Three Imaginary Girls - Telekinesis!

New material from Okkervil River, Telekinesis {thanks, internet!}

imaginary victoria — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 23:49:21 +0000

It's been a busy day for news on the internet -- it's finally legal to talk about the Head and the Heart's hookup with Sub Pop, we're due for a three hour mini-snowpocalypse, everyone's a-buzz about the show at the Fremont Abbey tonight, and John Roderick is organizing a tweetup somewhere in the depths of central Florida.

While we break the rest of it down for you in easily-digestible one-post chunks, here's two favorites out of our seventeen favorite things that happened today: Okkervil River and Telekinesis both have new material out, which we're streaming on repeat courtesy of The Internet. Both are about to drop new albums, both (fingers crossed on the former) are gearing up to tour in the near future, and both tracks make us squee! with excitement at what they're about to dish us next.

Exhibit A: Okkervil River last night on Jimmy Fallon.

Pictured above at MFNW 2010, Will and Patrick (and the rest of the crew, along with AC Newman and a few members of the Roots) brought the house down last night on Jimmy Fallon, where they played a new song called "Wake and Be Fine" off of I Am Very Far {due out in May on Jagjaguwar}. The song's indie.waltz backbone marries perfectly Will Sheff's urgent, melodic vocals for that hopeful, new-era anthematic sound we've come to expect from the ladies and gents of OKR. It was downright exciting! (Really. We were clapping at our desks.) Head on over to the Jagjaguwar site to catch "Wake and Be Fine" for yourself and live the joy with us.

Exhibit B: Telekinesis on NPR.

Okkervil River's new album won't be out until May, but we've only got about a month to go before Telekinesis gives us their latest effort. It's called 12 Desperate Straight Lines and by the sounds of today's track, "You Turn Clear in the Sun," it's gonna be good. You can listen to the song over at NPR's All Songs Considered blog, where Robin Hilton sums our thoughts (and fractured hearts) up beautifully:

My music library isn't for the faint of heart. If your will to live isn't what it used to be, or you're prone to depressive episodes, then you should probably stay away from most of the admittedly gloomy songs and albums in my collection.

Mergefest NW 2010: Superchunk, Teenage Fanclub, and Telekinesis

imaginary keenan — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:24:40 +0000

14 Oct 2010

superchunk.jpg

Any night that has Telekinesis opening, and has Teenage Fanclub not even headlining is bound to be epic, and thus was what I've dubbed Mergefest NW 2010.

Telekinesis brought the rock with Michael Lerner and a new incredibly tight band behind him, featuring Cody Votolato (ex Blood Brothers/current Jaguar Love) and Jason Narducy (ex Verbow). With such a loud past behind the current backing band, it was no surprise that Telekinesis sounded HUGE. This was the first local show with the new band, and it couldn't have been easy opening for not only your bosses but also your musical heroes on home turf, but TK pulled if off well.

Next up were Teenage Fanclub (again, how awesome of a night can it be when Teenage Fanclub aren't even the headliner?!) and it blew me away how incredible they still sounded. Their harmonies are still amazingly haunting, and dare I say, only sound better with age. I've been a Teenage Fanclub fan for years, but they've always been one of those bands where I obsess over certain songs, and when they kicked into the opening of "Star Sign", I got so excited that I spilled my drink all over myself, and unfortunately, my friend next to me. Nothing else mattered for those 4 minutes.

After Teenage Fanclub finished, I ran up front to score a spot for Superchunk. I'd been on Superchunk ipod bender all week, and I couldn't stop thinking about what they might play. Superchunk are the kind of band that knows how to play to their fans. They're also the kind of band that has been consistently good for decades, so no one cringes when they open with a new song.

The material off of Majesty Shredding sounded amazing and blended in so seamlessly with the old material, that only the diehard fans would be able to tell which was which. They played a set peppered with obvious favorites from all eras like "Hyper Enough", "Precision Auto" and "Slack Motherfucker", but also through in some less obvious but absolutely amazing stuff like their cover of the Magnetic Fields' "100,000 Fireflies" and "Without Blinking", which by consensus in my group of friends was the biggest and best surprise of the night. Needless to say, I left the show completely exhausted from the excessive dancing and screaming and my face hurt from smiling so much.

Though the sound quality isn't fabulous, here's a video of Superchunk playing "Iron On" just for a little more visual proof of how hard they still rock. (Listen for the moment when the audience screams "We got so drunk that night!")

Check out the rest of Lori Paulson's gorgeous photos!

Any night that has Telekinesis opening, and has Teenage Fanclub not even headlining is bound to be epic, and thus was what I've dubbed Mergefest NW 2010.

Telekinesis brought the rock with Michael Lerner and a new incredibly tight band behind him, featuring Cody Votolato (ex Blood Brothers/current Jaguar Love) and Jason Narducy (ex Verbow). With such a loud past behind the current backing band, it was no surprise that Telekinesis sounded HUGE. This was the first local show with the new band, and it couldn't have been easy opening for not only your bosses but also your musical heroes on home turf, but TK pulled if off well.

Teenage Fanclub, Superchunk, and Telekinesis at Showbox at the Market October 14th

three imaginary girls — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 04:32:41 +0000

Welcome to Mergefest, Northwest edition. We're so unbelievably giddy about this show, we can hardly contain our little imaginary selves. From the moment this show was announced, we've been ticking off the days on our imaginary calendars, waiting and waiting for the magic that will occur the night of October 14th at Showbox at the Market, when the reverby swoonful magic of Teenage Fanclub will meet the crunchy and masterful indie rock of Superchunk, supported by our own hometown indie pop hereos Telekinesis. It's gonna be amazing.

On top of that amazement, all 3 bands will be touring new material! Teenage Fanclub just came out with the fabulous Shadows, which our own Chris Estey adored, stating of the track "The Fall" "Like with many great Teenage Fanclub songs, it creeps in the background till you remember what poured the Scotch into the Scotch-taped remnants of your own multi-shattered heart." Superchunk have the ever anticipated Majesty Shredding coming out in September, and Telekinesis are working on a new record right now. I'm sure we'll hear the hits we all want to hear, but we'll also be treated to some new stuff as well.

And, to celebrate, here's a video from each band:

Imaginary Mixtape {July 2010}: Summer love's in the air, we're gonna make it ours

imaginary liz — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 15:44:50 +0000

This month's imaginary mixtape features a slew of Seattle finest who are taking to the clubs {and some even reuniting!} during the next few weeks, but kicks off with a perfect summertime song by a band that we wish was coming to town.

You can listen to a stream or download the MP3 version of the podcast on the imaginary bandcamp page.

If you are the type that likes to listen to podcasts in itunes, download the .m4a here {with fancy chapters even!} and then open it in your itunes {Thanks to Jigsaw Records for hosting it!}.

Tracklisting: Imaginary Mixtape - July 2010:

imaginary liz's favorite albums of 2009

imaginary liz — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:08:58 +0000

For some reason as stressful as it is sometimes to do, I found myself compiling a bunch of year end and decade end lists over the holiday weekend. So many so, I decided to spread out all my lists throughout the week. Today we'll start with the meat of the list -- my favorite releases of 2009.

As long as I've been making lists, it's always been apparent that I'm partial to Pacific Northwest bands... and this year it's especially so. I'm sure I've forgotten something that I love beyond belief.. but here is the list as of *right now*. What are your favorite local and non-local releases of 2009?

keenan's favorite albums of 2009

imaginary keenan — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 21:26:41 +0000

After quite a bit of hmm-ing and hah-ing, I've finally come up with my favorite albums of 2009, listed in sort of numerical order, or at least that's how I feel today, including local favorites BOAT, Visqueen, and indie pop hearthrobs The Pains of Being Pure at Heart!

{photo by hot avocados photography}

Superchunk covers Telekinesis' "Tokyo" in Tokyo

imaginary keenan — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:58:05 +0000

As you might have already heard in the podcast, one of the most impressive things to me about Telekinesis' rise to fame is the fact that they get to know Superchunk (one of my all time favorite bands). So you might understand why I nearly spit hot tea all over my monitor when I found this video this morning: Superchunk covering our dear imaginary favorites Telekinesis' "Tokyo" (collectively, one of our favorite songs of the year).

Please keep all electronics safe from any flying liquids due to excitement.

Photos from last Friday's The Lonely Forest / Telekinesis / The Globes show

Jason Tang — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 15:10:32 +0000

27 Nov 2009

"Watching The Globes at the Showbox. Holy crow and OMG."

Chris Walla's Twitter post during The Globes' set was just a sign of things to come. Not only was the Death Cab for Cutie guitarist in attendance to show support for three of his favorite (local) bands, but he later joined Telekinesis on stage as their second guitarist. In a way, it was a bittersweet set as frontman Michael Benjamin Lerner announced that it was David and Jonie Broecker's last show with the band.

Coming off their electric Bumbershoot performance back in September, The Lonely Forest took the stage just before 11 PM to a nearly sold out crowd, some of which had been waiting in line outside since 5. It was amazing to see such a huge turnout, especially on Black Friday where everyone was either still in a food coma or exhausted from a full day of shopping. This was the first time that any of the bands had played at The Showbox and it certainly will not be their last. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

"Watching The Globes at the Showbox. Holy crow and OMG."

My Bumber-day #1 featuring Telekinesis, Eugene Mirman, the Old 97s, and the Long Winters

imaginary keenan — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:43:24 +0000

{photo of DJ Spooky by Jeremiah D. Johnson}

Arriving later than I wanted to, I swiftly ran from the press gate across the Center to catch Telekinesis' KEXP Music Lounge session, and as always, their tight pop hooks and charming melodies did not disappoint, and I cursed my love of Rhett Miller, knowing that I'd have to choose him over Michael Lerner and co's fun pop beats (Bumber-schedule conflict #1!).

Next up I hit Flatstock, and of course found dozens of posters I'd be proud to hang in my apartment (including the ever wonderful Seattle Show Posters). Flatstock is always a Bumber-highlight for me, despite my general dislike of buying posters for shows I did not attend (but I generally make room for posters for shows I wish I had attended).

After Flatstock, I sauntered over to SIFF Cinema and caught four delightful shorts that won Best Grand Jury Prize at SIFF earlier this year, featuring a wonderful animated short called Photographs of Jesus, about a photo warehouse where people constantly ask for zany photographs that don't exist, like ones of dodos (extinct in the 1700s), one of Hilter at the 1948 Olympics, and of the moon landing, but with 12 other people on the moon. Also featured was a very wonderful and very short documentary called The Herd, which starred a deer who wanted to be and believed it was a cow. It was just as endearing and cute as you might imagine.

Got any Bumber-photos at all? Please put them in our flickr pool!

Three Imaginary Girls IndieTunes Podcast {Bumbershoot 2009}

three imaginary girls — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:02:21 +0000

Bumbershoot takes place at the Seattle Center this September 5-7 and there's about a million and a half things to do (bands, literary panels, art shows, Flatstock, kettle corn lunches) over the three-day fest.

To help folks (especially ourselves) prepare for Bumbershoot 2009, we put together this lil mix of some of the things you should add to your Bumbershoot scheduling spreadsheet. We hope this helps you pick your must-sees or at least provides a soundtrack as you wander to and fro.

{go listen}

54:38 minutes (50.02 MB)

Best of 2009 {so far}

imaginary liz — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 05:57:51 +0000

I don't know how it happened, but half the year officially is over! That means that we're half way to end of the year list time! I know that for a bunch of us, there are few things we love more than lists and mix tapes (I usually make a mix for friends of my year-end list favorites) -- so it makes sense we should do a mid-year check in and see what's topping our Best of 2009 list. Here's my off-the-cuff list of what albums would vying for Top 10 of 2009 in my book:

Telekinesis at The Crocodile

Cory Banks — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 21:25:53 +0000

17 Apr 2009

TelekinesisCroc5.jpeg

Calling the night a triumph for Michael Benjamin Lerner is a gross understatement. Perched on his drum throne, looking out over the sea of fans who piled into the newly-christened Crocodile, he obviously felt on top of the world.

See, Lerner's one-man band, Telekinesis, just released their full-length debut on Merge Records. His producer, Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla, gave the man some serious buzz on Stereogum last year, before the album was even recorded. He's been on the road with a live band that completely matches is frantic, razor-edged drumming. It's as if the stars are in perfect alignment for Lerner, which explains his near-constant smile during the show.

Lerner started off the set on acoustic guitar, strumming a few chords before taking his place at the drum kit. Sure, the guy can play guitar, but he was made to drum. His body practically launches into the drum riff for "Tokyo." I was right up front, witness to the act, and I still can't work out how he was savaging his drum set and managed to sing. He smashed a cymbal so hard it fell off. In another life, Lerner could have been the next John Bonham. He'll have to settle for Indie-Pop drumming greatness.

On record, Telekinesis songs are pop gems filled with catchy hooks that latch into your ears and don't let go. Live, songs like "All Of A Sudden" rock out much more, thanks to the heavier riffs guitarists Chris Staples and David Broecker bring to the mix. When the band launched into "Foreign Room" at breakneck speed, the crowd moved. Seattle crowds hate to move, but I don't think they could help themselves. I couldn't.

And through it all, Michael Benjamin Lerner looks humble. I've gotta imagine he knows he's the new hotness, garnering mainstream love and the support of local greatness like John Roderick (who stood beside me the entire show and must have known I was too intimidated to strike up a conversation) and Chris Walla. He's not going nuts with rock stardom, collecting groupies or partying all night, as is now is right. Nope, he's just rocking out behind the kit - smiling the whole time.

{Photos by Sarah Joann Murphy. Click here to see the whole set!}

Telekinesis takes a victory lap at The Croc.

Fill your pockets this Saturday - it's Record Store Day!

imaginary liz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:25:41 +0000

Our friends at Easy Street and Sonic Boom have put plans in place to make this the best Record Store Day Seattle has ever seen.

I'm still finalizing my list of things I want to pick up on what could be my biggest shopping day of the year and both stores have made it doubly hard to pare things down. There's a bunch of labels releasing rare and limited edition Record Store Day 7"s and re-releasing sup'd up favorites.

Imaginary Interview: Telekinesis

Sarah Joann Murphy — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:03:21 +0000

Telekinesis is back home in Seattle after extensive U.S. tours; in fact, they're live on KEXP as I type this. Last week, Telekinesis frontman Michael Benjamin Lerner and I spoke via email about record labels, tour sickness, favorite things, and what's next for the band.

SJMJ: Advance notice - you didn't have a record recorded yet when Chris Walla blogged about you on Stereogum. Did it feel like there was a lot of pressure for you +/or the album to live up to?

MBL: It's funny because I think there definitely was some pressure, but I felt so ready to make this record, that I almost had to forget about it. It was a mad dash to get everything in due order for the two weeks that Chris and I had to record, so it was a little pressure in that way. It felt a little rushed trying to get it all ready. But it was a good kind of rushed. I think that came through on the final product, and in the best possible way hopefully.

There was also already some interest from Columbia records, and they were putting a little bit of pressure on me before the recording process even began. That's definitely a weird feeling. Having interest from a label before recording the album was pretty foreign to me, but they were really incredibly cool about it, and let me do my thing as it was being made. They really gave me my space for that two weeks, and that was really helpful. It got crazy again like the day after I got out of the studio.

Also, I was actually quite nervous recording with Chris Walla, because he is, well, Chris Walla. So there was pressure there, but it was all erased the minute we started recording. Chris made me feel incredibly comfortable from the very beginning.

SJMJ: Signing with Merge - who were your favorite Merge artists? Was there something that told you this would be the best fit for your album?

MBL: There are so many. Spoon is one of those artists for me that I can listen to for days and days without tiring. Series Of Sneaks is one of my favorite records ever, and being on the same label as them is pretty incredible. I'm also mega in love with Destroyer, and I love all the records that he has put out on Merge. The 69 Love Songs set from the Magnetic Fields is a milestone for me, and it's also just such a beautiful and ambitious thing for a label to put out. It really says a lot about Merge believing in the music they release. Everyone there is absolutely incredible, and I've enjoyed getting to know everyone so much.

SJMJ: Playing with a full band - your Merge bio still includes the quote from Walla which states "On record, Michael Lerner is the sole member of Telekinesis, more or less." - how does this translate to playing with Chris, Jonie, and David every night?

MBL: Playing music with David, Jonie, and Chris is really incredible. They make this record possible live. It's a rock record, and one person absolutely can not play a rock record live. Not only are D, J, and C my best buddies, but they are some of the most incredibly talented and fun musicians to make music with. I feel like there is a certain energy that happens when we all play together that was totally impossible to capture on the record. A highlight (and testament to their musicianship) for me is the arrangement that we have made for a song on the record called "Calling All Doctors". It's really morphed into something totally different and that is really quite exciting.

SJMJ: Tour highlights - what was your favorite show, moment, or sight? [Or taste, purchase, anything...]

MBL: My favorite show was at SXSW. We played a Merge / Barsuk showcase, it was a really lovely night. Merge is our record label, and Barsuk is our management, so it was really amazing to be a part of a showcase that was for both of them. I feel like we played the best show of the tour thus far, and it felt really good. For a purchase, I was in Boston recently and I went to a record store called Weirdo. They had this incredible 60's French pop music compilation. I'm obsessed with 60's French pop, especially the whole ye ye scene (France Gall, Brigitte Bardot). It has made our drives even more beautiful and surreal, and that's exciting. Best food was in San Francisco. Paplote has the most amazing burrito.

SJMJ: Tour lowlights - on the other hand, what has been the low point of tour thus far?

MBL: The morning after all the SXSW craziness, we were gearing up for a 10 hour drive to Memphis, TN and I started throwing up. It didn't stop, and we had to get going, so I continued throwing up in the van. It was terrible. Chris started throwing up shortly after. It was really the most miserable drive and show I've ever had to do in my entire life. It was absolutely not fun.

The next day, in Nashville, Chris and I woke up feeling much better and then (like clockwork!) David and Jonie started feeling bad. Jonie started puking profusely. We played the show that night without her, and she ended up passing out in the van while puking. We took her (and David, who was feeling wretched too) to the ER. They got tons of IV and meds, and they got to where we were staying at 7AM. We had to cancel our show in Atlanta the next day, but we all started feeling better. It was a most trying couple of days. Yikes! Stomach flu's on tour are really no fun at all.

SJMJ: Inspiration - have you kept writing new songs while on the road? Your lyrics have previously included a lot of imagery of travel + locale - if there are new songs, are they shaped by the geography of the road?

MBL: I haven't written a single solitary song since being on the road! There is just really absolutely no time to do so, and especially being a 'studio' writer, it's tough for me to sit down with an acoustic and write a song. I definitely feel, however, that all of the incredible scenery that we have seen on this tour will seep into the lyrics somehow. I think it's inevitable! I'm obsessed with travel.

SJMJ: Foreign countries - I caught your name on the Moutique roster, does this mean there's a European tour in your future?

MBL: Yes! We are excited to be a part of that roster, and we're hoping to try to get to Europe before the end of this year. That would be a dream come true for me, and Chris has never been. He will flip his lid.

SJMJ: Last but not least: Seriously, did you lose your mind when you met Paul McCartney? [Ed.: MBL studied at the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts where Sir Paul was present at his graduation.]

MBL: It was the scariest thing ever. I totally lost my mind. It was one of the most surreal things I've ever done in my life. I mean, come on! He's a Beatle!

For more TK! goodness, check out their video for 'Tokyo' created by the multi-talented Dianna Potter.

telekinesis09apr-chona.jpg

Telekinesis plays this Friday April 17th at the Crocodile with the Banyans, Say Hi, and Throw Me The Statue.

New Telekinesis video: "Toyko"

Cory Banks — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 21:17:10 +0000

Watch the catchy new video from Telekinesis.

New DCfC video by Walter Robot, and some minty-fresh tour dates!

imaginary victoria — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 22:58:33 +0000

Animated short film for "Grapevine Fires," a pinch of Obama, and a US tour gets underway in April.

Recommended show tonight: Ra Ra Riot and Telekinesis at Neumo's

imaginary liz — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 17:21:17 +0000

Not sure which of those reasons is at the top of the list today, but the sum of the parts makes it imperative that you head to Neumo's to see them tonight when they play with Ra Ra Riot and Cut Off Your Hands (it's all ages).

One Shot at the Croc: stunning acoustic performances from local faves!

imaginary keenan — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:36:27 +0000

I'd heard about the project of filming some of Seattle's favorite musicians in the legendary space pre-opening weekend, but I didn't quite realize "One Shot at the Croc" would be this awesome.

Win tickets to see Ra Ra Riot and Telekinesis at Neumo's

three imaginary girls — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 05:51:50 +0000

There are a bunch of reasons to head to Neumo's on Wednesday night February 25th. The impeccable line up of Ra Ra Riot, Cut Off Your Hands and Telekinesis can't be beat and the show is all ages!

Imaginary crush band Telekinesis! sign to Merge!

imaginary keenan — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:13:59 +0000

Hopefully you caught them at imaginary liz's birthday party in December. Many of us here over in imaginary land having been crushing out on this band's 60's pop meets 70's breeze meets Pavement cool sound these days!