Three Imaginary Girls - Saeta

Concert Preview: Saeta at the Comet Tavern this Saturday {1/17}

Imaginary Mimi — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 17:30:03 +0000

If you're looking for some melodic, downtempo tunes to compliment the chill in the air over the long weekend, go check out Saeta at the Comet Tavern this Saturday {1/17/09} at 9:00 pm. They will be opening for Spanish for 100.

Download our Election Day podcast and take it to the polls with you!

imaginary dana — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 17:28:22 +0000

Download our brand new Election Day podcast and take it with you to the polls! Enjoy the wait while you listen to some great new songs from Northwest bands and indie-popsters alike. Plus you get to listen to Liz and I chit-chat. What could be better, we ask?

Three Imaginary Girls Election Day Podcast!

three imaginary girls — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:15:38 +0000

Greetings, and happy Election Day!

We face this historic election brimming with hope (and nerves). We must confess, we're going to miss the crazy whirlwind drama that has been this election season. At least, a little.

Mostly, we feel relieved to know that we can refocus our imaginary attention back where it belongs: on music!

In fact, we have a brand new podcast today, chock full o' delightful Northwest bands and indie-pop tunes. It's our Election Day gift to each of you.

Download this podcast to take to the polls!

42:12 minutes (48.32 MB)

69 Love Songs Pre-Valentine's Day Bash!

three imaginary girls — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 08:00:00 +0000

Three Imaginary Girls, Barsuk Records, and 90.3 KEXP present the songs of The Magnetic Fields as interpreted by members of The Long Winters, Vendetta Red, Rocky Votolato, Visqueen, Tullycraft, Harvey Danger, Kane Hodder, Transmissionary Six, Saeta, and many more. Thursday night, February 9th, at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA, January 20, 2006 — "We're Absolutely Cuckoo" for The Magnetic Fields. That's why Three Imaginary Girls has decided to celebrate Valentine's Day this year with a 69 Love Songs Pre-Valentine's Day Bash, co-sponsored by the mighty 90.3 KEXP and the amazing Barsuk Records.

The event will take place at the Crocodile Café on Thursday night, February 9th, and will feature collaborations from tons of Northwest musicians performing their favorite tracks from the 1999 Magnetic Field's 3-disc opus, 69 Love Songs.

The long list of performers includes members of The Long Winters, Vendetta Red, Rocky Votolato, Visqueen, Tullycraft, Harvey Danger, Kane Hodder, and many more. In honor of Valentine's Day, the night will feature three great performance of love — of both the romantic and fraternal nature:

Lovebirds Eric Corson (The Long Winters) and Anna Lange (Dutch Elms) will debut their lo-fi side project, Fork and Spoon.
Newlyweds Andrew Moore (Kane Hodder) and Alissabeth Newton (ex-The Catch) will perform as their aptly named band, For Better Or For Awesome.
Rock and roll brothers Rocky Votolato (formerly of Waxwing) and Sonny Votolato (Slender Means) will dazzle the crowd with their amazingly talented genes.

The full roster of performers, with monikers, includes:

Barsuk Record's Rocky Votolato and Sonny Vototalo {Slender Means}
Fork and Spoon, featuring Eric Corson {of Barsuk Record's The Long Winters} and Anna Lange {The Dutch Elms}
Rachel Flotard {Visqueen}
Zach Davidson {Sony Records' Vendetta Red) and Sameer Shukla
Magic Marker Records' Tullycraft
Math and Physics Club
Breno Dakota {featuring members of Daylight Basement}
For Better Or For Awesome featuring Andrew Moore {Kane Hodder} and Alissabeth Newton {ex-The Catch}
Sean Nelson and His Mortal Enemies {Harvey Danger}
Piglét, France's greatest porcine illusionist (aka writer Kurt B. Reighley)
Just added! The Transmissionary Six
Just added! Saeta (featuring Lesli Wood of Ms. Led)

The outrageous Adrian Lefleur of Iron Composer fame (coming soon to the Game Show Network) will emcee the event and will raffle off a variety of fabulous indie-rock themed prize packs throughout the night.

"Since Stephin Merritt rarely tours, we figured the next best thing would be to have a bunch of our favorite bands cover the songs. I am giddy with anticipation," said Liz Riley, co-founder of Three Imaginary Girls.

Three Imaginary Girls will also run a "Tell Us Your 69 Love Songs Love Story" themed-contest. Readers can submit their stories of how 69 Love Songs impacted their love lives, and the best submission will receive a pair of free tickets to the show. The imaginary girls will read the best stories between sets throughout the night.

"The crazy thing about 69 Love Songs is that no matter where you are romantically, it's fitting," Dana Bos, also a co-founder. "You can rejoice, court, break-up, kiss, wed, laugh, fight, or drink with that album."

"I can't wait to hear who sings 'Underwear,'" said imaginary girl Char. "I hope he changes the lyrics to 'A pretty imaginary girl, in her underwear.'"

If there's anything better in this world — who cares?

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THE JUICY DETAILS
WHAT: Three Imaginary Girls 69 Love Songs Pre-Valentine's Day Bash. Co-sponsored by 90.3 KEXP and Barsuk Records.
WHERE: The Crocodile Café, 2200 2nd Avenue. Seattle, WA
WHEN: Thursday, February 9, 2006. Doors open 8p. 21+.
COST: $7. Advance tickets available through Ticketweb.

ABOUT THREE IMAGINARY GIRLS
ThreeImaginaryGirls.com is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest to music lovers worldwide. During the past three+ years, the site has featured reviews of albums, live music, film, theater, interviews, political commentary, and even love advice, in Seattle and beyond. The girls also book music showcases, contribute to other music publications (including The Stranger, Tablet Magazine, and Music for America), and make guest radio appearances on 90.3 KEXP. The girls were voted "MVP of Seattle Music 2004" by readers of the Seattle Weekly, and were listed in Seattle Magazine's Most Influential People issue. Intrigued? For more information, contact: tig@threeimaginarygirls.com.

ABOUT KEXP 90.3 FM
KEXP 90.3 FM is a public radio station in Seattle with a mission to enrich people's lives with a unique wide and deep approach to music programming. Knowledgeable hosts hand-pick music including indie rock, world music, blues, jazz, hip hop and electronic from its collection of approximately 500,000 titles. The station also broadcasts more than 250 live performances each year. KEXP programming is also heard on the web at KEXP.org. KEXP 90.3 FM is governed by Friends of KEXP, an independent non-profit organization with an agreement to operate 90.3 FM on behalf of the University of Washington which holds the FCC license.

ABOUT BARSUK RECORDS
Founded in the late '90s by friends and band mates Josh Rosenfeld and Christopher Possanza as a way to put out music by their own band (This Busy Monster) and their friends' bands (including Death Cab for Cutie, Little Champions, Abigail Grush), Barsuk Records has grown and flourished over the years. Focused not on any specific genre, but simply on supporting quality songwriting and unique creativity, Barsuk has helped introduce the world to such phenomenally talented artists as The Long Winters, Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter, Aqueduct, John Vanderslice, Rilo Kiley, and Nada Surf. Barsuk Records continues to expand its roster into 2006 (with upcoming releases from Rocky Votolato, Mates of State, Starlight Mints and Viva Voce), and promises to be a bastion of quality music for years to come.

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Three Imaginary Girls, Barsuk Records, and 90.3 KEXP present the songs of The Magnetic Fields as interpreted by members of The Long Winters, Vendetta Red, Rocky Votolato, Visqueen, Tullycraft, Harvey Danger, Kane Hodder, Transmissionary Six, Saeta, and many more.

We Are All Waiting for Hope

dreamerseven — Mon, 19 Jul 2004 07:00:00 +0000

6.5

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002IQCZC//wwwthreeimagi-20

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The construction of minimalism is a tricky task. Too little space filled, and then you lose the listener's attention. Too much and you crowd out the mood. Seattle band Saeta have a gifted understanding of the chemistry needed to pull this approach off correctly, as demonstrated on their fourth release, We Are Waiting All For Hope.

Floating somewhere between like-minded minimalists Low and the sparser moments of Crooked Fingers, Saeta take you on a journey through the moments of lost love, the memory of being held tightly, and the dried up flowers that are all you have left to remind you of that time. "Remember the time. Remember the space. Remember the dreams that hold us," frontman Matt Menovick urges us in the opening track "Can You Forgive the One that Hurt You". With the images it provokes, you can almost be a witness to the plea between two lovers as they try to reconcile the life between them.

The structure of their songs has a quality of antiquity with the bare naked quality of the insrumentation. Like a creaking chair, they ease from Menovick's raspy voice into the featherlite strumming of acoustic guitar, which is gently swallowed by the sound of a cello and keys and then an exchange of singing is made to Lesli Wood's jazzier, throatier vocals. A very powerful transition, indeed. They have an uncanny ability to write songs in a way that allows the story to take precedent, as if the music is only there to remind you of the song, in the same way a breeze reminds you of the air around you.

However, I can't say that Wood's and Menovick's vocals always work to compliment each other. In Low, the voices of Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk work together beautifully. Menvovick's and Woods singing style are dramatically different from one another, and while gorgeous alone, together they create a dissonance that takes away from the music. The only other issue that I had with We Are Waiting All For Hope was the quality of the production. Frankly, I expected something a little more grand coming from Steve Albini — not that there needed to be more instrumentation. But from a recording standpoint, the lack of both depth in the sounds as well as diversity of songs approaches made me wonder what exactly Mr. Albini did besides stick up a mic and hit record. I would have liked to hear different colors used on the vocals, and more room variation on the piano sounds, or something else to change the character from song to song. His lack of inventiveness was the weakest element on the record.

With We Are Waiting All For Hope, Saeta has created a nice collection of introspective, melancholic minimalism. They have grown very well into their niche and have produced a quality and chemistry that seems second nature to them. Unfortunately, this quality was not highlighted by the presence of Mr. Albini and so the record just falls short of its potential.

With We Are Waiting All For Hope, Saeta has created a nice collection of introspective, melancholic minimalism.

Plum St: Beauty and Dreams

imaginary dana — Mon, 08 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000

8 Sep 2003

Poor Plum St.. It's hard to book a show for a Monday night. After all, rainy days and Mondays always get me down, it's Monday or forever, and I don't like Mondays. September 8, 2003 triumphed over this predisposed musical Monday adversity with an incredibly well-crafted line-up of melodic, mellow, melifluous, marvelous Monday music. And that's the last of the alliteration for now.

To start: The Stares, Saeta (who closed their set with an incredible Lesli Wood-sung rendition of the Smiths' "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me"), and Ravenna opened a night so full-bodied and woody that I wished Chop Suey had had a bottle of their finest Chiani to offer. {For the record, I asked. My advice: never order wine from a bar that offers only one choice and they simply call it "red."}

Headlining this finely refined evening were Plum St., a local trio I'd never heard of until a few weeks back, when Heather Croft from Vegas in Flames slipped me a copy of their latest EP. I was impressed. Next thing I knew, Jennifer Maerz presented them as the recommended band to see — a suggestion I was sure to heed, Monday night notwithstanding.

With lush, verdant melodies and romantically heartfelt lyrics, Plum St. wooed the crowd with a delectable earful of sounds. Their gorgeously evocative music rang reminenscent of such illustrious musical influences as Joe Pernice, Jeff Buckley and "Karma Police" {and by that I mean, they had one song that sounded remarkably like "Karma Police," not that the band was a Radiohead knockoff}.

The lineup: Reed Hutchinson {songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, pianist, tall-dark-handsome-teenage-heart-throb} founded the band, Aaron Douglas {cellist} added the stringy lushness that can only come from a sit-down instrument held between the knees, and Jonas deVarona {drummer} provided a backbone of rhythm to sustain all the layers of stunning sounds. While I still maintain that "Reed, Aaron, and Jonas on Plum St." sounds more like a soap opera than a band, I'm thrilled these boys focus more on melody than melodrama.

The result? Plum St. possessed gentleness despite their strength, an edge despite their melody. So expect great things from this band. I do.

Seattle band Plum. St. played a divine show, even on a Monday night. Saeta and Ravenna rounded out the bill.

Drew Victor and his Passing Friends

imaginary dana — Sun, 08 Sep 2002 07:00:00 +0000

4 Sep 2002

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We realize we are guilty again of live show review recidivism by reviewing Drew Victor and Passing Friends, since we did write about them just a few months back. But now Drew and the gang have released a new CD, Now That I'm Through the Tunnel, and we couldn't miss their CD release. So here I are again, ready to gush about the ever charming (and talented) Drew.

But first, while we are the subject of recidivism ("repeat o-ffender")... as we entered the I-Spy, we realized the opening band was Saeta — a band we just reviewed. Can you say, small world? We thought that you could. And the last time we saw them, it was their CD release. Coincidence abounding!

This was especially worth mention because Saeta sounded far more at ease with their music at this performance... making the tunes sound more graciously gentle and less strained than we had previously noted. Oh! And they are now hot contenders in the TIG end of year "best cover" list we plan to create, because Lesli Wood sang an AWESOME cover of The Magnetic Fields's "Grand Canyon." Sublime!

But back to Drew. He has a lot of Passing Friends: Tomo Nakayama (Asahi) on guitar and keyboards, Joel Harmon on drums, Greg Reed on bass, and Bennett Slothower on saxophone.

The saxaphone playing was remarkable, and contributed greatly to DVAPF's unique sound; the wafts of jazz influence flavoring both the gentler ballads and the emotive rockers, an auditory delight.

And check out how hot Bennett looks while playing...

Drew's voice rang unique and distinguished. It will elicit a strong response; you're either going to love it, be moved by it, be annoyed by it, be stimulated by it, weep to it, or cringe at its brutal pained honesty. But you won't be bored, that's for sure. I dug it.

Yeah, the show felt immediate and inviting. Most of the audience sat on the floor during the performance, creating a cozy and nuturing atmosphere for an initial presentation of the songs. Drew and the gang flourished. The audience cheered. And that was that.

Drew's voice will elicit a strong response; you're either going to love it, be moved by it, be annoyed by it, be stimulated by it, weep to it, or cringe at its brutal pained honesty.

Saeta

three imaginary girls — Thu, 29 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000

17 Aug 2002

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With the post-Hypatia Lake glows upon our cheeks, the Girls emerged from our collective blissed-out musical haze to notice the next band playing was actually hosting their CD release party that night. Who would possibly want to follow up the glory of Hypatia Lake...?

As it turned out, Saeta would. Not only did they show up with a cello, piano, and acoustic guitar, they also gave away free candles, t-shirts, and matches to promote their latest CD, Resign to Ideal.

The music started, low and amber, shadowy and mellow. Saeta features Matt Menovcik on guitar and vocal, Lesli Wood on piano and vocals, and Bob Smolenski on cello (mmm, cello). My ears perked up, intially intrigued. Subtle and somber, I thought that I'd discovered my second favorite mellow-rific local band (with Carissa's Wierd obviously holding the oh-so-sadness top spot). And yet... after a few songs... something was lacking in the empty spaces between the lovely melodies and heartrending harmonies, a void that left me hollow emotion to their melodies, unresponsive to the darkened images and sad words.

They sound like the french vanilla candles they gave away. Marketing genius, I say. Like the candle, they are not overtly sweet, sultry, safe yet the undertones of the music is spicy and enveloping. It is amazing what a cello and ambiance can do.

Saeta's last album was produced by Kramer (Bongwater, Low, Galaxie 500, Luna), which leads me to wonder if their recorded albums sound more evocative than their live performance. I likewise have felt a similar sense of unfullfilled expentancy when seeing Low play live; perhaps the same is true for Saeta?

Saeta reminded me of a really great kiss on a really great first date from a really great guy... who you're just not all that attracted to. Technically, they were all excellent musicians, they were sensitive and dreamy and dark... but I personally just felt no chemistry. It's one of those intangibles, a lack of personal passion. I'm sure someone else would have gone out with this guy... er, I mean band, and developed instant infatuation. In fact, some members of the audience already appeared pretty enamored.

Matt's voice sounded astonishingly like Eric Bachmann from Crooked Fingers, gritty and gravelly and deep...

I can't decide what to feel. One minute I am swaying with every tug on the cello's bow, the next I am befuddled by their Crooked Fingers impression. During the first two songs of every Crooked Fingers show I've been to, those audience members who have never seen them before look around in astonishment and whisper to one another about the fact that the lead singer's voice sounds just like Neil Diamond's. By the third song however, any comparison is irrelevant because CH's lyrics, musicianship, and emotion with which they play blow Neil out of the water.

So, if you use the transitive property of vocals, you could say that:
If Saeta sound like Crooked Fingers and, Crooked Fingers' vocals sound like Neil Diamond's vocals, then Saeta sounds like Neil Diamond.

I guess this is true as I left the Saeta show wanting to hear Neil belt out "(Coming to) America."

If Saeta sound like Crooked Fingers and, Crooked Fingers' vocals sound like Neil Diamond's vocals, then Saeta sounds like Neil Diamond.