Three Imaginary Girls - The Pale Pacific

Setting the Paces for BOAT's Setting the Paces: An engineer-on-engineer conversation

three imaginary girls — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:01:56 +0000

Pale Pacific-er and all around engineer super-star Cam Niklaus sat down with Dave Crane (aka D. Crane, guitar/bass/vocals/

songwriting) and Jackson Long (aka J. Long, drumming/recording) for some insight into the world of reptile boy vocals and redefining imperfect pop on their latest release Setting the Paces.

Cam Niklaus (CN): Could you give us a brief history of boats origins and where it's at now?

Dave Crane (DC): BOAT started as me making tapes on a [red] 4 track in Chicago. I would get home from teaching (and eat frozen pizza [and] drink regular Coke) and record songs. When I moved back to Seattle at the end summer 2003, I started making more and more songs in my basement. Z. Duffy (our now webmaster/east coast touring member/Chicago member) would trade tapes of songs we wrote with me [and] it was never intended to go beyond him. At the Pixies Bumbershoot reunion show, Mark McKenzie told me the songs were good. Josh Goodman joined (playing crazy drums and having babies) and we started recording for Magic Marker Records, a very cool supportive label in Portland. J. Long joined up in 07ish and has been the anchor for the band. He has a wicked work ethic [and] he has pushed us forward with recording and making sure we know the songs. He is also an avid baseballer/cookie eater.

CN: Jackson, let's talk about recording BOAT. I had the pleasure of recording basic tracks for several songs in addition to doing some mixing. Do you want to talk about the recording process with and without me? A lot of the recording was done at a house in Tacoma, right?

Jackson Long (JL): Our ultimate dream was to assemble a faux-studio in a spare room at Dave’s house in South Tacoma and chip away at LP3 over long weekends and evenings. It didn’t go down exactly like that and I, as defacto-producer, annoyed more bandmates, wifes and cats than I wanted to in the process, but I think it was worth it. We started recording (at Dave’s) during a weekend in February. I attempted to record my drum parts for a dozen songs in a weekend, while we had the gear we need – all cobbled together from multiple generous people.I thought I could power through and wear the “drummer hat” and “engineer hat” simultaneously. Not until 3 weeks later did I realize that some of the songs lacked the energy the songs should have.I suggested that we abandon a few nearly complete recordings….and try recording them new way. This didn’t go over particularly well with the dudes, but ultimately they were willing to try my new plan. I said: “Let’s go into Two Sticks (the studio I work at) for one evening, with my friend Cam at the helm and try recording with all of us playing together.” This was BOAT’s first time recording in a proper studio and I think we were blown away at the efficiency and how much we sounded like ourselves. From this point, we took these “basic” tracks BACK to Tacoma, our space in SODO, Mark’s apartment, etc. and BOAT-ified them. As Dave says, “just turn them into a sloppy mess.”

Win a fantastic BOAT package, including tickets to their CD release show on 10/22 and a custom piece of art!

imaginary keenan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:20:15 +0000

We here in imaginary land don't do a very good job of keeping our love for local chest pounding indie popsters BOAT a secret. Their TOPPS EP was at the top of my favorite releases of last year, and both imaginary Liz and I put 2007's Let's Drag Our Feet quite high on our best of '07 lists. And now, with a full length almost out entitled Setting the Paces, we can hardly contain our excitement, which is why we're happy to present you with this fabulous BOAT package!

One lucky imaginary reader will get:

- One CD or LP of their new full length Setting the Paces

- One BOAT t-shirt in whatever size you want

- Two tickets to their cardboard stage cut out filled 21+ CD release show on October 22nd at Neumo's with the Pale Pacific, Sirens Sister and The Special Places (Jenny and Corianton of Tullycraft!)

- and... one custom piece of art made by the fabulous D. Crane of BOAT (he could illustrate any kind of history you wanted!)

So come with us, you'll win! Just e-mail tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject "LatelyI'veBeenOnMyBack" (all one word please!) by Wednesday at 9am for your chance to win! Period, backslash, colon, it's that easy! Just be sure to include your full name, especially if your e-mail address is imaman@whenigrowup.com.

Win a prize pack from The Pale Pacific, including tickets to Disney Cover Night

ChrisB — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 02:08:51 +0000

To enter, simply send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with "Pale Pacific Prize Pack" (say that five times fast) in the subject line sometime before noon on Sunday, March 8.

Win the Eulogies' new VinylDisc and a prize package from Dangerbird Records! (Updated)

ChrisB — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:30:00 +0000

Win a prize package from Dangerbird Records that includes the latest VinylDisc from Eulogies and more!

Join us Chop Suey this SUNDAY for the Unscrew the Croc Employees Benefit

imaginary liz — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 06:57:18 +0000

Even though we're in the midst of a celebratory time of year, the shock of the sudden closing of the legendary Crocodile Cafe is still with us.

Help "Unscrew the Crocodile Employees" on Dec. 30

ChrisB — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 01:44:50 +0000

Chop Suey is hosting a benefit on Sunday, December 30 for The Croc (RIP) staff and Three Imaginary Girls is proud to sponsor the event.

The Pale Pacific at the Crocodile

ChrisB — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 15:51:59 +0000

11 Aug 2007

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Here’s a necessary confession: I’ve been a pretty big fan of the Pale Pacific for as long as I have been going to shows (which has been about 5 or 6 years). Another (probably unnecessary) confession: I don’t think I’ve ever made a mix CD for a girl I was interested in without including a song from the band’s third album Gravity Gets Things Done. I can’t say that it’s ever really helped -- but that’s my problem, not theirs.

Over the years I’ve seen the Pale Pacific (or just the Pale, as they were known as a few years ago) probably half a dozen times over the years and I’ve listened to Gravity hundreds of times. To me, it's the record Fountains of Wayne would make if they set out to document the “high school experience” for typical students from my generation.

Of course I was very interested in seeing the band play early last Saturday evening. As they are wont to doing on occasion, the Crocodile hosted two shows: an early, all-ages show and a later 21+ show. I found myself at the former.

The band hasn’t played too many live shows as of late and I don’t know of any plans for another studio album. It took about five minute into the set for me to realize just how much I've missed seeing this band live. The band has a decidedly powerpop sound, with delicate harmonies and an upbeat, guitar and keyboard-based sound. The second song of the set was “Wake Up Call,” one of my favorite songs off of GGTD. The band picked up the tempo and made it more of a rock song. Of course the lyrics and harmonies remained and left the first memorable moment of the evening. Just before that, lead singer Gabe Archer started to tell the crowd that he was nervous only to be interrupted by an impromptu massage from guitarist Cameron Nicklaus. “Suddenly, I’m not nervous anymore,” he said.

The transitions between songs were a little awkward and the between-songs banter did belie a few jitters but none of that really mattered as the band still hit all of the important notes and really sounded well throughout the 75-minute set.

The set list included many songs from both Gravity Gets Things Done and its latest (2005) LP Urgency, as well as a cover of the Police’s “Walking on the Moon." Fans were encouraged to vote for the songs they were to play via the band's MySpace page and Archer assured everyone that they took the votes seriously and tailored the set to reflect those votes. His parents were in attendance and his mother playfully pointed out that the song she wanted to hear wasn’t being played. The response was, “Mom, your song got one vote.” I’m not sure which song it was, although it could have been “Your Parent’s House”* (off of Urgency).

For many people, myself included, the high point of the show was toward the end of the set when the band played the song “Gravity Gets Things Done.” The crowd (taking up roughly 2/3 to 3/4s of the Croc’s floor) sang a few lines of the chorus. The song is one of the great “I like you” songs in the past few years. Hearing it in a room full of people who love it as much as I do, singing along to every word, made me wish that I never have to hear that fucking “Hey There Delilah” song ever again.

I’m not sure when the last Seattle Pale Pacific show was (prior to Saturday evening) or when the next one will be, so this show was an especially nice surprise to a warm summer weekend. There was some talk of recording this show for a live album, which I really do hope materializes – if only for my own selfish reasons. I hope the band continues to put out great indie pop/rock and create more lasting memories. And if not, I’ll still cherish the ones I already have.

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* Yes, I know “Your Parent’s House” did get more than one vote.

Hearing ["Gravity Gets Things Done"] in a room full of people who love it as much as I do, singing along to every word, made me wish that I never have to hear that fucking “Hey There Delilah” song ever again.

A Very Merry Imaginary Karaoke Bash!

three imaginary girls — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 08:00:00 +0000

Three Imaginary Girls, Barsuk Records, and Sub Pop Records present a Very Merry Imaginary Karaoke Bash featuring members of Math & Physics Club, Iceage Cobra, Head Like a Kite, Schoolyard Heroes, Speaker Speaker, Kane Hodder, Optimus Rhyme, the Pale Pacific, the Elephants, We Wrote the Book on Connectors, The Trucks, A Gun That Shoots Knives, Central Services, The Pharmacy, Tullycraft, Night Canopy, Dita Vox, Shorthand for Epic, and many more. Pre-party starts at 8p with acoustic sets from members of Tiny Vipers, Fruit Bats, and a special performance by Jim Noir. Friday night, December 8th, at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle, WA Seattle, WA, November 14, 2006 – Ho ho ho! 'Tis about that time to kick off the holiday season imaginarily!

Three Imaginary Girls, "Seattle's sparkly indie- pop press," will host a Holiday Karaoke Bash on Friday, December 8, 2006 at The Crocodile, to welcome in the holiday season with their favorite local rockstars singing karaoke. The night will kick-off with a Sub Pop and Barsuk Records-supported pre-party with acoustic sets from members of Sub Pop artists Fruit Bats and Tiny Vipers, and a very special performance from Barsuk Records' Jim Noir.

The night will feature rockstar performances by local musicians and celebrities. Members of Math & Physics Club, Iceage Cobra, Head Like a Kite, Schoolyard Heroes, Speaker Speaker, Kane Hodder, Optimus Rhyme, the Pale Pacific, the Elephants, We Wrote the Book on Connectors, The Trucks, A Gun That Shoots Knives, Central Services, The Pharmacy, Tullycraft, Night Canopy, Dita Vox, Shorthand for Epic, several KEXP DJs, and many more special guests are prepared to take the stage to croon for our mutual holiday enjoyment.

Of course -- in imaginary style -- you won't need mistletoe to get lucky. The event will feature the amazing John Roderick of the Long Winters as Indie Rock Santa Claus, to ensure you get your holiday wish-list heard by Mr. North Pole himself.

"How often does one get the chance to have her picture taken while sitting on John Roderick's lap?" asked imaginary girl Liz. "That's reason enough to attend!"

"This is the best holiday gift ever – a pre-party with Sub Pop and Barsuk, followed by an off-the-hook karaoke bash!" said imaginary girl Dana. "It's a Christmas miracle!"

"I guess we've been very, very good imaginary girls this year," said imaginary girl Char.

Steve the Karaoke King (of Twilight Exit, Molly McGuires, and the Comet Tavern) will serve as KJ for the big event, which means the song selection and the sound system will both be incredible. Need further incentive? Imaginary karaoke parties always tend to attract surprise guests (including Vendetta Red's Zach Davidson and the Posies' Jon Auer at past events), and the girls will have girls will have raffle prizes galore from favorite folks like Merge Records, K Records, and Pattern 25 Records to bulk up your end-of-year CD collection. Event supporters Sub Pop, Barsuk, and Seattle Sound magazine will also be providing extra- exciting gift packs for lucky audience members to win.

Three Imaginary Girls are no strangers to the Seattle rock scene. During the past four years, the girls have reviewed hundreds of live shows and CDs in Seattle and beyond. They also book local music showcases, and have hosted various rockstar karaoke events, such as their Labor Day Buttrock Karaoke Party, their Silly Love Songs Friday the 13th Pre-Valentine's Day Bash, and a "69 Love Songs" Pre- Valentine's Day Tribute night.

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THE JUICY DETAILS
WHAT: Three Imaginary Girls Presents: A Very Merry Imaginary Karaoke Bash
WHERE: The Crocodile Café, 2200 2nd Avenue. Seattle, WA
WHEN: Friday, December 8, 2006. Doors open 8p for the Tiny Vipers and Fruit Bats acoustic sets. Jim Noir performance begins at 9p. Open Karaoke immediately thereafter at 9:30p.
COST: $10 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.

xmasposter.jpg

Ho ho ho! 'Tis about that time to kick off the holiday season imaginarily!

SXSW 2006 Rundown

three imaginary girls — Sun, 19 Mar 2006 08:00:00 +0000

15 Mar 2006

sxsw06mar1.jpg

South by Southwest, where have you been all my life? If I believed in an afterlife, this is what my idea of heaven would be: endless days and nights with no greater concerns than caffeine, alcohol, and indie rock. Except there would be fewer lines, and more cabs.

I can't believe a world where so many (really attractive and nice) people care about new and interesting music exists. What an amazing experience. I'm booking my hotel room and pass as soon as they announce the 2007 dates. Who's with me??

Please note that the photos were taken by us; we can't rule out intoxication, but we also can't rule out that we're just that unskilled with a camera. Oh! Except for the gorgeous Long Winters photo, provided by the amazing Gregory Perez.

Without further ado, read our SXSW 2006:

Top 10 of the Pops!

Honorable Mentions

Totally Overrated

Thank Yous

Top 10 of the Pops! (in alpha order):

Art Brut
I can't stress this enough. If Art Brut comes to your town, go! Whether you are familiar with them because of their placement on KEXP's playlist or you've yet to be introduced, you will love them within one song of their live performance. The cockney-heavy vocals a la The Streets and the hooky guitar jabs spotlight the clever lyrics that are ideal for constant quoting among your group of friends. Move over, quips like "You're so money you don't even know it" — we've now got things like, "This IS my singing voice" and "I've seen her naked... twice!" Thanks Art Brut. "Popular culture, no longer applies to me."

Band of Horses
Band of Horses featured slide guitars, emotive vocals, and nothing less than I expected from two former members of one of my favorite Seattle bands of all time, Carissa's Wierd. While CW expressed life's sadness to the level of morose, Band of Horses were more in the "tear in my beer" cathartic vein of indie-melancholy, and I'm sure will (or have) drawn comparisons to other twangier indie-rock luminaries like My Morning Jacket and Wilco. The fact that they were playing in a field outside Poke-e-Joe's BBQ only added to the Texas of it all.

Billy Bragg
I think I experienced the luckiest day of my life in Austin. How else could I have found myself at a picnic (with free booze and tacos), surrounded by an audience of about 50 people watching Billy Bragg as he played his entire first album in order? Crazy! As you'd expect, the man was armed with timeless songs and sharp banter that could inspire action from even the most humdrum of souls. In between songs he offered words of solace to our blue-state comforted selves. He encouraged us as he talked about how he felt pride when he saw how the outrage and compassionate minority is gaining strength in our nation. He jumpstarted my belief that music can bind people, give weight to ideas and, music industry be damned, fuel change. Take that Toby Keith.

Figurines
Brit bands are a dime a dozen. Bring on the Danes! I had the pleasure of seeing Danish indie-rock sensations Figurines at the Crocodile in Seattle just days before SXSW. Here's my theory on Figurines: you need to hear them three times. The first couple of listens, you think, "Wow, nice songs!" By the third listen, you realize that not only will Skeletons undoubtedly rank in your top 10 of the year, but that you also plan to name your as-yet unconceived children "Christian" — as half the band members are called Christian — even though you are a devout agnostic. Spend some quality time with the record, and you're hooked — or as the fellas sing, "It takes time to get it together for a long time." Figurines have it all: spot on guitar work, inspiring lyrics, rugged hooks, distinctive and appealing vocals... plus swagger, pout, sweet dispositions, and hipster good looks. Think Northwest edge meets Euro-charisma. Now imagine standing right up front, watching these likely superstars rock you on a true Texas dive bar floor. It's surely a 'tell-the-grandkids-about-it' sort of SXSW memory...

Galactic Heroes
I've loved the Galactic Heroes since the first time I heard the sweet jangle of "Coffee And Pastries" from their album Every Sidewalk. Their repertoire embodies all that is sweet and nice and queen bee. Their songs hopscotch through tales of love, friendship, baby blue Volvos, and gleeful happenstances without turning trite or phony. But, given that the two leading members live in different cities, seeing them perform these tales of joy together in lovey Seattle has felt like a pipe dream.

Thank goodness for a massive 1000+ band festival for bringing us together. Live, they broke new GH ground... mainly due to a sudden, unfortunate event that forced their drummer to miss the show. That, on top of the fact that the guys hadn't been able to practice together in quite a while, made for a certain air of... uncertainty. So what did they do? They rocked the house! They gave homemade shakers (made from plastic Easter eggs filled with rice) to the 25 audience members in the front so that we could provide a backing beat to the songs. Then, halfway through the set, Mike (who had just started learning the drums) took to the set and simultaneously sang and drummed. As you would expect, the songs were scaled down but the end result was a lo-fi Lucksmiths-esque set that left the audience grinning from ear to ear.

The Gossip
Playing at 1am on a stage in a parking lot, I was able to fully appreciate the force that *is* Gossip front-diva Beth Ditto. Against the evening chill after a hot Texas day, she channeled that old soul of hers to exorcise the traditions and skeletons of the South. This, with intense, archaic, bare bones rock foundation laid by her two fellow Gossip-ers (Brace Paine and Hannah Blilie), made for a set of hymns for hipsters. As Beth chimed lines like "I don't want the world, I just want what I deserve." I was reminded of all that is great about independent music. Whereas the masses accept songs from The Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs as the end all of soul inspired, angular anthems, The Gossip are the real thing. Glory glory hallelujah!

The Long Winters
Long Winters' frontman John Roderick has the rare ability to win over the drunkest/surliest of audiences with the power of just one sideways pleasantry. In between eloquently espousing about the his excitement of sharing the bill with Smoosh and the underlying music industry presence at the festival, Roderick made the crowd sway to the LW songs old and new. Poles on each end of the spectrum were hit as we enjoyed old favorites ("Stupid," "Unsalted Butter"), newbies ("the commander thinks aloud" from the recent Ultimatum EP), and we got a sneak listen to songs from their upcoming release (to be released in July?). I was so relieved to not only hear the new songs, but find out that they are glorious! Countdown to the new Long Winters album begins... NOW!

The Magic Numbers
As my friend Barbara said to me during the show, the world can't be too bad a place when a band as amazing as The Magic Numbers headlines a major label showcase (Capitol Records) at SXSW. As talented as they are unlikely, this band of two sets of siblings charmed the audience with their extraordinary song writing, their incredible vocal harmonies, and more importantly, with their dazzling sense of joy expressed through music. They've been compared to the psychedelic Flaming Lips as well as the folksy 60's of the Mamas and the Papas; both comparisons are apt. More joyous than an afternoon spent with good friends and free Jack Daniels!

Margot and the Nuclear So-And-Sos/The Rakes
OK, I cheated to sneak an extra band into the Top 10 list. But you have to hear about them both, and both have new US releases on V2-affliated labels, so I thought it only fair to munge them. Margo and the Nuclear So-and-Sos — I agree, that name is tedious at best — were a complete surprise, a dense wall of delicious sounds emanating from no less than eight people onstage: two percussionists, trumpet, cello, two vocalists, and all the rock standards. Their debut release drops end of March, and the hype machine has aleady whirled into motion, so expect to know their name soon (even if you can't quite remember all of it). As for The Rakes, I saw them headline two showcases, at the UK show case at Flamingo and the V2 showcase at the Blind Pig. Equal parts updated Blur-pop and JCrew's autumn pullover collection, these savvy Brit rockers got the floor moving with their exuberant performances, and frontman Alan Donohoe has the best angular, nerdy dance moves since Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club

Okkervil River
Will Sheff just might be the most atypically sexy performer alive. As frontman for Okkervil River, he brought to each song so much passion and angst and emotion, rolling over expansive melodies and closed-eye mic grinds, it nearly felt like each member of the crowd had been intimate with him by the end of the {screaming, sweaty, yet all-too-short} set. Musically, the band spins a unique blend of folk earnestness and indie-rock pathos with poignant lyrics, and Sheff's inimitable gravelly voice, which can murmur or howl with equal ferocity. This just might be what igLiz sees when she watches Conor Oberst. I barely made it into this show at the end of the final night (thank you, Heather Hydra!), but it easier was one of the most memorable and electrifying shows of the weekend.

Honorable Mentions (in alpha order):

The Black Angels {Jim Morrison meets Perry Farrell, if you can believe that.}

Camera Obscura {Lovely and precious as I ever imagined.}

Conner {Great new signee to local label Sonic Boom Recordings}

The Cops {Why is it so fun to see hometown bands play in Texas? I dunno, but it is!}

Morningwood {Audicious and crazy and maybe all the free Jack Daniels didn't hurt either},

The Pale Pacific {If I didn't already know of the splendor that is the Pale Pacific, this would have been *that* sxsw showcase... wandering into an under-attended showcase midday, not knowing what to expect... and being blown away. Knowing the Pale Pacific in no way dimished my joy at their too-short-but-oh-so-sweet set.}

The Pretenders {yes, OMG *The* Pretenders!!}

Schoolyard Heroes {If I'd caught more than just the last song, I'm sure they'd have made the top 10}

Smoosh {I can't believe how much more assured and talented they have become. And Asy announced that their next release in June would be on Barsuk Records (!!). The label declined comment, but smiled broadly when asked.}

Something for Rockets {Especially when USE's Noah jumped onstage like a sprite and joyously bounced alongside them}

Stars of Track and Field {Dreamy and swirly despite technical issues}

Sukpatch {They've mastered the synth driven, guitar pedaled, lo-fi psychedelic vocals line up in the vein of bands that they predate (specifically Grandaddy and The Postal Service). The intimate show was like a mid-evening siesta. The swirling keyboards with soothing guitar waves and whispery vocals rejuvenated the saucy crowd.}

Tullycraft {The Tullycraft-ers certainly made Seattle proud as they debuted four new songs to knock the knee high socks off pony-tailed girls across the globe. With their signature guitar hooky, harmonizing vocals and nimble lyrics, the set spanned the spectrum from cute to crack-up. They made the audience feel like they were having the Spring Break that popfest dreams are made of as the band members joked about their rockstar moves and rewarded the best dancing audience members with t-shirts. Surely, their set was the sprinkles on the cupcake of my SXSW experience. Thanks to Dan Machold for the amazing photos.}

Two Gallants {Oh how I love the Two Gallants' way of mixing Bright Eyes and the White Stripes into an authentic / original / religious experience.}

Totally Overrated (in alpha order):

The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster {blew their wad on the first song}, Battle {dull, uninspiring}, Sound Team {so forgettable I couldn't even remember their name}, Two Gallants {I know I'm gonna catch shit for that one, but perhaps my expectations were too high?}.

Other than the bands I had to miss because of double booking, I don't have any regrets. With 1,000+ bands to choose from and limited time, if I suspected something wasn't going to knock me off my feet, I headed next door. There was always something stellar 10 feet away, even if it was just a bathroom with no line.

Thank Yous:

SXSW 2006 would not have been the same without love, support, and cocktails from the following amazing people: BreEllen and April {you RULE, ladies!!!}, Marc at 1 Percent Promotions, Gabe, Cameron, Justin, and Greg {thank you, Cingular!}, Lindsey at V2 {those wristbands ruled!}, Chris the cab driver, the free JANE photo booth, mimosas as the Driskill, DJ Phil and DJ Mike, Heather Hydra, Noah and the USE crew, Derby, Barbara, Scott P. {your list was life-saving, and your company, even better!}, Jason {happy birthday!} and Nabil, the Slender Means van ride, Tes, Jackie, Sarah Q., Paul Tao and the Aversion fellas {and the terrible Las Maritas service}, and the taco stand behind Emos {Seattle totally needs one of those!!}. Woot! Woot!!!

Thanks to everyone for the unbelievably good time. I'm still detoxing from the fun! Too much fun gives you a swollen tongue and a head cold, right?

Read about some of their fave performances from SXSW 2006, including Okkervil River, Art Brut, The Rakes, Billy Bragg, the Long Winters, Galactic Heroes, Figurines, The Gossip, the Magic Numbers, and more. Viva le Austin!

Best of 2005 Winners' Showcase at Neumos!

three imaginary girls — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 08:00:00 +0000

Three Imaginary Girls, Sonic Boom Records, and KEXP present Daylight Basement, The Pale Pacific, Stars of Track and Field, and The Elephants. Friday night, January 20th, at Neumos in Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA, January 10, 2006 — Three Imaginary Girls just posted the results of our Best Northwest Releases of 2005 Readers' Poll. If you haven't read that yet, you might want to take a break from this article to check out all the winners...

Back? Good. Can you believe how many great records were released in the Northwest in 2005? It was such a great year for music that we couldn't just leave the results online. In typical imaginary fashion, we decided to celebrate by hosting a Best of 2005 Winners' Showcase, featuring some of the winners: Daylight Basement, The Pale Pacific, Stars of Track and Field, and The Elephants.

The event will be held at Neumos on Friday, January 20, 2005, and is co-sponsored by the amazing Sonic Boom Records and 90.3 KEXP.

Headliners Daylight Basement barely made the 2005 deadline, bursting on the scene in early December 2005 with their stunning electro-pop debut, Any Kind of Pretty to rank #13 in the readers' poll, and #2 in the overall imaginary staff picks. The Pale Pacific had two releases in 2005 — the Rules are Predictable EP and their full-length, Urgency — the latter of which secured them #19 in the imaginary readers' poll, and also demonstrated their ability to grow beyond simple (great) pop songs to write deep, swirling indie-rock near-manifestos. Portland's Stars of Track and Field raced up our charts with their debut EP You Came Here For Sunset Last Year, claiming the #5 spot with their fuzzy pop electro-gazer charms. And lastly, Tacoma trio The Elephants are here to break your hearts with their disarming, catchy-yet-irreverant melodies on their debut self-titled LP (#28 in the reader's poll).

"I like that all the bands share an I-5 heritage. We've got Portland, Tacoma, Seattle, and Bellingham all represented," noted igLiz.

"The quality and diversity of Northwest music — and the enthusiasm of the fans supporting it — is simply staggering," proclaimed igDana.

"Viva le I-5 corridor!" proclaimed igChar.

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Do your imaginary homework before the show...

Daylight Basement:
{official website} * {buy it} * {review} * {interview}

The Pale Pacific
{official website} * {buy it} * {review} * {interview}

Stars of Track and Field
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

The Elephants
{official website} * {buy it} * {review} * {interview}

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THE JUICY DETAILS
WHAT: Best of 2005 Winners' Showcase
WHERE: Neumos {925 E. Pike Street}
WHEN: Friday, January 20, 2005. Doors open 8p. 21+.
COST: $8. Advance tickets available online through Ticketweb!

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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 In Seattle Music), 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 SONIC BOOM RECORDS
Sonic Boom Records your source for Northwest and Indie Label Records and CDs. Located in Seattle in Ballard, Fremont, and Capitol Hill. Sonic Boom offers free, all-ages in-stores for many regional as well as touring bands. You can find the winners of the Best of 2005 Readers' Poll on display at all three Sonic Boom locations.

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Three Imaginary Girls, Sonic Boom Records, and KEXP present Daylight Basement, The Pale Pacific, Stars of Track and Field, and The Elephants.

Three Imaginary Girls Best Northwest Releases of 2005 Readers' Poll Results {20-11}

three imaginary girls — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 08:00:00 +0000

{50-41} * {40-31} * {30-21} * {20-11} * {10-1}
{top 100} * {imaginary picks}

#20 Math and Physics Club — Weekends Away/Movie Ending Romance EPs (Matinée)
Blending the equal parts Belle & Sebastian, Magnetic Fields, and The Lucksmiths, this Seattle band write songs to comfort the saddest of hearts, or skip with the gleeful. Without depending on depression-filled admissions or teenage angst, they tug at your heartstrings with their warm landscape of timeless melodies. {igLiz}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review} * {interview}

#19 The Pale Pacific — Urgency (Sidecho)
While changing their name to avoid a lawsuit, The Pale Pacific crafted a worthy successor to their 2002 masterpiece, Gravity Gets Things Done. Urgency is a much darker album, with denser instrumentation. "Identity Theft" — a tale of a father trying to enlist his son into a life of crime that shifts perspectives and tempo frequently — is one of the best pop songs of the year. Or any other year. {ChrisB}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review} * {interview}

#18 Schoolyard Heroes — Fantastic Wounds
(The Control Group)
Schoolyard Heroes' frontwoman Ryann Donnelly roars, soars, and frightens us in the best of ways with her astonishing vocals and her bold stage presence. Through 2005, she has led Schoolyard Heroes like a demonic prom queen through a frighteningly great release and a staggering number of off-the-hook live shows. {igDana}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

#17 New Pornographers — Twin Cinema (Matador)
While mucking with weird timing signatures and a diminished role for Neko Case, it would be easy to write off the latest from Vancouver's best pop band. Fortunately, Carl Newman understands the craft of pop songwriting better than anyone since Brian Wilson. The songs here are as catchy as those on their past releases, and the harmonies from singers Newman, Case, Dan Bejar and the Newest Pornographer Kathryn Calder (Newman's long-lost niece) are irresistible, too. {ChrisB}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

#16 The Purrs — The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of (Self-released)
The darkly tinged dour-rock of The Purrs has enamoured fans and DJs alike this year, with nearly unprecedented local radio support and opening spots for luminaries like The Wrens, The Heavenly States, and Voyager One. Their brand of acerbic guitars, inky vocals, and broody atomospherics and themes propelled The Dreams Our Stuff is Made Of to the top of the local rock pack. Meow! {igDana}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

#15 The Divorce — The Gifted Program (Made in Mexico)
It's a lot to ask, to follow up an album as brilliant as 2003's There Will Be Blood Tonight, but the Divorce has answered our cries with a release full of catchy guitars and confident vocals that become more addictive with each listen. They've not only grown in size (from a trio to a four-piece), but their more mature sound also combines our fave moments of the 80's and 90's into a glossy package worthy of a Spin cover in 2006. {igLiz}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

#14 Tea for Julie — Division
(Self-released)
This Portland, Oregon band wails and rocks straight through 13 tracks of swirly, poppy, heavy bliss. Their buoyant energy and surreal melodies mesh to form biting and experimental songs. Anglophiles will likely find this Britpop-roots debut especially captivating. {Stella}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

#13 Daylight Basement — Any Kind of Pretty (Self-released)
Daylight Basement blazed onto the field during the last minutes of 2005's 4th quarter with their game-winning, effervescent debut. Bre Loughlin come-hithers her way through jarring vocals, while new wave sugar-pop melodies muddle with murkier twinges of post-punk abrasion. And faux horns! Highly danceable, highly enjoyable, and highly recommended. {Stella}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review} * {interview}

#12 The Long Winters — Ultimatum (Barsuk)
The range of emotion found within the confines of this five-song EP follows suit with what we've come to expect from John Roderick, a guy who makes McSweeney's feel low-brow. With beautifully dancing layers of acoustic harmonies melted over intricate guitar arrangements, this immaculately produced release makes water taste like wine. {igLiz}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

#11 The Hot Rollers — Got Your Number
(Sweaty Betty)
More than just sassy garage rockers, this all-girl Seattle trio has up'd the Joan Jett ante with sixties flirts and L7 gut-punches. Their sound is, at once, cheeky, clever and crafty. We love good girls gone bad. Or are they bad girls, gone good? {igLiz}
{official website} * {buy it} * {review}

See all the winners in the TIG Best Northwest Releases of 2005 Readers' Poll (see winners #20-11 here).

Urgency

Travis Hay — Wed, 28 Dec 2005 08:00:00 +0000

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000A7Q1R4/wwwthreeimagi-20

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In a region with as much musical heritage as the Pacific Northwest there is bound to be the slightest bit of musical inbreeding. You know, groups borrowing from each other's sound or a guitarist performing double duty in two bands. These things are just bound to happen in such a rich musical atmosphere. So I wasn't surprised when a friend of mine described the new record from Northwest scene veterans The Pale Pacific as sounding like, "the perfect harmonious matching of Death Cab and The Shins."

Sure this was a bit of misguided, overblown hyperbole by a friend who is a massive Pale Pacific fanboy, but he was sort of close with his description. The four-piece group of Bellingham boys has all the ingredients to make it a solid contender for next Northwest band to make the major label leap. A singer who wears his heart on his sleeve? Check. Appealing songs that could be on a TV show or movie soundtrack? Check. Competent musicians that could carry a song well beyond your bedroom stereo and deep into your dreams? Check.

While I'm sure it takes more than just those things to make the big leap to a major, all of the above mentioned criteria are evident on Urgency, the latest album from the quartet formerly known simply as The Pale. Taken as a whole, Urgency is a magnificent specimen of how healthy the local scene is. The record is both whimsically serene and bustling with ambition. Taken out of context, on a single-track basis, it loses some of its oomph, but as a cohesive work this album shines.

The record gets off to a pleasant start with "In The Sun Pt. 2," a song that's anchored by a soft and steady drumbeat and mellow keys, and by the time the track is done (it lasts less than two minutes), you almost feel cheated out of what was shaping up to be a fantastic song. But you aren't really cheated, since the follow-up track "Sucker Punch" creates the record's setting of vitality and vulnerability, letting you know you're are listening to a record with tremendous potential.

The emotion in Gabe Archer's vocals combined with the solid guitar work of his cousin Cameron Nicklaus make The Pale Pacific one of the best kept secrets in the indie world. "Identity Theft's" up-tempo vibe and synthesized sounds fit perfectly near the album's middle while "You Parent's House" is possibly this year's best song to come from a Bellingham band.

And about that inbreeding mentioned earlier. Death Cab's jack-of-all-trades Chris Walla helped out with mixing some of the tracks, and the album's artwork was done by Jesse LeDoux, who has created covers for The Shins, Elliot Smith, and Hot Hot Heat. Also, Seattle's favorite house party band featuring a rapping drummer, United State of Electronica, helped out on a few songs. So yeah, there could be a little bit of inbreeding going on, but at least it's of the musical variety. After all, we're talking about the Northwest scene here, not some backwoods swamp land in the deep South.

The emotion in Gabe Archer's vocals combined with the solid guitar work of his cousin Cameron Nicklaus make The Pale Pacific one of the best kept secrets in the indie world.

TIG on KEXP for March 2005

three imaginary girls — Mon, 14 Mar 2005 08:00:00 +0000

Saturday March 5th, Three Imaginary Girls had another guest appearance on KEXP's local Northwest music show, Audioasis. Then igLiz went and got the flu and pneumonia two days before. Luckily, imaginary film and theater critic embracey was at the ready, filling in with his witty banter.

{Side note: this was the *worst night* in indie-rock history for Liz to be out-of-the-loop. Not only did she miss her KEXP appearance, but she also missed the CD release show for her favorite local band, Math and Physics Club. Such sadness, and totally not fair. Meh.}

Lisa Wood was as fabulous as ever, and we had a blast watching the live in-studio performance by the Cops. All in all a fabulous evening, and we're eagerly anticipating our next appearance on April 2nd!!

Here's our setlist, teeming with some of our favorite local imaginary tracks of the moment. If you want to hear the songs (and hear us prattle on with Lisa), click here to visit the KEXP Streaming Archive, and select March 5, 2005 at just after 7p to hear our set.

So without further ado, our setlist:

7:07 Kuma "Melodic Interlude"
TIG have been huge Kuma fans, and with the addition of a live drummer to their electronic sound, both their live and recorded work has grown exponentially. This song is from the up-coming debut full-length Fast Colliding. Get more details about the CD release show that TIG is sponsoring on April 15th.

7:11 Arkade "Ghosts That I Know"
Lujo Records' band Arkade just released the macabre The Story of Hiding. We like it. So we played this song. Pretty cool how that works...

7:16 Magneto "ISA"
We weren't sure how to pronounce the song title ("I.S.A."? "EE-sah"? "Aye-sah"?). But we sure do love this lush pop song by Magneto, from their latest release Sounds Like Space.

7:26 The Pale Pacific "Identity Theft"
From the forthcoming EP Rules Are Predictable on Sidecho Records, local imaginary favs the Pale emerge with a new moniker: the Pale Pacific. Apparently, there were already bands in Ireland and Germany named the Pale, so they had to change their name. After all, no indie-pop fan should rule out international stardom for these fellas. Their new EP releases in early April, and they've got a CD release show scheduled with Dolour, the Charity Stripe, and Crosstide at the Crocodile on April 2nd.

7:30 Daphne Loves Derby "Closing Down the Pattern Department"
Char found this band at the suggestion of her boss' teenager daughter. Daphne Loves Derby consists of teenagers from Kent. And they've already played South by Southwest. So ambitious! We can't believe we've never heard them before. This song is the title track from their Closing Down the Pattern Department EP. Learn it and love it; impress your teenaged friends (or your friend's teenagers).

7:34 Tennis Pro "Imaginary"
At the risk of sounding self-congratulatory... dude, it's SO COOL we have our first theme song! We've been hearing Tennis Pro play this one for about a year at their live shows, and we're beyond honored that "Imaginary" will appear on their next release, Cassie's Junior Varsity Make Out Squad on Cake Records. Thanks boys, xoxo from the phantom hotties.

7:43 Hafacat "Beautiful Amnesia"
Lisa Wood and all three imaginaries agree: we are all members of the Rachel Flotard fan club. Visqueen fans are gonna FREAK when they hear this track from Rachel and Ben's old band Hafacat, recorded back in 2000 with Barrett Jones. Thanks to Pete H. for this track!

Thanks for listening — more coming on April 2nd!

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Saturday March 5th, Three Imaginary Girls had another guest appearance on KEXP's local Northwest music show, Audioasis, featuring Magneto, Tennis Pro, Kuma, and more.

The Pale Pacific

three imaginary girls — Tue, 01 Mar 2005 08:00:00 +0000

Three Imaginary Girls sat down with Gabe Archer, Greg Swinehart, Cameron Nicklaus, of the Pale Pacific {formerly known as the Pale, the fellows who blessed us with Gravity Gets Things Done} to talk about their name elongation, their new release {the EP Rules are Predictable}, Justin Timberlake, and coffee.

TIG: Hi fellas! How are you?

GABE: So good...and you?

GREG: I'm great, now that 50 Cent and The Game have come to a truce. I was worried.

TIG: Us too! Although that still doesn't make up for a less than exciting new 50 Cent record... but let's not get into that. How do you take your coffee, and what are your favorite coffee haunts, locally?

GABE: Americano, cream and sugar. Macrina on Queen Anne has great coffee and oliveta rolls.

GREG: I like my coffee really, really thick... So thick that if you didn't add cream, you might die. So far, (I'm always on the lookout) Café Appassionato has served me more perfect Americanos than the rest of the coffee places in town.

TIG: So you are the Pale Pacific now. Why did you have to change your name?

CAMERON: I'll let Gabe field that one. He loves the drama.

GABE: I do love the drama. The short version: To avoid a copyright lawsuit. The medium version: Another band had the copyright — they bought it from a different band a few years ago — and it was creating some confusion. They were cool about it... they offered to sell us the copyright. But in the end it was easier to take a new name to avoid copyright troubles here and internationally, as there are a couple of bands in Europe called The Pale. So, we are now officially, the Pale Pacific. Tell your imaginary friends.

GREG: The other band was throwing a big show in their home town, but to promote it the Houston Chronicle did a story about us accidentally. Kind of lame for their hometown paper to do that to them, really. We got the Cease and Desist letter right after that, right before our five week summer tour. We obviously ignored it for the time being. Because that's how we roll.

TIG: How did you settle on 'The Pale Pacific'? What other names were in the running? What have reactions been like from your fans?

CAMERON: We thought about just 'Pacific' or 'The Pacific' and I liked those ideas, but we felt like this might help us maintain some name recognition. I've heard a couple people say they don't see why anyone would start calling us by our full name. That's pretty funny to me - we inadvertently found a loop-hole. Umm, I mean, 'The Pale Pacific' does not condone use of the name 'The Pale' in reference to our band etc. etc.

TIG: What are you doing with your 'The Pale' merch inventory?

CAMERON: Why? Are you guys interested? We'll make you a sweet deal...

GREG: Actually, it's all gone! I think there are a couple Gravity CD's still in the warehouse, so they'll probably have some sort of sticker on them for a little while. No big whoop.

TIG: Isn't this the first fresh new recording that you've done with your new label? Did the recording process differ at all this time around?

CAMERON: Yeah, a little different. I engineered again, and we borrowed a house out on Orcas Island for 21 days. It was beautiful, and pretty distraction free. Gabe and I took up jogging. At the end or our time there we played a show. By then the entire island (all 274 residents) was what I refer to as "abuzz" with the news.

GABE: We self-released Gravity almost two and a half years ago, but the national rerelease on SideCho is just over a year old. We were feeling a burden to not make folks around here wait any longer than we could help. So we're pretty darn excited to release the EP Rules Are Predictable now and the full-length Urgency this summer. At the end of our time on Orcas we had 15 songs to choose from and when we finished picking the song order for the two new albums Rules ended up being a satisfying bridge between Gravity and Urgency.

GREG: I loved that when we recorded Gravity in our practice space, virtually no one outside of Bellingham knew who we were. There was a certain amount of insulation there, as well as motivation that nothing would happen unless we recorded some really hot jams. That's why Gravity turned out to be so hit oriented... Most every song stands pretty well on its own. This time, we wanted the same kind of insulation but we turned the focus toward the record as a whole, rather than the individual songs. I'm SO excited about the new corners our record goes to.

TIG: Why did you sign with SideCho? What did they offer that made them the best choice for you?

CAMERON: They just seemed more excited about our music than anyone else.

GABE: After we released Gravity Gets Things Done and things were going well locally the one missing piece was getting it distributed nationally. SideCho seemed liked the best step forward that we could take without things getting so big that they were out of our control.

TIG: You've surely experienced a lot since Gravity Gets Things Done. Have there been any specific experiences that have influenced the sound or direction of your latest release?

CAMERON: For me personally, as the number of people interested in what we are doing grows, my sense of responsibility toward those people grows. We've also had opportunities to play with amazing bands and that is very creatively inspiring. I love watching a band and thinking, "I wish I wrote that song".

GABE: Lyrically, Gravity was a pretty personal record for me. With Rules and Urgency I was really looking forward to writing lyrics that I identified with but that weren't so personal. My plan wasn't much more specific than that, but the songs, for the most part, ended up being about a family and the things that unravel them.

GREG: I think the cabin we recorded in set a big tone. You can hear the house noises all over the album, like the wood burning stove to keep us warm or the dude making tea in the kitchen. I'm an enormous fan of Damien Jurado's Ghost of David, so those house-like noises sounded more than perfect to me!

TIG: What are you listening to right now, locally and otherwise?

CAMERON: Lali Puna, John Vanderslice, leaked Ben Folds (shh), The Long Winters, Neo, Thee More Shallows, Idiot Pilot, Snow Patrol, U.S.E., Careen, Stereo Drive, and Fight For Change (the last two are bands I'm currently engineering for), KEXP, NPR. There are a couple more, but I'd need to consult my car visor...

GABE: My list would include everything Cameron mentioned and I would add Beck [Guero] and the sequestered Fiona Apple record [Extraordinary Machine]. Locally, it's The Catch, Dolour, The Divorce, The Charity Stripe, and Rocky Votolato.

GREG: I'm so excited about Seattle music right now. There's the obvious ones... the USE/Wonderful/Catch crew. I love Aqueduct. But I'm especially excited about the sneaky new crew... Luke Temple, Wesafari, Racetrack, Mercir, among many others... They're all about to take over, which is so rad. Portland is going crazy right now. Menomena, Derby, Tea For Julie... so, so good! Outside of the Northwest, I love the doves. I LOVE DOVES. And I'm ALWAYS ready to listen to Lionel Ritchie's Back To Front. Anytime. You know where to find me.

TIG: What do you listen to in the van?

CAMERON: Greg's i-pod or Greg's computer. He always has the latest thing we NEED to hear. Oh yes, and we listen to Justin complain. Man, that guy is a whiner.

GABE: Yeah, that Justin is such a chatterbox.

GREG: We listen to a lot of comedy on the road. It breaks up the drives quite a bit.

TIG: Who's the driver of the crew?

CAMERON: We share equally. We take turns alphabetically, but somehow still get confused about whose name should come next?

GABE: It's sad how confused we are by that system.

GREG: We've threatened to do it by the Dewey decimal system, since the abc's don't seem to be working.

TIG: Speaking of driving around and touring, what are your tour plans upon release of the record?

CAMERON: We're going cross-country in May and hopefully again in July or so.

GABE: For the tour in May we're meeting up with Starflyer 59 for the east coast leg of the tour and we're planning to meet up with our friends Careen [from Portland] for the west coast shows.

TIG: Of the four of you, who's the Justin Timberlake? Who's the Colin Farrell?

CAMERON: Greg, Justin... respectively.

GABE: I don't know about that. I think Colin Farrell and his ego would be more suited for a solo project. I think Justin is more like a Brad Pitt.

GREG: I do usually sing in falsetto.

TIG: Last question: TIG jokes that we'll know we've "made it" when we're mentioned in both NME and Jane magazines. What was the Pale's criteria for "making it"? And now, what's the same measure of success for the Pale Pacific?

CAMERON: Gabe has always said, "When I hear one of my song as muzak in an elevator I'll know we've made it". I hate this, but I think I associate our financial situation with our "success" (in this case we're pretty unsuccessful). It felt validating to be reviewed in Rolling Stone and to get a mention in Spin.

GABE: Yeah... I don't know about that one anymore. I might just be annoyed by us if a trombone and a flute were taking turns playing the vocal melodies of our songs. Although, I guess it still seems like it would be pretty cool to hear your song in an elevator. I think doing a couple national tours felt great. Now I can't feel like we just stayed tucked away in our basement playing music for friends who would be there even if they didn't like our music. I know this will sound super idealistic which runs the risk of sounding phony in an interview — but I think we've always fought to make records that were the best that we knew how to make them so that we've had the confidence to stand behind those songs. That feels like making it to me.

GREG: Getting our records in stores across the country was really big for me — that's been my goal for us for so long. I also can't believe we're getting interviewed by the Imaginary Crew! You've been the best to everyone in the Seattle music scene!! We really can't thank you enough.!!!!!

TIG: Awwee... thank YOU! You guys are nummier than a Top Pot double chocolate doughnut!

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Three Imaginary Girls sat down with Gabe Archer, Greg Swinehart, Cameron Nicklaus, of the Pale Pacific {formerly known as the Pale, the fellows who blessed us with Gravity Gets Things Done} to talk about their name elongation, their new release {the EP Rules are Predictable}, Justin Timberlake, and coffee.