{Visqueen photo: Ben Haley / Bunnygrunt photo: JoshBomb}

September marks the biggest festival season in the Pacific Northwest. In a move to test our endurance, the biggest of the mammoth festivals take place within days of each other: Bumbershoot from September 4-6 in Seattle and Music Fest NW from September 8-12 in Portland. But, besides those mega-shows, we've got plenty of our favorite Seattle bands taking to the stage. In this edition of the Imaginary Mixtape we'll share tracks from noteworthy bands with shows in the coming weeks, feature some exclusive live recordings from the Athens Popefest, and a sneak preview of brand new songs by The Thermals and Superchunk.

You can listen to a stream or download the MP3 version of the podcast on the imaginary bandcamp page. Bandcamp prohibits tracks longer than 25 minutes {I think it's some regulation against jam bands?}, so the podcast is split into three sections. Click below to listen via the bandcamp stream.

 

PART 1: Preview of some September Seattle shows, Bumbershoot and Music Fest NW

 

PART 2: A listen to more Seattle bands with September shows and a preview of our Imaginary Crafty Listening Party albums for September

 

PART 3: Live tracks recorded at the 2010 Athens Popfest and some lovely Seattle indie-pop

 

If you are the type that likes to listen to podcasts in itunes (and who doesn't), download the .m4a file here {it's one single file with fancy chapter markers!} and then open it in your itunes {big thanks to Jigsaw Records for hosting the file!}.

 

Tracklisting: Imaginary Mixtape - September 2010:

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{The Submarines}

Usually when we say “imaginary” around TIG, we mean stuff that we’re super-psyched for! And in this case, it’s true –but it’s also literal, as I won’t be at Bumbershoot this year. So imagine (ha) if you will, that I am going. Here’s what you’d see if you followed me around:

ALL THREE DAYS
Flatsock 27 (Festival Grounds)
No matter how many other things I see, I always make it a point to get over to the Flatstock poster show. Amazing artists, cool collector’s pieces, and the chance to hang something nice on your wall. Last year I saw these awesome prints by Jeff Kliensmith, and now they’re framed in our media room.

Patton Oswalt (Comedy Stage South)
My favorite French mouse, loveable United States of Tara sidekick, Dollhouse guest star, and generally hilarious guy is going be at Bumbershoot ALL weekend. Contrary to most stand-up I see, I always, always, always laugh at Oswalt’s riffs, and love that he’s a versatile character actor too. Check him out – but get in line EARLY, as he tends to attract huge crowds.

SATURDAY
The Submarines: 12:30pm (Broad Street Stage)
This adorable LA duo has become one of my favorite bands, so I’m crying a little that I can’t see them this weekend. Seriously – just take a listen. I’m betting you’ll love them too.

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It is sheer madness that there are so many great live performers appearing at Bumbershoot 2010 this year. This is my personal schedule to see a cross-section of irascible indie-ness (be it indie pop-friendly Pac NW hip-hop, indie rock, Brooklyn funk, etc.) but mostly focusing on those TIG-sparking artists who either put out a great record recently (and may or may not have gotten the deserved acclaim) or have one coming right up.

So let's begin the plan, and bear in mind if you haven't heard the music that may already be available from these performers, we would recommend checking the releases hyped below out before you attend Bumbershoot 2010. This is not because you would be in any way disappointed with what you will see and hear when you hit the full-genre full-on phenomenon that is the festival this year; just the opposite, we want you to already have some of these songs down to sing/chant/rap along when they pop during the sets. All are recommended and approved.

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{Slender Means is playing every Tuesday night for a month at the newly opened Seattle Hard Rock Cafe. The next show is 8 PM on Tuesday, April 13.}

Adrift In The Cosmos is the work of vocalists/guitarists Josh Dawson and Sonny Votolato, keyboardist/backing vocalist Dave E. Martin, Paul Pugliese on bass, and Eric Wennberg on drums. Slender Means have been together for several years, and caught a lot of attention with 2005's Neon & Ruin, a debut album title that captured both the songs and sound of the band. On their most recent release Adrift In The Cosmos, they co-produce an album with Martin Feveyear that is an aquarium of sound, and also taps into lyrical melancholy as deftly as it paints a huge-ass canvas of pretty, Brit-rock inspired underground pop.

Known for hyper-driven live shows, such as their performance at Noise For The Needy this past summer (explaining why they're holding down our new downtown tourist trap for weeks) Slender Means use the studio with Blakes' producer and their own longtime collaborator Feveyear to make records of novel-depth proportion. Although not overplaying or being too compositionally ambitious like other certain juggernaut power pop bands with a throbbing rock vein, the early stream of riffs and bashing from their earlier style now flows into an ocean of hooks, big beats, egalitarian in flash but full up to the challenge of making huge album rock and somehow bringing it on an indie budget.

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at Doe Bay Music Festival 2009

The Second Annual Doe Bay Festival was a magical experience up on Orcas Island. A music festival like no other, and likely the closest thing to the free-loving style of the 60's that I'm likely to experience.

the Long Winters

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I was going to wait until it got a little closer to the event before mentioning the Doe Bay Music Festival here but I hear that tickets are selling very fast and would hate for it to sell out before any of our readers heard about this great event. As someone who does most of their recreational traveling based around out-of-town shows, this sounds like a perfect excuse to get out of Seattle for a few days without going too far from home.

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This year's Noise for the Needy festival starts tonight! We're so excited for the five day fest. The organizers have really put together a slew of great bills from now until Sunday.

Tonight's batch of shows kick off the festivities with a bang. I have a hard time choosing between tonight's two shows.

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This is an extra special show, as it is the first in several John Spalding Benefit Concerts throughout January.

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That's an audio chocolate-flavored peanut butter mixed with a peanut-butter flavored chocolate I can't wait to savor.

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at Neumo's

Slender Means didn't feel like the same gentle pop band with just hints of darkness and malcontent in their lyrics; they played with rich, loud, soulful emphasis.

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