Three Imaginary Girls - Triple X Audio

The Wreckage and Reclamation EP

imaginary jessica — Thu, 15 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000

http://www.triplexaudio.com/

Straight-ahead power rock. Some might argue that it's been on the wane since the hype tsunami of the early 1990s washed back out to sea. But Triple X Audio begs to differ. Their latest recording effort, The Wreckage and Reclamation EP, does exactly what the title suggests: it pulls power rock from the post-grunge wreckage and reclaims it for Triple X Audio's very own.

A follow-up to their first full-length Like Pumping Gas on Fire (Mattress Actress, 2003), Wreckage and Reclamation mixes clean drums and guitars with subtly haunting vocals and a slightly sinister bass line that adds a dark twist to their sound. The second track, "Measure of Regret," proves to be the most catchy of the five-song EP. After a bell-toned, almost math-rock start, the song kicks into full-out rock by the chorus (which reminded me a bit of the Pixies). Other songs veered more towards the darker side in a way that called to mind one of my favorite early 1990s Seattle bands, Sage — a band that in my mind immortalized creepy guitars with a vaguely Middle Eastern edge.

In asserting their reclamation of rock, Triple X Audio draws from its members' own musical lineage. Denise Maupin, guitarist and source of the edgy yet somehow restrained vocals that stand out on each track, hails from the Delusions, the poppy perennial openers for Built to Spill. Guitarist/vocalist Brian Burnside (formerly of the Bali Girls) matches well with Maupin, adding soaring guitars and the perfect vocal foil. Bassist Dan Infecto (of Me Infecto fame) and drummer Lee Taylor provide a solid foundation for each song that is decisively present without being overbearing.

In choosing local up-and-comer Jonathan Plum to produce this EP, Triple X Audio likely appreciated Plum's rock sensibilities as well as his background. Plum spent the 1990s under the mentorship of Seattle's own Rick Parashar at London Bridge, which afforded him the opportunity to work with Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and one of my personal favorites — Blind Melon. Plum's rock heritage, not to mention his abilities as a producer, complements Triple X Audio's clean garage rock style perfectly. If power rock is in fact on the rebound, Triple X Audio's latest EP is leading the way.

Straight-ahead power rock. Some might argue that it's been on the wane since the hype tsunami of the early 1990s washed back out to sea. But Triple X Audio begs to differ.

Three Imaginary Girls to Host Second Annual Rockstar Suicide Karaoke Silent Auction Bash

three imaginary girls — Thu, 13 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000

Seattle, WA, May 13, 2004 — You've seen William Hung sing 'She Bangs' and George W. Bush sing 'Gay Bar.' But have you seen Sean Nelson sing 'Like a Virgin?'

You could.

ThreeImaginaryGirls.com, "Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press," will be hosting a Rockstar Suicide Karaoke Silent Auction Bash on Thursday, June 10, 2004 at the Crocodile Café to celebrate their second anniversary.

The night will feature rockstar performances by local artists and celebrities, including members of Harvey Danger, the Catch, Kuma, the Spits, Kane Hodder, Fey Ray, XXX Audio, Radio Nationals, the Fastbacks, American School of Warsaw, Black Nite Crash, the Malinks, Jet City Fix, Slomo Rabbit Kick, and Tennis Pro, as well as KEXP DJs Quilty 3000 & Darek Mazzone, photographer Charles Peterson, Joan Hiller of Sub Pop Records, Chris Olsen from NoVoteLeftBehind.net, Carla DeSantis from ROCKRGRL magazine, and Pete Hilgendorf & Ben Heege of Blue Disguise Records.

The trick to suicide karaoke? The rockstars can't practice their songs beforehand. It's up to show-goers to decide what songs each rockstar performs via a silent auction. Once the auction ends, each rockstar takes the stage, and performs whatever song was chosen by the bidder. Auction winners will also receive gifts from the karaokers, such as signed CDs, posters, t-shirts, and other merchandise.

"Anyone who attends can bid on the song each rockstar will sing. Last year, the Pale ended up singing 'Roxanne' (The Police). I think it's one of the best things I've ever heard," sighed imaginary girl Liz.

"And hearing Erik Blood from the Turn Ons sing Journey's 'Open Arms' was a very close second," added imaginary girl Char.

KJ extraordinaire Biff Moss will host the event, and promises even more excitement. Biff is an experienced auctioneer, so expect live auctions. And best of all, his system has the capability to plug in electric guitars. Yes. The rockstars will be able to bring their own guitars (or guitarists) to fake along with their karaoke performances. Experts predict karaoke will reach such great heights.

As if you needed further incentive, the Imaginary Karaoke parties always tend to attract surprise guests, including Vendetta Red's Zach Davidson and the Posies' Jon Auer (both of whom unexpectedly took the stage at their Buttrock Karaoke contest last summer).

"I'd highly suggest getting there early to get a spot in the karaoke rotation," said imaginary girl Dana. "How often do we all have the chance to sing onstage and through the amazing sound-system at the Crocodile? Everyone sounds amazing. Well, almost everyone does…"

Three Imaginary Girls are no strangers to the Seattle rock scene. During the past two years, the girls have reviewed hundreds of live shows and CDs in Seattle and beyond. They also book local music showcases, and have hosted various rockstar karaoke events, such as their Labor Day buttrock karaoke party, their Silly Love Songs Friday the 13th Pre-Valentine's Day Bash, and an indie-rock holiday party that raised hundreds of dollars for local charity, TreehouseForKids.org.

EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: "Rockstar Suicide Karaoke Silent Auction" Bash!
WHERE: Crocodile Café, 2200 2nd Ave.
WHEN: Thursday, June 10, 2004. Doors open 8p. Open Karaoke immediately thereafter.
COST: Only $5.

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You've seen William Hung sing 'She Bangs' and George W. Bush sing 'Gay Bar.' But have you seen Sean Nelson sing 'Like a Virgin?'

You could.

Triple X Audio

imaginary char — Mon, 17 Nov 2003 08:00:00 +0000

15 Nov 2003

XXXaudio.jpg

The spotlights were reflecting off all of the studded belts at Graceland on this particular Friday night. XXXAudio had friends and fans {and an imaginary girl} waiting outside in the rain for the doors to open. Shivering and wet, I entered, hoping that some good old fashioned rock and roll would warm me to the core. Ask and you shall receive.

At the forefront of XXXAudio is Denise Maupin and Brian Burnside. They teamed up with guitars and microphones to show their indie rock audience why power chords are called POWER chords. I don't think dust ever accumulates on any of Brian's fret boards. He was up and down that mutha like he was trying to start a fire. It was interesting to see a band with a male and a female vocalist that don't incorporate harmonies. The vocals weren't sweet at all: they were raw, hardcore and delectably fierce. XXXAudio had flavors of all the classic thrash rock {sans the big hair and makeup}.

During the set, the audience was participating in some sort of strange synchronized head banging. Just as I was writing that down {yes, we take notes during shows} ibLuc, who was with me for the evening, stated, "The crowd looks like they may be getting ready for a lunge pattern at aerobics class." The abrupt endings to each song left the audience head banging to sudden silence. When the head bangers gave their necks a short break, they raised their beers and screamed their wordless tributes to all that is XXXAudio. The fans were almost as interesting as the band. Or so I thought.

I was mesmerized by the bass player {Dan Infecto} who was identical to this amazing metal drummer guy I used to work with. I can't remember his real name, but everyone {even his mother} called him Slayer {for obvious reasons}. Dan incorporated a nice bass solo in one of their songs. Why don't more songs have bass solos? Bass players are musicians too.

Here’s where it gets interesting. For their second to last song they brought out Slice. "What is Slice?" you ask? The proper question for you to ask is who is Slice. Slice is XXXAudio's previous bass player that played on the album {Like Pumping Gas on Fire} they released in 2003. The strange thing is that when Slice came on the stage, everyone else left. It was an endearing singer/songwriter spotlight except it was with a bass guitar and it wasn't really endearing. It was stripped down Primus-esque rock with a vocalist that was borderline yodeling. It was strange, I'm not going to lie to you. There was even a point in the song where Slice started yelling, "YipeeKyeOhhhhhh!" The crowd loved it. When Slice had finished, the regular band came back on stage to sing the most ballady song of the set.

XXXAudio was consistent metal for the first couple of songs until the crowd started to get comfortable. Then they brought out Slice like a wildcard. Then they came back out and played a pretty song. One word to describe XXXAudio: unpredictable.

There was even a point in the song where Slice started yelling, "YipeeKyeOhhhhhh!" The crowd loved it.