Three Imaginary Girls - Champagne Champagne

Tonight's recommended show: Black Light Black Out Halloween Dance Party at Neumos {free!}

imaginary liz — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:40:41 +0000

It's that time of year again where I dust off my Meg White wig and head towards buckets of fun-sized candy {a year-round weakness of mine}. There are a bunch of ghoulish places to zombie-walk towards this time of year, but the ghoulish fun starts tonight {10/28} at Neumos as the Capitol Hill venue hosts a FREE Black Light Black Out Halloween Dance Party.

Champagne Champagne, Ononos, DJ sean cee, and DJ res will be supplying a soundtrack to the monster mash with pumpkin jello shots on top! Heck, if you're feeling fairly superior about your costume this year, there will even be costume contests with some pretty cool prizes. I personally would don a Four Loco costume if it meant I could win a year of free Nuemos shows.

Are you dressing up this year? If so, please share your brilliance with us as there are some of us that are still brainstorming.

Peak experiences at the 2010 Capitol Hill Block Party

Chris Estey — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:59:31 +0000

This year may have been my favorite year ever for the Capitol Hill Block Party. With an up-to-date, enthusiastic focus on exciting developments in local hip-hop and rock, 2010 stands out as a year in which so many hot regional bands amped crowds and few out-of-region big name performers were as required. The presence of sponsors and participants like KEXP and The Stranger staff and other local writers among all the fans made it a San Diego Comic Con for local music culture.

From show to show you could hear people playing music, talking music, sharing music, and loving music. If you were able to make it to the Capitol Hill Block Party this year, what are your favorite bands performing you've seen so far? Here are mine:

Japanther and Champagne Champagne at The Comet, New Year's Day style

bobby mchugh — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:10:45 +0000

1 Jan 2010

japnthrjan10e.jpg

Japanther shows are pure fist-pumping fun. The Brooklyn duo, consisting of Ian Vanek and Matt Reilly, ripped through a spicy set at the Comet, New Year's Day, with Champagne, Champagne, They Live! and Hair Envelope. If you missed it or couldn't snag a ticket because it was very sold out, check out the fuzzed-out photos I snapped while dodging a variety of flying human appendages. Mental!

Japanther

Champagne Champagne

This weekend is chock full of amazing shows -- might we suggest...

imaginary liz — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 19:17:27 +0000

It's the weekend before Christmas which means holiday party season has kicked into high gear. This weekend there are so many shows to choose from {it's like a mistletoe'd SXSW or something} that my eggnog'd head is spinning. Might we suggest:

***Friday, December 18***

BOAT / The Exploding High Fives / Concours d'Elegance at the Sunset Tavern
A holiday party with BOAT? I'll take that! Also on the bill is The Exploding High Fives who have a song "Since You're Not Here for Christmas" on their myspace which is Ben Folds cute and catchy. This confirms I'll be in Ballard tonight for this show.

The Head & The Heart / Star Lake Drownings / Your Favorite Book at Conor Byrne
As you may know, Your Favorite Book is one of my favorite Seattle performers. Star Lake Drownings killed it at hour Holiday show last year. Also, YFB shows are rare, so I'm hoping to catch a wee bit of this show tonight.

GIVE-ing season arrived this week -- with a 30+ track local artist compilation

imaginary victoria — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:58:24 +0000

Fresh off the presses from our inboxes comes this week's launch of GIVE -- 30 downloadable tracks from a variety of Seattle artists, who are donating their songs to benefit Arts Corps and local area foodbanks. The $7.00 (!) compilation, which was produced, curated, and funded by Caffe Vita, will be available online here. Physical compilations can be picked up at all Caffe Vita locations, Easy Street Records, Sonic Boom Records, University Book Store, The Crocodile, EMP, Neumo's, and Sorrento Hotel. The in-hand compilations will include a physical card with a redemption code for the download, and a prettied-up sleeve to make it a ready-to-give present.

Here's the full track listing -- nearly all of which are exclusive to the compilation:

Champagne Champagne shoot a Black Cab Session

ChrisB — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 23:12:04 +0000

I've written here before about Black Cab Sessions, the internet video series where top bands are performing a song while being driven around in a taxi. The list of performers they've gotten onboard is impressive, with musicians like Brian Wilson, Death Cab and Grizzly Bear recording a video in the cab.

The videos up until this point have been shot mostly in London, but Black Cab Sessions has now recently came stateside with about 50 recorded in New York and Austin. They just started posting the US Sessions recently and the second one (the first was pop starlet Little Boots) features our favorite party-starters, Champagne Champagne. You can watch the video by clicking here.

Bumbershoot preview: Champagne Champagne

Imaginary Mimi — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:44:47 +0000

Equal parts Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Slum Village, and Tribe Called Quest with a little Outkast on the side for dipping, Champagne Champagne will be getting the crowd warm for its form on the Bumbershoot stage.

Formed in August of 2007, Mark Gajadhar (aka DJ Gajamagic), Pearl Dragon, and Sir Thomas Grey (aka the Commish) come together like a super-cool, giant afroed, beardy Snap,Crackle, and Pop to bring flourishes of funk, emo, and 80's electo/new wave to Seattle hip hop. In a seemingly unending quest to duck the label of "hipster-hop," Champagne Champagne bring much more than a slick sound and a cool image to the mike. "The only goal for our group is to make music that makes us feel good," says DJ Gajamagic. They get results; Champagne Champagne makes feel good music- it's surprisingly diverse, the lyrics are incredibly clever, and even if you are not a hip hop fan, you might just find yourself bobbing your head and shaking your butt ever so slightly. They are infectiously catchy.

Mad Rad v. Champagne Champagne Beard/Off tonight at the Funhouse

ChrisB — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:19:44 +0000

I've written enough about beards and Seattle that a) a friend recently asked me if I feel the urge to shave more often than most people, lest I be seen with a five o' clock shadow and b) a special category on TIG was created called "Beard Alert".

Having said that, there is a bazillion good reasons for recommending this Beard/Off tonight at the Funhouse. That it is one event that is guaranteed to reduce Seattle's beard population is but one of many. This event begins with a 1-on-1 basketball match between Champagne Champagne's Sir Thomas Gray and Mad Rad's Terry Radjaw. The contest is simple and is spelled out on the poster: "Loser shaves; winner gloats".

I don't have a dog in this race as I like both Champagne Champagne and Mad Rad equally (ie, a lot) but it gets even better as following the game there will be performances by some of the best local hip hop acts, including They Live and Fresh Espresso (which features Radjaw's Mad Rad bandmate P. Smoov).

It's $8 and begins at 7pm, 21+. I really hope this takes off and becomes so successful that the next Beard/Off pits Tim Harrington of Les Savy Fav against Iron & Wine's Sam Beam.

Here's the video to They Live's "My Weed" (and one more video that features no performers from this event but one that I couldn't resist including):

KEXP's annual BBQ on Saturday

Chelsea Werner — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 22:33:12 +0000

Ideally summertime is all about getting sweaty and silly at free outdoor music shows. And guess who sticks to their ideals? Our provider of independent, new music, KEXP. Their summer concert series at the Mural Amphitheater in Seattle Center is running over the next few weeks to bring you a plethora of pitch-perfect bands for free. This Saturday, the 8th happens to be their annual BBQ from 2-9 pm and you know it’s going to rock your socks off.

Photo of the day: Champagne Champagne at The Josephine

imaginary keenan — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:28:42 +0000

Today's photo of the day is another of the "holy crap that looks like the funnest show ever!" from Rabid Child Images of Champagne Champagne at the Josephine on 1/31/09.

KEXP's Audioasis: Live broadcast, rad bands, good cause

imaginary victoria — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 19:21:13 +0000

This Saturday's show at The Sunset benefits Real Change Newspaper, with Weekend, Jason Dodson (of the Maldives), and slew of great bands!

Best photos of the Block Party 2008

three imaginary girls — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 20:30:53 +0000

We're still reeling from the rock and roll madness that was the Capitoll Hill Block Party this weekend. We have so many great words and photos from all the great shows, which you can read here.

We've pulled out a few of our favorite photos for a quick view of the amazing weekend.

Here are the best of the best, so far, after the jump. Which are your favorites?

Capitol Hill Block Party 2008: Champagne Champagne

elle — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 04:42:00 +0000

25 Jul 2008

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The two Champagne Champagne MCs, Pearl Dragon and Thomas Gray, wore t-shirts emblazoned with pop culture iconic figures of the early 90s: one with Nirvana, the other with Beavis and Butthead. Their nod to that time went much further than their clothing choice and into the type of hip-hop they bring. This wasn't "gangsta" rap or even the socially conscious flow like Common or Common Market; Champagne Champagne bring clever rhymes and good times a la the bygone rap acts.

To call this another ex-Blood Brothers project would be erroneous, as it has nothing to do with what they did. What this new act does do for drummer Mark Gajadhar is bring him out from behind his kit, boasting his topnotch ear for a legitimate beat. As the DJ for Champagne Champagne under the pseudonym DJ Gajamagic, he isn't taking the modern route with a laptop -- sure, there was one on stage, but from what I could see he also had a pair of turntables and a synthesizer. Just to throw you off, he even busted out a melodica and sang the hooks.

Photo by Kyle Johnson

The four walls of King Cobra shook when the bass dropped on their second song. The MCs had everyone singing "black baby Jesus," while the next song's chorus stated, "She looks like Molly Ringwald/She looks beautiful to me." The boys had the crowd hyped up, a crowd much larger than I think has been seen in the new Pike/Pine club.

Photo by Kyle Johnson

I enjoy champagne whether it's a $5 bottle of Andre or top shelf stuff the CEO of my work brings in. Onstage, Champagne Champagne is even better, easily in place to be the next mass hyped Seattle hip-hop group.

Photo by Nathan Howard