scheduled for release October 25, 2005).

Also on the bill is Anacortes, WA's own Karl Blau. Like Calvin, Karl has earned a heap of art-indie-Olyfolk cred during the course of his K Records affiliation. His brand of lo-fi is dark and naïve, while sneaking in complex hooks earning fair comparisons to the Microphones.

In pure Calvin style, even the venue locale is on the quirky-cooler than thou side. This time the Church of Beat Happening disciples will gather at the SS Marie Antoinette to revel in all that is "sparse genius indie avant-garde folk rock". In case you're like me and haven't made it over to this place yet, the SSMA (which isn't really a boat, but rather a warehouse) is located at 1235 Westlake ave N, just off Lake Union. It an all-ages show, so you can leave the floatation device AND the fake-ID at home.

And then... there is Bumbershoot. Bumbershoot is the bulk discount superstore of live music. It's so great that so much is in such a concentrated area but if you don't have a schedule (i.e. shopping list), in can be overwhelming and soon you're buying a 10 gallon bucket of soy sauce when all you really needed were razor blades. And it's so cheap! If you're really strong and you get a four day pass, it equates to less than three dollars a band and that's not even counting the great unmusic related events.

But just like Costco, there are huge lines, shoulder to shoulder people, and a scarcity of booze at the exact moment you need it most. Consider yourself warned. I'll be front and center on aisle five... erm... the mainstage for the Decemberists on Monday afternoon. Like I said in our Tablet article, the Decemberists are the Northwest's epitome of drama-pop bands. {imaginary aside: just in case you haven't heard, Tablet closed its proverbial doors. September is their last issue. So sad.}

Regardless of the fact that I am going to be out of town over Labor Day weekend, I've still found myself on the Bumbershoot website ewww-ing and ahhh-ing over this years line-up. There are so many obvious and not-so-obvious must-sees that I get dizzy trying to put together a game plan of recommendations.

Aside from who to see when, I think the best Bumbershoot advice I could give is to repeat a line that came from our Film Editor, embracey, in his 2003 Bumbershoot / One Reel Film Festival recap: "Sneaking out Monday for a late luncheon at the Bamboo Garden. OK, it really has nothing to do with Bumbershoot, but holy fuck, I was *through* with that crowd! So I got my wrist stamped with that weird special ink and trotted over a few blocks to Roy Street for some of the finest vegan pan-Asian food in town. It was just the breather I needed."

And if the whole mayhem at Seattle Center thing kicks off your misanthropic tendencies, it's always interesting to see what venues do to compete with the enormous fuss that is Bumbershoot. If you're feeling that way, I would recommend...

Friday: Robyn Hitchcock/The Fell Swoops/Derby, Crocodile

Saturday: John Vanderslice, Easy Street in-store {Queen Anne, 6pm}*

Saturday: The Long Winters/DJ Frankie Chan/DJ Fucking In The Streets/Red Leather Lipstick/Parag, Chop Suey. This one is free!

In between rock shows and chowing down on Bumbershoot roasted corn, you've got to make some time to catch a James Dean film or two. The Northwest Film Forum is showing two of Dean's three films in September. Rebel Without a Cause will be showing September 2-8 and East of Eden will follow with showings September 9-15. If you can make it to the September 2nd, 7p showing of Rebel, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Stewart Stern will in attendance!

This just in! We confirmed our "Guest-Bartendership" at Hattie's Hat for Monday, September 12th! Three Imaginary Girls love to start the week off right with a libation-fed hang-out session with our friends, and what better place to do it than behind the bar, serving drinks? We've already started scheming up some mix cd raffles and we've confirmed the evening's drink special; the TIG {Absolut Madrin, soda water, lime} will only be $4!

We'll be behind the bar from 8p-10p so bring in your empty tummy (in addition to an imaginary drink special, there's a burger/fries special) and wear your lucky raffle-winning shirt. Don't be scared — there isn't even a cover charge!

Oh — one more very exciting local music morsel before we go. This just in from the Barsuk website:

The Long Winters will have a new CD-EP coming out, ultimatum, on October 11. A new full-length will be released in early 2006. Catch the Long Winters on the road in late September with Keane.

While you're awaiting the release and the tour, you can download a new Long Winters song. In fact, it's the title track. Have a listen.

We think you're pretty!

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A run-down of some great shows we saw, and up-coming ones we think you shouldn't miss.

Three Imaginary Girls - Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press

Our top 10 'What we did at that great indie-rock show in 100 words or less' list

"The Natural History, the French Kicks, Bettie Serveert, the Sights, the Datsuns, Caesars, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, Aerogramme, the Delgados, {*phew*} April 2003"

The Imaginary Girls staggering run of incredible out-of-town shows...

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

Featuring stellastarr*, Two Gallants, NW Film Forum Anniversary, Sameer Shukla, The Pharmacy and more. {as of September 22, 2005}

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

Featuring Kayne West, Izabelle, Augustus Sweetheart, The Vera Project's 'Cut-Out' Fundraiser, Hattie's Hat, Jared Clifton, stellastarr*, and more. {as of September 14, 2005}

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

Featuring Dwight Pelz, Daylight Basement, Bumbershoot, The Decemberists, Aqueduct, Okkervil River, The Brazilian Girls, Tegan and Sara, The Divorce, Tom Brosseau, and more. {as of September 8, 2005}

The Imaginary Live Show Rundown

Featuring BOAT, the Elephants, Calvin Johnson, The Decemberists, The Long Winters, and more {thru 8/31/06}

"The Natural History, the French Kicks, Bettie Serveert, the Sights, the Datsuns, Caesars, the Soundtrack of Our Lives, Aerogramme, the Delgados, {phew} April 2003"

Featuring stellastarr, Two Gallants, NW Film Forum Anniversary, Sameer Shukla, The Pharmacy and more.* {as of September 22, 2005}

Featuring Kayne West, Izabelle, Augustus Sweetheart, The Vera Project's 'Cut-Out' Fundraiser, Hattie's Hat, Jared Clifton, stellastarr, and more.* {as of September 14, 2005}