Naturally my great love for The Posies led me to my great love for Big Star -- and I still remember being outraged when watching That '70s Show and realizing the version of "In the Street" playing over the credits wasn't Big Star's original, but instead a cover by … Cheap Trick. What. 

Big Star is one of those great power pop bands that people didn't appreciate until long after their albums were released. They're the kings of vocal harmonies and guitar riffs (I could listen to "Feel" all day, every day and NEVER, EVER get tired of it), and they know how to drag a song out until you feel like you can't take it anymore, and then finish it off with a bang -- leaving you feeling exhausted, but satiated, and yes -- wanting more. So much more. 

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me does a stellar job not only covering the history of the band from Alex Chilton and Chris Bell's first collaboration, but also touches on the personal struggles of each. It's a complete picture of Big Star from its inception to its demise -- and later resurrection -- and of course, it's loaded with awesome tunes (Psst: Ominvore Recordings is releasing the soundtrack on vinyl!). It's a gorgeous portrait of the band, and a must-see for fans.

{Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me screens at the 39th Annual Seattle International Film Festival on Tuesday, 5/21, 9pm, and again on Sunday, 5/26, 8:30pm at SIFF Cinema Uptown}  

I was skeptical of Mistaken for Strangers at first, because I'm not a fan of The National (when I told my friend this the other day she looked at me like she couldn't understand the words coming out of my mouth. It was seriously AWKWARD), but this documentary is actually less about the band itself, and more about Tom Berninger, the brother of lead singer Matt, who is both the Director and subject. 

The trailer has a lot of "whoa" moments,  including my favorite: listening to Matt Berninger talk about how his brother is a metalhead, and thinks "indie rock's pretentious bullshit". HAHA. Ha. (I hope you guys are laughing with me!) And the ouchy "The only reason you ARE here is because you're my brother". 

Anyway! Watch the trailer. It looks cool, and we've got two tickets to each show for a very lucky Imaginary! The film screens on Monday 5/20, 7pm and again Tuesday 5/21, 4pm at The Egyptian. For a chance to win, email us at tig {at} threeimaginarygirls {dot} com with the subject line "Indie Rock is Bullshit" anytime between now and 3pm Friday 5/17. And make sure you tell us WHICH screening you want tickets to! We'll notify the winners Friday night. 

It’s probably impossible that you haven’t heard Lesli Wood sing, either from her awesome Ms. Led days, or covering songs for Jenny George’s annual Dancing on the Valentine benefit, or fronting her kick-ass band The Redwood Plan.

It also goes without saying that the imaginary girls LOVE the heck out of Ms. Wood, and are beyond thrilled that she’s agreed to sing at our Imaginary Holiday Spectacular this Friday! (that’s the 21^st, people! SO CLOSE!) Every time she takes the stage, I’m personally blown away by her powerhouse vocals and amazing presence. Hell, sometimes when I see her out and about in Seattle I’m too awe-struck to say “Hi” because I’m rendered unable by my starstruck fandom.

I can’t imagine anyone NOT loving Lesli Wood, and I’m so looking forward to seeing her play on Friday. You’re coming too, right?

Head on over to the StrangerTickets site to grab some $10 tix before they sell out, because we really really really really want you to be there to celebrate the holidays with us!

Photo by Victoria VanBruinisse. 

{Searching for Sugar Man opens in Seattle on Friday, 8/24 and is screening at the Landmark Harvard Exit}

I’m in a meeting room at the W and it takes me more than a few minutes to process the fact that I am sitting across from an. actual. legend. A guy who was at one time as big as Elvis and the Stones. A guy who fans say is “better than Bob Dylan”.

A guy who, depending on who you ask, either burned himself to death on stage during his last public appearance, or shot himself in the head. 

But the guy—Rodriguez—is less than 5 feet in front of me, alive and well. And learned in 1998 that virtually all of South Africa thought of him as one of the greatest singer/songwriters ever.

Rodriguez released 2 albums in the 1970s in the U.S. on Sussex Records, both of which flopped miserably, even though everyone making them was sure they were amazing. Whether it was due to poor marketing or just the fact that music listeners in the states didn’t like what they heard, no one knows. And when they flopped, he disappeared from the public eye. 

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Gosling pretty much says it all. Tennis Pro is playing on Wednesday, February 8 at Chop Suey with two Japanese bands with perfect rock-and-roll names: Troll 8 (also the owner of Chop Suey's band) and Gnosis  - plus, The Terrordactyls, who also hail from Seattle, and post pictures of sad pizza. Oh, and they also sound pretty neat, so they should complement Tennis Pro's awesomeness just fine.

So I'll see you guys up front near the stage, right? 

Chop Suey Presents 
TENNIS PRO
The Terrordactyls
Troll 8
Gnosis
plus guests 
Friday, Feb. 8 | Doors at 8pm | $7 

{photo courtesy of Tennis Pro's Facebook page} 

In the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to put together a list of some things I've been reading (and coveting) lately - as well as things on my own wish list - that would make great literary gifts for friends and family this year. 

I heartily recommend you head to the local book store near you (may I suggest Queen Anne Books, Elliot Bay, or the UW Book store? Cinema Books on Roosevelt is also an excellent store for movie books - and a "dig through the stacks and explore" kind of place) to pick up a few of these: 

MOVIES!

Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film by Zack Carlson and Bryan Connolly
Our own Chris Estey wrote about how awesome this is earlier this year, and omfg. It IS. Every single movie with any appearance by a punk rocker is detailed within. This book is one of my greatest treasures…and I haven't even gotten past the first 20 pages. Its completeness is amazing, and the reviews/descriptions of the movies are hilarious. I LOVE IT. And I have some half-assed notion of renting all the movies in it that I haven't seen - who wants to dare me? 

Deep Focus Books - Heathers, They Live, and Lethal Weapon 
When Soft Skull press announced Deep Focus last year I was SO EXCITED. These books are like the movie version of the 33 and 1/3 series. I currently have They Live and Heathers in my collection, and am excited to add more. In addition to the ones listed above, they also have The Sting, Death Wish, and The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training (WHAT) available. 

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I'm going to start this new "album round up" for Three Imaginary Girls with the above recent You Tube video for Sean Rowe's "Jonathan": (1.) Because I think it's the best song off of his recent Magic album (recently given full treatment here) and though it's been out a while the video is new. More-so, it's starting my summer off all rum and cola-sweetly, buzzy and bubbly at dusk-time, and I want to share it with you because the tune still grabs my attention. (2.) That's to help set the tone for a regular column that will primarily focus on the best songs on the albums I'm playing, while taking care of full length business as economically as possible. This doesn't mean I won't be doing more full length album reviews; but they might get the test-run here before they get the full heat treatment. Or, as in Rowe's case, I might remind you dear reader of previously scribed-about music that I think needs further attention, probably due to a bright jelly ear-worm melting in the candy jar of my brain.

Now to a hit and run consumer guide starting in my iTunes, and running into my headphones and down through my fingers briskly with the assistance of a jar of cold, strong coffee and soy milk:

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"We do the weird stuff!"

OMG, you guys. I missed this the last time around and I am SO EXCITED that it's come back! Just to catch you up (in case you don't know what the hell Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog is), back in 2008 during the WGA writer's strike, Joss Whedon wrote an awesome musical tragicomedy web series starring the equally awesome Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day and Nathan Fillion.

It's so popular with Whedonphiles (AKA: Browncoats...*coughcough* that's my nerd showing) that a bunch of peeps all over decided to rework it as a play, and LUCKY US - The Balagan Theater is putting it on at ACT in Seattle from January 28-February 12!!!!

For a small taste, check out the trailer for the web series here to get ready for the play. I'm betting tickets are going to be scarce, if not sold out, soon - so grab them while you can and get ready to laugh, cry, and you know, probably sing-along.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
ACT
700 Union Street
1/28-2/12 @8pm
Adults: $25 ($30 for February 11-12)
17 & Younger: $20
Students: $20
Day-of-show: $20

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Though Bloodletting was released shortly after I escaped High School, I was already a long-time Concrete Blonde devotee. Having rocked my way through their debut in 1986 (thanks to The Hidden’s “Still in Hollywood” scene) and identifying with the melancholy yet still rocking Free in 1989, I eagerly anticipated their follow-up in 1990.

My first exposure to Bloodletting was of course, “Joey”, which got so much airplay I can’t remember a day, or hell, even a hour going by without hearing it – a good song, sure, but it didn’t make me sob like “Tomorrow, Wendy”, throw me into goth girl angst like the title song: “Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)”, or make me shout the lyrics out loud like “The Sky is a Poisonous Garden”.

Bloodletting took everything I experienced as a teen (vampires, darkness, feeling lost and helpless - and and also: FUCK this world) and packaged it up with deep, rocking beats, killer guitar work and beautiful, haunting vocals.

The performance I saw 20 years ago was a thing of absolute beauty – so when I heard they’d be doing it again THIS Thursday, June 24th at The Showbox (at the Market, 8pm) for the 20th Anniversary of Bloodletting - there’s no way I could miss it.

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I got this e-mail from Mark Siano recently about his final production as Mark Siano and the Freedom Dancers.  This show looks really cool so you should check it out!

Next Friday we are opening the REALLY BIG SHOW!  Holy Wow!  You gotta see this thing, it is the most entertaining, energetic, and ambitious show I've ever been a part of.  Comedian Mark Siano (that's me! I'm switching to 3rd person, look out) and the funny and foxy Freedom Dancers present their grand finale SOFT ROCK performance, The Soft Rock Kid (February 19-27), in the beautiful ACT Falls Theatre.

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