Three Imaginary Girls - ACT

Jose Bold presents MOUNTAIN for two nights at ACT {December 2nd and 3rd}

imaginary victoria — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 19:24:46 +0000

Every December, it's pretty much a given that "Awesome" member John Osebold has been up to something good. Typically that good comes in the form of a well-crafted free album that results from his annual December project under the moniker Jose Bold, a side project of his with bandmate Kirk Anderson -- and this year is no different. This Thursday and Friday, he'll be taking his winter fixings over to ACT for the presentation of MOUNTAIN.

Honestly, you could tell me that these guys were going to do a Yoko Ono tribute night and I'd still be the first person in line for tickets. They're that kind of good. John and Kirk -- and every single member of "Awesome," whether they are on the solo or presenting as the sum of their respective parts -- give every performance everything they've got. It's undeniable creative magic layered with indie nerdpop genius and mindbending concepts that blow the room away, show after show after show. (And we're not just saying that because Jose Bold will be opening up at our Imaginary Holiday Office Party, either.) They're better than bad, they're worth every buck, and in this particular instance -- well, here's what the official word is on the performance:

Jose Bold's MOUNTAIN begins with a film. The film begins with a mountain. The mountain emits a sound. The sound is joined by live voices. The voices turn into song. From there, the interaction between two-dimensional film and three-dimensional performers and objects creates a dreamlike experience. 1920s mountain climbing is fused with echoes of a contemporary musical chant, tunnels and railroads built into mountainsides are set to driving drums and guitars, "mountain-grown" Folgers coffee made by desperate 1960s housewives is consumed on stage in 2010, a snow spirit appears before your very eyes, and a special appearance by '40s and '50s baritone icon Vaughn Monroe attracts magic bears.

I'm not even quite sure what all of that means, but you can bet your bottom dollar I'll be at the show. And guess what? You can join us. Mosey on over to ACT's website for ticketing info here. Pick one up for you and a friend, and make sure to hit the venue early so you can grab yourself a good seat. We'll see you at the show!

Farewell to the "Awesome" cycle: Week IV wrap-up

imaginary victoria — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:30:05 +0000

15 Nov 2008

DSC_0381.jpg

It's with great sadness that I post this last "Awesome" photo essay from installment four of the cycle. I mean, it's been a hell of a ride these last couple of weekends - we've laughed, we've cried; we revisited wild-west musical sequences and reveled in electory celebrations... and every performance has been stellar. This past Saturday was no exception, as we found ourselves lost in space with the "Awesome" boys and guest stars SuttonBeresCuller. When I tell you there was some trippy weird-ass shit going on, I mean... well, that there was some trippy, weird ass shit going on. I'm not quite sure if any other words would do it as much justice, besides statements like 'totally brilliant' and 'fucking fantastic'.

If there are any other words that I can, in fact, add to my "Awesome" wrap-up photos, it's to go and see these guys, and their guest stars, and their side projects, every chance you get. The talent I've witnessed is just staggering - for starters, you can catch some of "Awesome" performing with the Half Brothers, as well getting you some Jose Bold.

If these next shots aren't enough for you, make sure you check out all four weekends in the TIG flickr pool.

These shows are the most fun you can have in Seattle while keeping your clothes on.

Installment three of the "Awesome" Cycle at ACT: The Election

imaginary victoria — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:40:05 +0000

8 Nov 2008

awe308.jpg

I swear, this show gets better every week. And I haven't found a better way to put it than this, courtesy of Seattle Weekly:

After all, who can resist seven good-looking guys in suits who play guitars, accordions, drums, typewriters, Theremins, and even less likely instruments... unlike a lot of other art bands, the songs they write are actually good, melodic, complex, tight, and fun, with an odd recurring melancholy.

I will add that when you take said good-looking guys and get them to singing and bantering in a blissful post-Obama electoratory haze... a-hem. Guys and gals alike were swooning over the Constitution (!), new "Awesome" originals (!!), and even a George Michael cover (!!! Freedom, with dancers!). Combine all of that with what you've come to expect from this band, and you get what we got - three performances filled to capacity and the greatest "indefineable theatrics" this side of Seattle.

Don't miss the last shows of the cycle, this Friday and Saturday at ACT, only $10 with your ticket from a previous performance (still a steal if you don't have a stub at $15).

How could anyone resist this show?

Awesome holds a funeral for indie rock

Deborah Barnard — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:35:50 +0000

1 Nov 2008

The lights dimmed, a voice began to sing, and then a dainty dental dish was set before the scene: while three of the members of "Awesome" performed the opening dirge, the rest came onstage as pallbearers carrying a small, smashed guitar that was swung like a censer and coffin-shaped light box covered in tooth x-rays, both glowing softly in the darkened theater. Then the coffin was placed in the front as a visual reminder of the reason we were all gathered that evening: a "Funeral for Indie Rock."

During the first half of the show, music numbers were interspersed with acting sketches involving some of or the entire band. My favorite had the lead singer miming to a verbalized internal monologue that was happening during and after a funeral, with the rest of his band mates acting out mental jabs and torments as he spiraled down into an abyss of insomnia and nightmares.

The theme of the night, "Funeral for Indie Rock," drew a local guest artist for the performances last weekend. "Awesome" has a history of working with Harvey Danger's Sean Nelson on various projects, and they asked him to help with such somber task. Every time Nelson introduced the band's Mailbag, a short skit akin to the Peewee Herman show's mail time, "Awesome" broke out in a kitschy, fast-paced squirrely little orchestral ditty involving the whole band singing/shouting "Mailbag, mailbag, mail mail mail mail mailbag!" The fan letters in the mailbag sketch were used to introduce the next number in the musical. Sean Nelson wasn't just a post man, though. He also broke out a several-page eulogy for indie rock, which read as if it had been his best friend and like it was written by someone who had actually paid attention to the hey days of indie rock.

Interestingly, in the eulogy one of the many reasons attributed to the death of indie rock was music blogs. Part of the indie rock craze was defined by a certain quality of elitism, of being snug in the knowledge that you knew about a band that nobody else did; the eulogy declaimed that music blogs democratized indie rock by bringing it all, big and small, to their readers.

One of the best numbers that combined acting and music in this performance was an iPod-like obituary chant, where recorded indie rock band deaths were spewed out in a mono-toned note to make an uncanny harmony not unlike something you'd hear at St. Mark's Complin service. What made it comedic? The obituaries ran something along the lines of "This is for the death of The Shins, who fell off a bulkhead and smashed their head underneath the spinning tires of a bouncing baby carriage" (not a direct quote, but you get the idea). While each obituary chant activated, a band member would raise the iPod playing the obituary up and down, acting like automatronic levers in a slowly dying machine.

In the later half of the show, "Awesome" did a live soundtrack to their music video of "What They Do:".

Sean Nelson came back out and did his own musical tribute to the death of indie rock, introducing the second song with the intriguing line, "I am probably the only one in the room who makes a connection between indie rock and The Monkees..." Nelson proceeded to dust off Porpoise Song with "Awesome" members singing "Goodbye, goodbye, goodbyeeeeeee" in those beautiful harmonics that they always seem to pull off so seamlessly.

Overall, "Awesome's" musical was a bit like watching an improv comedy show with a theme. Throughout the night, each band member tossed off gallows-humor advertisements to a sponser, Bonney Watson Funeral Services. Some of the sketches and songs were related to the indie rock funeral theme. Other songs simply displayed "Awesome" as a multi-talented group, with genre- and label-defying music that only proves how very much alive indie rock is, in niche bands like theirs.

Curiously enough, in indie rock's eulogy, one of the many reasons attributed to the death of indie rock was music blogs.

Week II of the "Awesome" Cycle: Photos from a funeral

imaginary victoria — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:09:42 +0000

1 Nov 2008

aweII06.jpg

I've had the honor of shooting the first two weekends of the "Awesome" cycle, and I've got to say -- from the flawless melodies, and the almost-improv-but-better banter, and the visuals -- these shows are not to be missed.

When I watch these performances, I forget that I'm seeing a live band, because it feels like I'm watching a movie, or at least that these seven guys (eight, last week with Sean Nelson guest appearing) are performing over a finely-tuned recording. It's seriously that good.

This week's installment focuses on the election - same bat time, same bat channel: ACT, 8 on Friday, 8 & 10:30 on Saturday.

A pre-review of the second week of the "Awesome" Cycle.

Sneak Peek Photo Essay: Week 2 of the "Awesome" Cycle - A Funeral for Indie Rock, indeed.

imaginary victoria — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 16:23:59 +0000

31 Oct 2008

2008.10TIGawe207.jpg

I don't know about you guys, but I miss mailing lists that like, actually sent you mail. Mail mail, you know, with a stamp. Preferably some bright colored cardstock that stood out from everything else in the mailbox, that held the keys to a fateful night when my favorite band nobody else on the planet gave two shits about would be coming through town. Wasn't that what we lived for? A moment taped to the wall in your bedroom, a single sentence in the liner notes of a cassette - a cassette for a band you sat on dirty floors and helped send out mailers for - that single sentence that, quite possibly, meant everything. It was secret, and sacred, and whole.

Before emails and texts, before cellphones and carphones, there were these pieces of cardstock that changed the very threads of our existence. And if you've got those moments taped to your walls, or stuffed in a shoebox, and you thought about setting them all on fire when you found out that little piece of your soul had been re-packaged to fit a commercial for a steakhouse or a hotel - well, then week two of the "Awesome" cycle at ACT is definitely for you. Shows Friday and Saturday at 8, and a repeat performance Saturday at 10:30. Even better: it's only $10 with a ticket stub from a previous show. There's so much more to say, but I don't want to spoil the party for any of you.

[Big, huge, gratuitous piles of thanks to Evan & the Awesome guys, along with Sean Nelson, for letting me attend and shoot the dress rehearsal tonight. It felt like I was in somebody's bedroom, that I wasn't supposed to be in. You know. In a good way.]

Two parts brilliant, a generous helping of witty sarcasm, and a dash of elitist make this performance an absolute must see. PS: In case you missed it, these guys sing their ____s off.

The 'Awesome' Cycle: a serialized indie rock musical

Deborah Barnard — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:12:04 +0000

Musical shenanigans will be afoot when a local band, Awesome, brings their sound to the theatrical stage. New shows each weekend cover topics anywhere from post-election recovery to Big Bang theory.