Three Imaginary Girls - Okkervil River

A mixtape of Imaginary Liz's Best of 2011 {so far)

imaginary liz — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 02:49:41 +0000

Rather than thinking of it as 2011 being halfway over, I prefer to see it as we're all halfway to my birthday {December 24th if it's not on your calendar already}. To celebrate, and take stock of this year's releases thus far, I've put together a mix of my favorite songs of 2011 {so far}.

This year has brought some predictably great albums from friends such as Mountain Goats, Okkervil River, BOAT, Matt & Kim, Telekinesis, Bright Eyes. I feel like I've been waiting for a fresh batch of songs from Brown Recluse for years. I love every note they play and having a two hearty releases in one year {Panoptic Mirror Maze and Evening Tapestry} makes me overjoyed.

Other bands, like When I Was 12 and Dangerous Ponies, I am thankful for crossing paths with for the first time this year.

And then there are the folks that have left me wanting more more more (I'm looking at you Oregon Bike Trails and Forbidden Friends)! Huge thanks to You Aint No Picasso for bringing Oregon Bike Trails to my attention. OBT fellow, singer/songwriter Zach Yudin, from Santa Monica, Ca., is quite the mysterious dude - only having a cassette tape release earlier this year (hand painted, limited to 50!) and a couple other MP3s swirling around the web.

Forbidden Friends, a side project by Thermals frontman Hutch Harris (with Michael Lerner of Telekinesis on drums and fellow Thermals Kathy Foster and Westin Glass backing him up), is still in the 7" only phase, and needless to say I'm counting down to a full album of FF stuff.

In short, I can't recommend the below songs and full releases enough. To help convince you of their brilliance, I made a virtual mix cd!

The tracklisting of my {hopefully very convincing} mix cd is:

Photoessay: Okkervil River at the Neptune

imaginary victoria — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:40:36 +0000

As anticpated, our first show at STG's new Neptune Theater was nothing short of an absolute success. Between the vibe of the venue and the bands themselves, we just could not get enough -- so much so that we stayed on until the very end of the night, cheering our approval for both. Okkervil River saw fit to bring over an hour of some honest-to-goodness indie rock to the stage, with a set full of face-meltingly tight selections from both their current and back catalog; while crowd pleasers Titus Andronicus brought all the noise, sweat, and big guitar.screamalong five people could have possibly mustered.

Julianna Barwick:

Don't miss: Okkervil River at the Neptune this Saturday!

imaginary victoria — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:22:51 +0000

We couldn't be more excited for our inaugural show at the Neptune this Saturday -- because none other than the mighty Okkervil River will be taking the stage, and we're planning to be there front and center (with bells on).

The combination of one of our favorite bands and the newest, most anticipated room-opening since Columbia City Theater has us chomping at the bit and ticking off the hours until show time, as this will likely be 2011's biggest and brightest example of two great tastes that taste great together. Emotionally speaking, it's the chocolate in the peanut butter moment we've been waiting for since news of the Neptune's reduxing process came to the surface earlier this year. And not only will we have a night with OKR on the docket, which could be taking place in a dilapidated flophouse and still be capable of melting our faces off, ps -- but we'll be seeing them perform fresh off the incredibly successful release of I Am Very Far.

Come and get your Crafternoon on with us! {Sunday, May 15th}

imaginary victoria — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:09:20 +0000

It's the Spring Cleaning Edition of our almost-once-a-month-ly Crafternoon. And you're invited!

If you're not yet familiar, Crafternoons are a chunk of a few hours where we get together, work on crafts, and listen to unreleased / brand new albums while (very politely) taking over a local cafe. This time around we'll be at Porchlight on Capitol Hill on Sunday, May 15th from 1-3p, listening to two of our favorite May 2011 new releases: the debut album of Seattle's very own twee-core trio, Seapony (which doesn't release until May 31st), and the freshly pressed gorgeousness of Okkervil River's I Am Very Far, which drops this Tuesday on Jagjaguwar.

Okkervil River tour dates + news about the Neptune!

imaginary victoria — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:17:11 +0000

There's so much Okkervil River goodness going on about the 'nets, we almost don't even know where to start. First off, the band is going on tour. TOUR. Glorious t-o-u-r, with a date at Seattle's newest old venue, The Neptune (out in the good ol' U-District). First, though, they'll be making some stops at SXSW and popping over to Europe right quick -- full tour dates are listed after the jump.

Speaking of, there hasn't been a ton of official word about the Neptune, short of the collective sigh of relief that went up when the city heard that STG would be taking it over. Rather than speculate, we caught up with Amanda Bedell to get the skinny on the show and on what was going on behind those famous doors:

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.

Imaginary Victoria's best of 2010, part two: shows (and other indoor sports)

imaginary victoria — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 16:46:03 +0000

It's safe to say here at Three Imaginary Girls that we go to a lot of shows. Sometimes, two (or three) in one night, if there's more than one must-see happening going on about town. And so it's no surprise that in 2010 alone, just on my own, I managed to go to shoot at least two shows a week on average, attended another two dozen-ish (or so) sans camera, plus several festivals, house parties and a handful of KEXP in-studios. We're talking everything from nights at the Sunset and Neumos to four days in Portland for MFNW, out locally for long weekends at Bumbershoot and Sasquatch, and down to SXSW and back again.

On any given night there are plenty of shows taking place, in rooms across Seattle and across the country, where boys and girls and instruments and fans all convene inside four walls to make, appreciate, and experience live music -- but not all of them are Shows. When I reference shows in this post, I'm talking about the nights that we collectively See A Show, the nights that remind me us why we live in Seattle in the first place. Seeing A Show has the ability to alter the fabric of our respective existence, to leave us forever changed -- full of those everything-I've-ever-done-led-to-this-exact-right-now kinds of moments.

With a history timeline at the ready via flickr sets and hastily scrawled notes from stage right, I give you some of my greatest moments of 2010 as an appendix to the ever-popular top albums of the year lists that have been popping up all over our radars.

First place:
Neil Young (solo) at the Paramount

This might be construed as an easy out for a list-topper, but it was by far the most stupidly amazing few hours I spent in a venue all year. Not only was I among the lucky few that got to hang and shoot from the soundboard, but I also had the privilege of being allowed to watch the set after shooting (sans camera gear) from the third-level mezzanine. It may as well have been a live reel of Young in his prime, for how good he sounded -- without a doubt one of the top ten shows of my life, probably in the history of Ever.

The National and Okkervil River at Marymoor Park

imaginary lori — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:37:48 +0000

11 Sep 2010

DSC_0486.jpg

On a typical overcast Friday night, The National and Okkervil River melted the faces off of the crowd at Marymoor Park. We've got the photos to prove it!

See them bigger here!

On a typical overcast Friday night, The National and Okkervil River melted the faces off of the crowd at Marymoor Park. We've got the photos to prove it!

MFNW recap: the pre-weekend edition, part II -- Okkervil River, Tallest Man On Earth, Bobby Bare Jr.

imaginary victoria — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:31:37 +0000

Day two at MFNW: also known as Friday, September 10th. With tons of shows all over the city to choose from, we chose to spend our imaginary day with the folks over at KEXP for a series of kick-ass in-studios, and to focus on the highly anticipated Okkervil River / Bobby Bare Jr. and Tallest Man On Earth / Cave Singers sets that night.

MFNW recap: the pre-weekend edition, part I -- David Bazan, Rocky Votolato, and more!

imaginary victoria — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 21:29:48 +0000

Musicfest, Musicfest Northwest, M-F-N-Dubs, Baby SouthBy -- whatever you want to call it, this past weekend's slew of shows down in Portland were nothing short of an absolute blast. We ran rampant through the quadrants for four days straight, shooting every show we could get our hands on, swooning exponentially more as each night passed. Here's just a fraction of what went on for the first half of the fest, during Thursday's and Friday's sets.

The big knock-it-out-of-the-park set on Thursday was David Bazan / Rocky Votolato set over at the Doug Fir. After the stage was properly warmed up all day with KEXP in-studios from the likes of the Cave Singers and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Rocky took the spotlight (after what was likely a gorgous set by Joshua Morrison, that we hit town a little too late to catch) and the room over for a good forty minutes, with a set that pleased both rabid forever-fans and fringe-fans alike. There was something almost infectious about his performance, as he surpassed the standard singer/songwriter storyteller vibe and instead delivered each song with a repectful, earnest, homage-y vibe that struck the major chords of our very own indie-lovin' heartstrings.

Countdown to Musicfest Northwest in 3... 2...

imaginary victoria — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:35:02 +0000

Technically, you can get your Musicfest Northwest (MFNW) on starting tonight -- there will be a few gigs going on around town down in Portland to warm up the masses -- but our imaginary coverage will officially begin tomorrow and we can't hardly wait! There's quite a few acts and sorta-showcases that we're espcially stoked to see... so without further ado, here are some of our picks for the best-of-the-fest shows for the next four days.

Please note: the approximate start times are listed for the first band only and are subject to change -- always check your internets before heading out!

Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside
Thursday, 10p @ Berbati's Pan

Having seen and heard a lot about these darlings since their 2009 blip on our Seattle radar, it's going to be quite a treat to catch them at a hometown show. Full of good ol' fashioned big-bodied electric sound and a pair of lungs that just won't quit, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside are as swoon-tastic as it gets!

David Bazan + band / Joshua Morrison
Thursday, 9p @ the Doug Fir

Does this even need an explanation? Hot on the heels of two stellar performances at Bumbershoot, David Bazan (along with the current installment of his band) have fine tuned their sound to some true indie rock perfection. Achy and anthematic to the core, we're super-stoked to catch them at a venue like the 'Fir. Add in local favorite-home-safe Joshua Morrison, and you've got a night on your hands to remember.

The Thermals
Thursday, 10:30p @ the Crystal Ballroom

The Thermals killed Bumbershoot, the new album rules, and we'll be there with bells on. 'nuff said.

Okkervil River / Bobby Bare, Jr.
Friday, 10p @ the Crystal Ballroom

One of those lineups that makes you grateful that the bookers are playing close attention: a headlining set with OKR and a warmup by local favorite Bobby Bare, Jr. sounds like the next best thing since sliced bread. The boys of Okkervil have been hard at work, following up their last album with some amazing work next to the great Roky Erickson, and judging by the sound of the twitterverse, on to the next recording of something beautiful.

Win two tickets to The National at Marymoor {9/11}

imaginary victoria — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:22:45 +0000

Sprawling lawns, stellar sound, The National, and you.

And your plus one. And Okkervil River. And for free.

Sound good? Great! Because that's what's in store for you this Saturday up at Marymoor Park if you're our lucky winner! We've got not one, but two bright-and-shiny tickets to give away to one lucky fan. Maybe that's you! So take a break from poring over all those pretty Bumbershoot pictures you took this weekend and enter our contest:

Send an email to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line WaitForTheClick -- and tell us why we should choose you to attend this bliss-extravaganza of a show. Make us swoon with your adjective, drop a haiku, do whatever you like -- but just act fast, because we need your entry by 5pm on Tuesday, September 8th.

And while you're manually refreshing that auto-refresh to see if you've won, do yourself a favor and put this ish on repeat:

Good luck, everyone! We'll see you at the park!

It's time to prefunk! Music Fest Northwest is coming, September 8-12

imaginary victoria — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 21:53:07 +0000

While everyone is prefunking Bumbershoot, we'd like to take a moment to officially get the prefunk to the prefunk for Music Fest Northwest going. Starting today.

If you've never been, MFNW is like a crazier, spread-out-ier Bumbershoot -- spanning four days and venues all over town -- or a tinier, cleaner SXSW. Minus the industry hoo-ha and power-showcases and seminars. Beginning on Wednesday, September 8th, our sweet sister-city will be hosting a veritable slew of amazing bands all over town. Acts like Okkervil River, Menomena, the Decemberists, the Cave Singers, Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, the Thermals, Dave Bazan, Bobby Bare, Jr., the Walkmen, the National, and the Tallest Man On Earth -- among many, many others -- will be bringing an extended weekend of bliss to Portland for our listening and viewing pleasure.

imaginary liz's favorite albums of the last decade

imaginary liz — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:52:00 +0000

Yesterday I divulged my favorite albums of the year. Today I am ready to let go of my latest obsession: My album recap of how I spent my 00's.

The below listage rant is my own little time capsule to remind myself why 2000-2009 musically ruled. As with my other list posts, I'm certain I totally forgot to add something really important to my end-all-be-all-recap. It's up to you to remind me by posting your favs of the 00's below.

Merge's SCORE unleashes brilliant covers comp

imaginary keenan — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Merge has done it again! For their 20th anniversary, a part of the brilliant subscriber only compilation series SCORE, the Chapel Hill label (run by none other than members of my favorite indie rock band, Superchunk) is releasing a compilation of covers of Merge bands by a ton of non-Merge artists.

Win tickets to see AC Newman at Neumo's (or at least watch this neat duet with Will Sheff)

three imaginary girls — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 16:39:15 +0000

A.C. Newman is going to be at Neumo's on Saturday, February 21 with Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele starting the night off and we've got a pair of tickets to giveaway to one lucky imaginary reader.

Okkervil River: the most subjective review ever written

laura musselman — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:05:30 +0000

17 Sep 2008

okkervilriver.jpg

When I walked up to the bar at the Showbox last week, the first thing I overheard was a young lady say to her companion, "Yuck, I feel like we just walked into an episode of One Tree Hill." The crowd was full of unfamiliar young faces that had lined up along the street well before doors opened. I felt a little old, and I'm still a pretty young pup myself.

Okkervil River stepped onstage and opened the night with "Girl in Port," a song that sings so directly to the not-too-much-younger version of me, that I had flashbacks of dating boys in bands. Knowing fully what they say to the girls on the road, predicting exactly what they'll say to the girl back home waiting for the tour to wind down. They sell themselves short, "I'm not the lady killing sort / Enough to hurt a girl in port."

Oh, oh, there are a lot of us. So many of us girls crying in our cars while the singer we are so sure we could love rocks the van with someone else thirty feet away. Because, well, "you can't hold the hand of a rock and roll man." Ain't that the truth.

There are certain bands that force you to be in touch with parts of your emotional system you didn't even know existed. Will Sheff's past songs about murder and unsavory characters slapped you across the face, forcing you to get in touch with that burning, anxious warmth you didn't know you could touch, that you only felt connected to within the boundaries of those songs.

He shifted to singing about singers, bands, groupies, superfans, girls in the front row.. Oh right, girls like me... That shift left me unable to stay up front, let alone watch a whole show. I love this band so much it's uncomfortable for me to listen to their songs in a room with a bunch of other people. It's always been, for lack of a better word, interesting to watch a pile of high schoolers sing along to "Westfall," screaming "evil don't look like anything" with a fervor I can't help dissecting.

Now I can't bear to watch other people sing along to "Singer Songwriter" or "Blue Tulip" because these songs are about people I know, about myself. They're too easy to connect with. Okkervil are one of my favorite live bands, never falling short, never delivering less than every bit of perfection I hear on those records. But I'm starting to think I would rather cuddle up to their records in my bed, or blast them alone in my car.

However, being a die-hard music masochist, I'm sure I'll be in the front row again next time they come to town, even if the experience leaves me feeling like I'm on a show about pretty young things on the CW.

He shift now to singing about singers, bands, groupies, superfans, girls in the front row.. Oh right, girls like me...

Okkervil River aims for carbon neutral world tour

imaginary dana — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:54:28 +0000

Okkervil River announce massive tour, with stated goal of, "making our fall US tour completely carbon neutral." Dreamy!

Okkervil River returning to Seattle, tickets just went on sale

imaginary dana — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 04:52:04 +0000

I challenge you to find a more charismatic and talented live band who give as consistently amazing a live performance as Okkervil River.

Bye bye Okkervil River, hello Shearwater

imaginary liz — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:48:09 +0000

One of our favorite Okkervil River band members (ok, we love them all), Jonathan Meiburg, is leaving OR to focus on his band Shearwater.