Three Imaginary Girls - The Flaming Lips

Photoessay: day three of Sasquatch! at the Gorge

imaginary victoria — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 15:27:46 +0000

Sunday morning's installment of the Sasquatch! music festival found us with smiling, weary eyes and happy tired feet from all the blissing-out (two posts' worth!), which worked out perfectly with the grey sky vibe and our first sets of the day. The alt.folk.traditional-yet-bizarre sounds of Cotton Jones began the trip for us on the small (Yeti) stage, and their sounds bled nicely into the warm, longing big-guitar melody of the Moondoggies on the Bigfoot stage. Bursts of sun came through just in time for the straightforward rock of Black Joe Lewis, who lifted us up perfectly to take on a dusk set from Gayngs and a mindmelting mainstage show from the Flaming Lips.

Photos below!

Sneak peek: our picks for mind-melters at Sasquatch 2011

imaginary victoria — Mon, 16 May 2011 15:48:04 +0000

It's high time we started scouring the schedule and getting that backlog of laundry done -- because this year's Sasquatch festival up at the Gorge is upon us, and we'll be heading up there for the long Memorial Day weekend (including Friday) to report back the best of what's good. Here's a blow-by-blow of what's really blasting some emotional sunshine into the damp, grey corners of our Seattle springtime:

Monday's main stage shows are going to kick serious ass. Starting with the finish line: the day will wrap up with a full frontal dose of Wilco on a stage warmed up by the Decemberists, a win-win for a variety of tastes. Prior to that, the throwback sounds of Best Coast will be assaulting us from the Yeti stage, and before that we'll shoot over to the Bigfoot stage to catch the sweet, smiling-but-melancholy sounds of Stornoway. All this and a bag of goodies after starting off our morning (at 1pm) with the Young Evils, and the first appearance at the main stage for the day to catch Mr. Miller and the rest of the Old 97's. Monday will be full of big guitars, upbeat jangle-pop, swoontastic harmonies, and hopefully, lots and lots of sunshine to go along with the vibe.

The 2011 Sasquatch bill is un-frack-withable

imaginary liz — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:28:28 +0000

{Sasquatch photo by asclepius6 from the Imaginary Flickr Photo Pool}

Do you hear that?

It is the sound of folks feverishly tweeting and posting about the amazing #Sasquatch line-up just announced. After weeks (who are we kidding, months!) of mathematically calculating probabilities based on tour schedules and record release dates, we finally have a firm answer of who's going to be at the Gorge this Memorial Day weekend, as well as explanations as to why certain folks don't have a Seattle tour date in the next few months.

Not to sound like everyone else every other year, but this year's line-up has left me speechless. The Sasquatch folks have brought together the best of the best of the best (except Allo Darlin, which I'm guessing will be begged to participate next year) to celebrate their 10th Anniversary. I mean Wilco, Bright Eyes, Matt & Kim, The Radio Dept., The Thermals, Stornoway, and The Young Evils!?!?!? You're killing me!!!

Are you headed that way? Who are you most excited about (mine bolded below)? Anyone else you think is going to be added to the bill before we pack up our roadtrip munchies and head Quincy, WA way?

Win tickets to see the Flaming Lips at the Paramount {9/27}

imaginary victoria — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:44:30 +0000

Can you say rOctober, anyone? We can!

Here in imaginary-land we've been prefunking fall tour since laying eyes on Bumbershoot a few weeks back, sending lucky ticket winners to everything from Cobirds Unite to Pavement to Matt and Kim. And to help keep easin' that weather transition on down the road, we want to send you to another free show! As of right this very instant, we've got not one, but two pairs of tickets to give away for the Flaming Lips show this coming Monday, September 27th.

Two. Two pairs! So what are you waiting for? Enter to win! Tell all your friends! Tell them twice! Open a new tab right this instant and send an email off to tig@threeimaginarygirls, and let us know why we should send you to the show. Act quickly, because we'll need your entry by 5pm tomorrow -- that's 5pm on Thursday, September 23rd.

(Be sure to use the subject line PuttingAllTheVegetablesAway so that we know that it's you.)

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

The Flaming Lips light up Marymoor Park

Imaginary Shrie — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 21:16:36 +0000

21 Aug 2009

lips1.jpg

The Flaming Lips are a piece of the beginning of a very long musical story for me. Country girl moves to city, meets guy in Tripping Daisy shirt, gets musical education and learns some hard lessons about life. That Tripping Daisy guy brought over the Soft Bulletin record, and my life really was never the same again. I can recount many nights spent with my best friend in my Camaro, seats laid back all the way, smoking a joint and marveling over Soft Bulletin or Clouds Taste Metallic. I've spent all these years pining for the Flaming Lips, embracing all their weird projects (hi Zaireeka) and geeking out on each release they put out. Finally seeing them perform, and in a venue so beautiful and comfy as Marymoor Park, was the culmination of all those years of anticipation.

Stardeath & White Dwarfs, the opener, is an Oklahoma band as well and the lead singer just happens to be Wayne Coyne's nephew Dennis. I give absolute props to them on the fact that they opened their set with "Sweet Loaf" from the Butthole Surfers. That song set the tone for the rest of the set, swirling psychedelia punctuated by seizure-inducing disco light flashes. The raspy-voiced Dennis sported nifty white jumper pants with suspenders, channeling classic rock mainstays like Black Sabbath or Pink Floyd, with a sprinkle of the weirdness of Can. Topping off their set was an overly dramatic and bro-rocky cover of Madonna's "Borderline", which would have probably been better left to queen of pop herself.

Wayne and the crew were busy little bees onstage setting up for the show, so I thought I had time for a beer garden run. Unfortunately (uggh!) I missed the opening but I DO know that there was a naked lady on the huge video screen towards the back of the stage. The camera proceeded to zoom in on her as she was about to give birth, and then suddenly the screen opened up and the band walked through her vagina onto the stage. Talk about an introduction!

"Race for the Prize" off the lauded Soft Bulletin started their set, soft and delicate. True to form, Wayne was onstage jumping around frenetically waving streamers in his hands, signalling the release of the shower of confetti and large balloons that traditionally mark the beginning of their shows. Life-sized bunnies were dancing madly side stage (previous shows have included teletubbies in their place), and right on queue for the third song "Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" a huge gorilla lifted Wayne up on his shoulders and walked around while Wayne shouted the lyrics through a megaphone. The wacky display was sensory-overload and an integral component to hearing their songs live. The Lips' live show is a visual representation of how the music sounds on record. The cacophonous events that happened onstage served as an extension of the normal senses that we use to enjoy music, and that's why I love this band so damn much.

Wayne Coyne is an excellent front man; energetic and charming, and a true showman. He's a fan of the empowering fist pump, and most of the show found him singing while emphatically holding his fist in the air. Throughout the show he expressed thoughts of encouragement and positive-thinking and introduced "Bad Days" (the only song they played off Clouds Taste Metallic) as a song "about the ability of the power of your mind to dream a little bit and make it all a little bit better". They even played their own somber, yet beautiful, version of "Taps" and encouraged people to hold their peace signs in the air, saying that the band had vowed to play this song everyday "until the war fucking ends".

The new material that they played from their upcoming release Embryonic, like "Convinced of the Hex", was almost a bit of return to form for them, more psychedelic, slower and sludgier. The stage was foggy and atmospheric for most of the last half of the set, the antics onstage getting odder as the songs went on. "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots" was a crowd-pleaser of course, eliciting a lot of singing and swaying from the audience. During "Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung", a moody song in it's own right, the red and white light show extended to light up all the trees surrounding the venue, creating an arena-like feel around the crowd. It was strangely beautiful and a perfect accompaniment to the transcendence of that particular song.

The last song before their encore, which they preempted with "Come on guys, we're just going to go off now for a second", was their biggest single to date "She Don't Use Jelly". A TV clip from "The John Stewart Show" (where they played the song in '94) was played on the big screen behind the band as an introduction to the song. Even the most jaded Flaming Lips fan couldn't resist the bombastic drums and off-kilter energy of the song, the crowd escalated into a joyous uproar. After a brief walk-off and the subsequent cheering (they were filming that night) the whole band returned for one last go-round with "Do You Realize?". It was drawn out and sweet and a very apt ending to a sonically and visually astounding night.

I can't help but mention my disappointment in the lack of songs from Transmissions From A Satellite Heart, Clouds Taste Metallic and Soft Bulletin. But they WERE touring in support of a new record, one which sounds promising, surreal and as ever-evolving as the rest of their magnificent catalog. Wayne Coyne was God, and his band the disciples as they marched through the set, enticing the crowd to love them. It would take a cold harsh heart not to feel the swell of promise, joy and love that exude from one of their performances. So be jealous if you weren't there... because that jealousy is TOTALLY warranted.

Monday morning check-in: Flaming Lips or an International Pop Overthrow

imaginary liz — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:31:48 +0000

We're counting down to Bumbershoot - but that hasn't stopped the weekends full of shows leading up to the big Labor Day fest.

Imaginary Shrie saw the Flaming Lips {words and photos to be posted soon!}, and {one of my favorites} No-Fi Soul Rebellion was at the Sunset... what did you do to mark Friday, Saturday and Sunday?

Thanks to nlarzalere for the Photo of the Day, a fab Flaming Lips photo in the Flickr Photo Pool!

Recommended show: The Flaming Lips at Marymoor Park this Friday, August 21st

Imaginary Shrie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:34:14 +0000

I would be really really upset if I lived my whole fabulous life and never took the opportunity to see The Flaming Lips. From those early psychadelic garage-rock days to the immaculately produced and executed work of the last few years, they are a constant wonderment to me. Not only are their albums some of the most noted in indie rock, but the down-to-earthness of their personalities (as seen through the phenomeal docu-realness Fearless Freaks) and their continued sonic genius make them hard to put down.

A perfect venue for a near-perfect band, I'm positive that Marymoor Park will help put The Lips' best foot forward on Friday night (August 21st). I'm excited to experience their antics, be they Hatorade for the Arcade Fire or the NEW King of Pop outfitted in a fetching dolphin suit, I'll be there to soak it all up.

Win tickets to see The Flaming Lips

ChrisB — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:35:20 +0000

As someone who has yet to see The Flaming Lips live, I get kind of tired of hearing accounts from my friends of how transcendent their shows are. I assure you this fatigue stems entirely from jealousy.

Enough about me, though, because you could care less about my pettiness and we have more important things to discuss. We have a pair of tickets to give away to a (very) lucky reader. The drill is that you need to send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com sometime prior to 9am on August 3rd with "FlamingLips" (all one word) in the subject line. The winner will, of course, be notified shortly thereafter to give you plenty of time before the August 21 show at Marymoor Park to brag to your neighbors, coworkers, postmen and women, et al.

What will The Flaming Lips show entail? Dancing Justin Timberlakes in dolphin costumes? Shit-talk about The Arcade Fire?

Schmindie News Roundup

ChrisB — Tue, 05 May 2009 15:31:14 +0000

Judging by how fast tickets for The Shins' and Iron and Wine's two night stands sold out, everyone loves their schmindie. So, as a public service announcement, I'm compiling some schmindie-related news stories in one neat post.

P4K Fest adds Lips to “Write the Night: Set Lists By Request" closer

Imaginary Shrie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:51:35 +0000

As if Yo La Tengo, Built to Spill, Jesus Lizard and Tortoise weren't enough.. the brilliant minds (or not so) behind the lauded Pitchfork Music Festival have added the infamous Flaming Lips to the Sunday ender show, "Write the Night: Set Lists By Request". Ticketholders will be emailed a link to a website in which they can vote on which song they'd like to be played by each band.

Setlist decided by audience!!! ("Kim's Watermelon Gun", "When You Smile", "A Spoonful Weighs A Ton"! I can't decide.)

Indie-Rock Thunderdome: The Flaming Lips vs. The Arcade Fire

Cory Banks — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:52:08 +0000

It's a war of words between Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips and Win Butler of The Arcade Fire. Who wins? Gossip fans like us.

Kyle Johnson's Top Ten Live Music Photos of 2008 {taken by fellow Seattle photographers}

Kyle Johnson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:44:51 +0000

Seattle has some of the most picturesque vistas (most of which are found within local clubs like Chop Suey and the Comet Tavern). It's no surprise that TIG photographer Kyle Johnson has a stack of photos he loves that have been taken by some of Seattle's finest photographers.

Kyle Johnson's Top Ten Live Music Photos of 2008

Kyle Johnson — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:05:43 +0000

TIG photographer Kyle Johnson has been quite busy this year. Taking the impeccable press and editorial photos as well as covering shows and festivals for TIG, Kyle has amassed a great portfolio for 2008.

Here's a recap of his personal favs from the past year.

The Flaming Lips go mega-deluxe

Imaginary Shrie — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 19:58:35 +0000

The Flaming Lips never surprise me, but always amaze me. That kooky shaggy-haired cutie Wayne Coyne has a bag of goodies for us... the long awaited "Christmas on Mars" is finally here!

Free tickets to Sasquatch: How big is your stomach?

Tim Hanken — Mon, 19 May 2008 16:26:40 +0000

I don't know a lot of details as to how an event of this magnitude will go down, but I do know that there are some free tickets at play, most likely for lucky guy or gal who can funnel massive amounts of sugar and pastry down their gullets at an incredible rate.

Favorite overplayed rock songs

Jon Harthun — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 19:52:23 +0000

Sometimes the mainstream can't be taken for granted.

Kyle Johnson's Top Ten Local Live Music Photos of 07

Kyle Johnson — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 15:42:26 +0000

2007 was the first year I really got into shooting live music. Its a great form of photography that you cannot fully apreciate until you have shot it. Every show is a challenge. You often cannot be sure of how much time you will have, lighting conditions, how many other photographers are shooting, where you will be able to shoot from, etc.

That being said, I have seen countless amazing Live shots from our talented NW Photogs. I decided to include five shots from other photographers and five of my personal favorites I shot from the past year. Aww the memories. In no particular order...

New releases for the week, from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 20:53:25 +0000

SO MUCH GOOD MUSIC THIS WEEK!

The Wackiest Cover Songs on the Web

imaginary char — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 16:18:13 +0000

Blender.com has released their list of the "Wackiest Cover Songs on the Web".

New releases for the week, from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 14:58:09 +0000

Loads of new releases, including Tiny Vipers, John Vanderslice, Tegan and Sarah, and many more.