Three Imaginary Girls - Jon Auer

Recommended Show: Jon Auer Acoustic in Volterra's Drawing Room {12/21}

Imaginary Amie — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 21:13:54 +0000

Dear lovers of The Posies and Jon Auer's brilliant solo tunes - I have the perfect holiday gift idea for you! On Wednesday, December 21, Mr. Auer will be singing and playing an acoustic show at Volterra in their cozy, private Drawing Room. This intimate concert only has 60 tickets available, and there are two levels of Auer-esque bliss:

$30 gets you a seat
$100 gets you reserved seating, + a meet-and-greet with Jon before the show, with light appetizers & wine courtesy of Volterra! A portion of these VIP tickets will benefit SIFF too - AWESOME.

(I know which pair of tickets I'd like to recieve!!)

It's no secret that I'm a huge Posies fan - and I've sung my heart out to many a Jon solo show over the years, because THIS GUY IS THE BOMB. Plus, DJ Marco Collins is going to spin some tunes for guests before Jon takes the stage!!! And Volterra is one of my favorite places to eat and drink at. I can't think of a better way to ring in the holidays, can you?

Holiday Acoustic Show with Jon Auer
Volterra Drawing Room
DJ Set by Marco Collins
Wednesday, 12/21 @7:30pm
GA: $30, VIP: $100 | Tix available at brownpapertickets.com
All ages | Cash bar w/ID

Recommended show: Seattle Rock Orchestra does Radiohead at the Moore {2/19}

imaginary victoria — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:11:34 +0000

Okay. We know Saturday's Seattle Rock Orchestra show isn't just about Rachel Flotard, but she's just so damn fantastic (as this picture by the amazing Christopher Nelson shows) that we can't ever resist a chance to mention her.

The lovely Ms. Flotard, along with The Seattle Rock Orchestra, Jon Auer, Joshua Morrison, Kaylee Cole, and a veritable star-studded cast of local musicians will be performing a tribute-y evening around Radiohead's The Bends and OK Computer this weekend. The show takes place Saturday (February 19th) at the Moore Theater, and if you're not swooning the night away out at Columbia City Theater, you'd best come and get yourself a seat.

That's about all we need to say about it, n'est ce pas? We'll see you there.

Imaginary Interview: Radio8Ball

ChrisB — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:47:07 +0000

“Synchronicity is the star of Radio8Ball” was what the program’s host, a musician and actor named Andras Jones, declared when I saw his program at the Little Red Studio a few weeks ago.

The idea behind Radio8Ball is that audience members write down questions that they are pondering and several are drawn randomly throughout the course of the evening. Jones discusses the question with the audience member and then a wheel is spun, and will land on a number that corresponds with a song by the show’s musical guest, who will then perform the song and Jones, the audience member and the artist will discuss how the song answers the question that the audience member was thinking about.

It’s a really amazing show that is carried by Jones’ charisma and intelligence, as well as the musical guests who appear on the show. The next episodes of Radio8Ball feature the Radio8Band (which is discussed below) and We Are Golden, on August 26 and September 2, respectively. There will also be a performance of Radio8Ball at Bumbershoot on Monday, September 7 (at Theater Puget Sound at 4:45pm). I spoke with Andras Jones, as well as Radio8Ball band member and frequent returning champion Jon Auer (who I have, full disclosure, known as a friend for several years), as well as Radio8Ball sponsor Dibspace’s founder Dominic Canterbury over drinks at Liberty Bar on Capitol Hill last week.

When I was at the Radio8Ball show about six weeks ago, you said that the star of the show is synchronicity. What do you mean by that?

Andras Jones: It’s really the star of the show is the format of the show. You ask me a question and then doing something that randomly selects some piece of pop culture, in our case we use music to answer that question. When you engage the synchronicity with the question synchronizes with the song and everyone in the room is paying attention to the synchronization that happens. I say it during the show that synchronicity is not something that is happening sometimes, it’s happening all the time, it’s just sometimes we notice it. There’s something about this game and asking questions and picking things at random and seeing how they connect. The more people who are in the room and the more attention there is, the more that happens. It’s pretty cool on the radio and it’s really cool in a room full of people.

Your run of shows at Little Red Studio is nearing its end and then you’ll move to Theater Off Jackson in the International District. Will that be right after Bumbershoot?

AJ: No, we’re doing Bumbershoot on September 7, with the Radio8Band and then we do two more shows at Little Red and those will be great. They’re with Jes Raymond and The Moore Brothers. The Moore Brothers are San Francisco guys and they’re awesome. There is also the show on the 26th, which is next week with the Radio8Band and then the next week, on September 2, we have We Are Golden with Sarah Rudinoff, who is also playing with the Radio8Band at Bumbershoot.

The Radio8Band, who I’ll talk about now, features Jon Auer from The Posies and Big Star and who is with us here; and Scott Taylor, who is sort of my secret weapon from Olympia and is a left-handed genius boy but has great harmonies, a singer, multi-instrumentalist, and our drummer is Chad Austinson (from the band Congratulations). They play songs that have been performed on Radio8Ball in the past. They are a cover band that is performing only songs by the other indie songwriters who have played on the show. They’ll be covering songs by people like Bart Davenport, Rachel Ries, Ian Moore.

Jon Auer: Michael Jackson.

AJ: He was awesome on Radio8Ball.

JA: He was really into synchronicity. The Police record.

AJ: Actually, I would love to hear a Michael Jackson version of the song “Synchronicity [II]”.

JA: Right, with him singing that line “packed like lemmings into shiny, metal boxes” in an Off the Wall falsetto. Don’t stop until you get enough on that one, right?

AJ: That’s why Jon Auer is a perfect artist for Radio8Ball, because his mind is so rampant and encyclopedic. That’s one of the factors that ends up playing out stage when he’s the artist. The artist changes the vibe of the show, so when the synchronicity is the star, the other star is the artist. It’s a very interesting showcase for the artist to perform in because they get paid attention to and they really set the tone for the whole show. Jon, the first time you were on the show, you didn’t really know what you were in for. You had seen it, but what was the experience?

JA: It was a couple of years ago. At this point, I have a pretty long-standing history with Radio8Ball and I heard about it through the grapevine and there was a nice little piece in The Stranger a couple years back. It was back when you were at the Capitol Hill Arts Center and it just sounded very intriguing. My motivation for doing it was out of a) it was something different to do and it was something in my career that I hadn’t done before and b) it sounded like a fun idea. I wasn’t quite prepared for how addictive it was to have one of the lyrics to one of your songs used for an interpretation to a question to the universe, if you will. That was a really cool jolt and I got hooked on it. It started as a fun thing and I recognized the whole synchronicity but it was something I just wanted to do. How many times have I done it?

AJ: Twice at the Capitol Hill Arts Center, once in LA, once at The Triple Door. Actually, I think it’s three times at Capitol Hill Arts Center, so it’s five times you’ve done the show. Plus, you’ve been on the radio a bunch, including down in Olympia when I was on KAOS. You and Andrea Wittgens, and you’ve done more shows than her, have been the two artists that have been on the show the most.

JA: The funny thing is that my initial approach was, I’m a believer in synchronicity, but I think I come to the show more as the guy making a snide commentary about synchronicity - but I will say that when it does happen and it does occur, it is pretty hard to dismiss. When that person asked that one question and somehow and spun the wheel and it lands on what could seemingly be the only answer for that song. That’s the moment I’m a believer, but I do have a lot of fun with it because I can provide a foil for someone like Andras.

Speaking of stars of the show, one of the big reasons I’m involved with it is because I like Andras Jones. Beyond as a performer, he does this because he loves it. He wasn’t doing on the radio on KAOS all those years because it was about making millions of dollars. He does it because he believes in it and has kept it alive through all of these incarnations. I am an Andras Jones fan as well.

When I was at the Little Red Studio for your show a few weeks ago, I noticed that people are really listening closely to the songs. It’s not normally how I listen to a song for the first time. I listen for a chorus or a hook, but here, people are listening intently for meanings in all of the verses.

AJ: I will say that one of the things that really inspired the show was being a frustrated singer-songwriter who went out, and unless you went out and happened to be playing at Largo (a famous LA club known for being completely silent when performers are on stage)… well, I remember going to see very successful artists playing in really cool venues and there will be people as loud as this room is right now. I don’t know what drove me crazier when they were doing it during my show or at a show that I really wanted to listen to. We’re doing it as a way to force people in a way that they don’t feel like they’re being forced. You don’t have to yell at them, you don’t have to be like Largo and hold a stick and say “you’re not going to talk”. It’s not even out of respect for the artist, it’s because they are interested. People ask questions like “is my relationship going to work?” and you can see that people really want to know the answer. It’s like talking during a therapy session, you just don’t do it. You’re really right there. To me, that’s my favorite part of the show, where the audience sits there and listens to an artist like Jon Auer and Raina Rose. Even an artist like Jon, who people pay attention to and listen to all the time, it’s just a different thing. People are hanging on every word. I believe every songwriter deserves a good listening and they really sound better when you’re paying attention.

Let’s talk about Dibspace, because Dominic is here with us, too. When I was at that show, you mentioned that you were looking for sponsors and was that how you found Dominic and Dibspace?

AJ: Yeah, pretty much. To me, this is the most fun kind of the sponsor. Everyone wants to make money and I’m a big fan of US currency but this is just so much more fun. He’s inventing his own money and has a system for delivering it in a way that really works. One of the Sacred Ushers of the show said I had to check it out and I thought it was going to be a weird “hippy dippy” thing, but I went and checked it out and found that everything I could need to make a movie or TV show, I could make here. What there isn’t, I could fill in. We met here, at Liberty Bar, and pitched the idea to Dominic as using Dibspace to create a show for no money. It’s a great advertising method. It ultimately creates a DibSpace economy.

Dominic Canterbury: What Andras presented to me was this idea of bringing in the music community and production community, a creative community and rather than have them sitting around with nothing to do with their time, have them start to collaborating with them. If we could get them to use this currency, they could start trading with each other for their own project. You could have a musician hiring other musicians and a recording studio, but using an alternative currency.

What Andras pitched to me that got me excited was the idea of reenergizing the music community. Right now, they are lagging because US dollars are kind of scarce right now, but we are enabling them to work with one another in getting this whole community on board here. It’s all outside of the US dollars.

AJ: Plus, I promised I could get Andy Dick (on Radio8Ball).

Have you?

AJ: Well, yes and no. He’s an old, old friend of mine and has been on the radio show many, many times.

We’re adding this section which is a celebrity Skype segment and the technology is there to do it super-cheap. We’re going to have Andy Dick on his computer Skype in and ask a question and show him on the wall and he picks a number between one and eight and that starts off the second act. So, at [this] week’s show, we’re going to test it with Dominic Skype-ing in and asking a question. By the end of run at Little Red, I really want to have Andy Dick as part of it, because he’s a dirty whore, in the best way.

JA: Andras is an “idea man”. He’s always had these ideas and has been able to put them together. “Celebrity Skype”? What a great idea, and the first I’ve heard of it.

Where did the idea for Radio8Band come about? Who said “why don’t you cover songs that have been on Radio8Ball before?

AJ: Honestly, it’s because this guy, Scott Taylor, we have this band called My Brave Face.

JA: You know the My Brave Face thing, right? [Andras] plays Elvis Costello and Scott plays Paul McCartney.

AJ: We do all of the songs that Elvis and Paul wrote together. We do them as if Paul had joined the Attractions, they had kicked Bruce Thomas out, and had gone out and toured with those songs. It’s the thing he would do now, but before he figured out he could tour with Burt Bacharach or Allen Toussaint. I’m really bad about figuring out songs, but I wanted to learn the songs that are played on the show as a way of getting to figure out the songs.

It became clear that that became an idea in Radio8Ball, but it didn’t make sense to have me singing it. So we brought in someone like Jon, who it may be hard to get the same excitement because, for example, I think (Jon’s song) “Six Feet Under” has come up in every show. I love interpreting it each time, but to put Jon in a different situation, to learn these different songs. Plus, “Six Feet Under” may come up again because it’s in the setlist. By the way, do you remember when it came up last time? At The Triple Door?

There was a little girl who was nervous about her first day of school and she was moving to a new school, from preschool to kindergarten.

JA: Oh yeah. That came up and I was like “do we have to?”

AJ: Those are the amazing moments.

JA: There was another moment that I want to relate. We were on the radio, was it on KAOS in Olympia? I posted on one of my websites that I was doing it and one of my fans from Iowa got online and streamed it. She was one of the people who called in. I had a song called “Josephine” and she called in to ask, because she was pregnant, and she called in to ask if she should keep the baby. The answer to her question was my song “Josephine”, which was a song I wrote about how my father was given up for adoption at the age of six months and didn’t know her and she died before he ever got to meet her. This was the answer to question. That was the thanks she got for taking the effort to stream the show and call in.

But I do still know her and she ended up having the baby and everything was fine. It proves that that even though it’s about synchronicity, it’s also about looking at life in a different way. It could be a catalyst for any way that you want to take it. That’s why I like it.

AJ: Both of these things are things that I really love about the format. It possibly goes towards the truth that may be difficult to look at. If week keep it light enough and fun enough, you can go…if I remember about “Josephine,” that was about the fears and thoughts and concerns that she was having. It doesn’t always say “this is how it’s going to go” but it says this is what you’re thinking and all of a sudden you’re going to hear it in a song, and it’s beautiful. Your own voice in your head could be horrible, but the synchronicity is finding yourself in somebody else’s songs. It ends up being a place where you can hear some scary stuff without it being that scary.

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“Synchronicity is the star of Radio8Ball” was what the program’s host, a musician and actor named Andras Jones, declared when I saw his program at the Little Red Studio a few weeks ago.

Photo Essay: April, so far...

laura musselman — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:23:49 +0000

1 Apr 2009

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So far April's been squaring up as a great month for rock and roll in Seattle. I've been so busy, I've barely had time to catch my breath over the past two weeks, and it's not slowing up any time soon. April 1st, the Tractor hosted Wes & Eugene's Cabinet of Wonders, a showcase of music and comedy featuring John Wesley Harding, Jon Auer, Thee Sergeant Major III, John Roderick, and Eugene Mirman. Eugene dipped into some past bits from his visit to Seattle last year for SP20, Harding played songs from his new record Who was Changed and Who was Dead, and Roderick read an excerpt from his journals during his long walk from London to Istanbul in 1999.

A week later at the Crocodile, I was fortunate enough to attend Kim Warnick's 50th birthday party. Kim's such an inspiration, such an important part of what the music scene was and is in this great city, and there was some beautiful solidarity and magic in that room on April 7th. All night, it was like a musical chairs with the who's-who having a great time onstage and in the crowd. The Fastbacks got back together and brought all of the energy and excitement that I hoped for. I never got to see them before last week, other than their performance footage in Hype! Kerri Harrop wrote the perfect blog entry about it here: http://cherrycanoe.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/fox-on-the-run/

On the 9th, I got to hang out in front of the barriers at the Paramount Theatre for the Roots, and shot a few frames for the Seattle Weekly. It was obviously a totally different scene than the previous nights' shows, but what a blast. They're an incredible live band, great energy, and the crowd was super nice and funny! I have to give a shout-out to the cute boy in the front row handing out fruit snacks while I huddled on the ground before the band came out. You can check out the pictures over at the Weekly's Reverb blog if you're so inclined. http://www.seattleweekly.com/slideshow/view/4278206

Then I started out the weekend with Los Campesinos! at Neumo's with opening band Sky Larkin. Both bands were energetic and precious (in a good way) and obscenely adorable. Dance party! I felt transplanted back to London for a few hours on Friday. If only there had been more pogo-ing. The vibe on the floor was super-fun and friendly. Also I must mention, at the risk of sounding condescending, it was a welcome change to have the all-ages crowd on the balcony and the 21+ crowd relaxed on the main floor.

My Saturday night was spent at the Tractor again, this time seeing the reinvented Clem Snide. I've been a fan for years, having seen Clem Snide and/or Eef Barzelay's solo shows at every given chance over the past six or seven years. This show was very different from the Clem Snide shows of the past with beautiful and sparce acoustics and banjos. We were definitely rocked this time around. Luckily, it worked.

I've barely had time to catch my breath over the past two weeks, and it's not slowing up any time soon. John Wesley Harding, the Fastbacks (!!), the Roots, Los Campesinos!, and Clem Snide.. And it's only the fourteenth!

Tonight's recommended show: A lotta famous Johns at the Tractor

imaginary liz — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:01:43 +0000

John + Jon + John + Sgt + Sherman? Will there be a reading? Nonstop witty banter? Amazing bearded riffs? Yes to all of the above. Must get to Tractor tomorrow night.

And if you have the radio on as your make your way to the Tractor tomorrow, make sure to listen to me and Dana on KIRO {97.3 FM) at 9p. We're going to be on TBTL's AwesomeNotAwesome segment talking up all the Top of the Croc show goodness (April 4th / The Crocodile}.

5 hours + 4 artists + 3 venues = a very imaginary Saturday

imaginary victoria — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:59:43 +0000

17 Jan 2009

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With such an array of amazing live local music spotlighting this past Saturday's calendar, I did what any good photographer-slash-show enthusiast would do: I laced up my running shoes, charged an extra battery, and set out for four performances at three different venues with camera in tow. What a truly awesome night I was able to witness and shoot as a result! Here's how it all went down:

The first stop on Saturday's mini-tour was the Triple Door, for Jon Auer's much anticipated headlining set. With an expanse of well-lit stage at his feet, Auer broadened the selection from Thursday's opening performance at the Fountains of Wayne show with over sixty minutes of beautiful songstry. As he did two nights prior, the Posies / Big Star frontman pulled from a deep catalog of older hits and newer tracks that showcased his masterful songwriting, skilled technique and clear, clean, bell-like vocals -- and even took time to treat the crowd with covers of Fountains of Wayne's "Hackensack" and the Beatles' "Blackbird." Gavin Guss provided the perfect compliment to Auer, giving the both Steinway and his lovely vocals a workout for a solid, well-matched opening set, as well as support on a few songs.

With a copy of Auer's Songs from the Year of our Demise (2006) firmly in hand, I bid my goodbyes and hightailed it to Ballard for Pablo Trucker's second-slot set at the Sunset. I arrived side-stage with about fifteen minutes to spare, all warm and glowing and full of show from the Triple Door. A few of our friends from Telekinesis were present for the night's lineup, and I gushed about Pablo Trucker's last performance amidst congratulations about their recent sign to Merge.

Quite literally, there is not enough to be said about Pablo Trucker that I haven't already brought up in prior posts -- except for the fact that they're even better than they were last time, which seems near impossible. Their two-man full-force setup managed to simultaneously blow out my eardrums and break my heart in half, with achy lyrics screamed out over a big-bodied electric and the perfect amount of percussion. At one point, the soulful delivery of pure, anguish-infested emoting practically knocked me off my feet. This band is nothing short of an utter triumph, and one to watch for sure. We all stood mouths agape, frequently motioning over the deafening bliss to remind each other that all of this sweetness was coming from two - two - people, who often seemed to share a very consciousness during their extended set.

Amidst shouts of "Thank you! That was brilliant!" and "Thanks for coming!" I headed over to finish out the night with Visqueen. Walking into the sold-out crowd at the Tractor, with a nothing more than a casual knowledge of the band, I could tell immediately that I was in for a treat. Perfectly punky feminine lead vocals and amped-up electric guitars descended over the gleeful crowd that was two songs into the set, and loving every instant of it. It was easy to see why these people were practically bouncing off the walls in reaction to the band -- on top of the sheer energy and talent, there was a chemistry between the crowd and the stage that was tangible. And the talent and connection was no song-related fluke -- they delivered a truly tremendous set, from start to finish. Had I not been tempted by such amazing music at the other venues I visited Saturday, I would have been front and center for the whole night to see the Tripwires opening, Dept. of Energy second slot, and every minute of the Visqueen set.

And that's not all!

More photos of Visqueen, Pablo Trucker, and Jon Auer on flickr.

See you around town!

A night full of local all-stars with Jon Auer, Gavin Guss, Pablo Trucker, and Visqueen.

Fountains of Wayne with Jon Auer at the Triple Door

imaginary victoria — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:25:21 +0000

15 Jan 2009

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Fountains of Wayne are pure pop genius.

I'm not kidding one bit when I say that last Thursday's show was nothing short of brilliant. They're catchy enough to make you sing along for days, and smart enough that you don't have to feel dirty for loving them. The songs are part twee, part twang, melancholy power-pop that can hold a highlight spot on your best mix tapes.

Taking the Triple Door crowd seamlessly from sad to hopeful, ache to glee, Fountains of Wayne translated to live performance with some of the best I've ever had the privilege to see, for fifty-five straight minutes -- plus a four song encore. Add in the smartest harmonies this side of Hackensack, a bass player with faint undertones of Wooten and McCartney, showcase it all in sparkle-soft stage bliss, and you've got the first best sit-down show of 2009, ever.

Far from being an understated opener, Jon Auer began the evening by pulling from an impressive catalog of songs from his Posies and Big Star days, as well as a handful of stellar tracks from his newer solo album. He was warm and epic, comfortable; using the venue's gorgeous forum for a handful of just-right, unplugged, solo-singer-songwriter in the stagelight moments. It was mouth-agape, beaming from the front row, pull up your knees to your chest and your sleeves over your hands, 'please don't let it stop' kind of good -- a beautiful precursor for his headlining set Saturday night. He took over his own lyrically adept selection of songs like a true pro, delivering with just the right amount of witty banter, slashing us in half with his well-crafted ache, and brought on the talented Gavin Guss for some gorgeous support on the Steinway center-stage.

Here's the Fountains of Wayne setlist, courtesy of ChrisB:

1. "Please Don't Rock Me Tonight"

2. "Little Red Light"

3. "Someone to Love"

4. "The Summer Place"

5. "Fire Island"

6. "Fire in the Canyon"

7. "Cold Comfort Flowers"

8. "Hey Julie"

9. "A Road Song"

10. "Red Dragon Tattoo"

11. "Valley Winter Song"

12. "I95"

13. "Bright Future in Sales"

14. "Radiation Vibe"

15. "Survival Car"

[encore break]

1. "Cemetary Guns"

2. "Troubled Times"

3. "Stacy's Mom"

4. "Joe Rey"

It's worth noting that it wasn't one of those shows where you were waiting for the hit to go home -- when "Stacey's Mom" showed up in the encore set, it was a well-crafted, Fountains of Wayne covering Ben Folds Five covering a lounge act covering Fountains of Wayne version that had the whole house grinning ear-to-ear.

Total and unadulterated melancholy pop blissfulness.

Such an imaginary weekend!

imaginary victoria — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 19:55:42 +0000

Got sneakers?

Last minute Jon Auer show added at the Triple Door on 1/17

ChrisB — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 18:11:55 +0000

If you were going to see Fountains of Wayne next week at the Triple Door and were thinking "you know, I really like opener Jon Auer an awful lot and want to see more of him in that venue", the Triple Door heard your pleas and added another show with just Auer two nights later, on January 17.

No Vote Left Behind: TIG says: We're Ready for Regime Change Too!

three imaginary girls — Sun, 16 May 2004 07:00:00 +0000

We here at Three Imaginary Girls heart grassroots organizations. We, ourselves, have our roots in grass. Wait a minute, that didn't sound right...

What we're trying to say here is, we support creative endeavors borne out of the desire to make the world a better place. So when local political organization No Vote Left Behind asked us to attend their kickoff party — which featured performances by local musicians The Divorce, Jon Auer, and The Minus Five {AND an open bar!} — it was pretty much a no-brainer for us.

To express it mathematically:

Indie Rock + Absolut Mandrin - need for cash + get rid of Dubya + Three Happy Imaginary Girls == YAY No Vote Left Behind!!!

No Vote Left Behind is the brainchild of Crocodile Cafe employee Natasha George. As legend {and their website} have it, instead of wallowing in her political despair over the thought of a second Bush administration, Natasha decided to do something about it. Her solution? Why not plan a rock show, and send the proceeds to the Democratic National Committee?

A rock and roll to save the day? We love it!

The idea has blossomed into a multi-day festival that will take place September 23rd - 26th, and has enlisted the help of many folks involved in the Seattle music scene and beyond. Musician Mark Arm (Mudhoney), publicist Barbara Mitchell, attorney Jake London, professor Jacquelyn Miller, accountant Denise Maupin, streaming media guru Steve Mack, web implementer Jason Dennie, and designer Christi Willard are all part of the NVLB team.

Plus, they just might be getting a little help from their imaginary friends, 'cause we think they rock.

Speaking of rocking, they had the Divorce open the night. I swear those Divorce boys get hotter every time I see them... and it's been awhile since we've seen them out, so they were smoldering!!!

I still have the Divorce's 2003 release There Will Be Blood Tonight as a fixture in my disc changer. Tonight's show featured all new songs, and I am now counting down to the release of their next album... even though it isn't even recorded yet.

Since the release of their first album, they've added a lead guitarist to the line up. He is amazing {!} and, in no small part to his membership in the band, the new songs are more intricate and evolved while remaining smart and catchy. They were already top notch, but now {dare I say} they are topper notchier!

That AND new haircuts on the Divorce! Be still my heart.

The event drew quite the Seattle indie-rock elite to the Crocodile. And can I just ask... am I the only person who can't get over seeing Peter Buck just hanging out in the crowd? I want to be cool about it, but I just can't.

You and me both.

But, I think we ARE cool about it.. well, in that we stand really still and lock our heads in the opposite direction from where he's standing when he's in the room so there's no way we can make direct eye contact with him. And no matter what statement I am in the middle of exclaiming, I start spouting, "Um... um... yea... so... that, you know."

I think this is an odd universal hipster instinct kicking in that prevents all of us from running over and asking him how he's doing and what his favorite local sushi restaurant is.

The fact that we, and the rest of respectable hipster Seattle, are able to control ourselves and NOT bombard the coolest person in town with our trivial inquiries is somewhat astounding.

But, actually, I don't know if it really works to his advantage. Like the pretty girl who doesn't get asked out on a date because every guy thinks she'll reject him, I think Pete Buck might be slightly bored at all these public events because we're all too intimidated to acknowledge his presence.

I would like to be his friend. I swear I would NEVER say, "Hey Pete! I believe in Coyotes AND time is an abstract!"

Yea, me neither! I have plenty of conversation topics that do not include statements like "You are so amazing!!! Tell me about that time REM performed under the name 'Bingo Hand Job' at the Borderline in London! And what was it like to perform "Picture Book" with Ray Davies?"

OK girls, enough with the REM super-fanning!

If you want to learn more about No Vote Left Behind or donate money to them, please check out their website.

Attention bands!!!!
Hate Bush? Want to help him get voted out by playing at the No Vote Left Behind music festival in September? You should:

Email Three Imaginary Girls and let us know or

Email No Vote Left Behind directly at novoteleftbehind@msn.com or

Phone No Vote Left Behind at (206)322-7849.

Tell 'em your imaginary friends sent you.

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We here at Three Imaginary Girls heart grassroots organizations. We, ourselves, have our roots in grass. Wait a minute, that didn't sound right... What we're trying to say here is, we support creative endeavors borne out of the desire to make the world a better place.

TIG's Rockstar Buttrock Karaoke Contest!!

three imaginary girls — Thu, 04 Sep 2003 07:00:00 +0000

30 Aug 2003

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Holy Aquanet, who would've thought that a buttrock event on a holiday weekend could have become such a smashing success?? With surprise rockstar performances, hottie rockstars in black liquid eyeliner, and TIG-endorsed drink specials a-flowin', we had the imaginary times of our lives, and we can't wait to tell you all about it...

But first, special thanks to Unsung: the karaoke indie film, for co-sponsoring this event; to Megan Seling, Matt Nicols, Nabil Ayers, imaginary boy embracey, and Lee Hullender (Unsung) for judging; and to all our FANTASTIC participants for hitting those high notes in such fine style.

A few imaginary moments we'll never forget...

Holy shite, let's jump right in with our grand prize winner: Jenny Jimenez from the Catch. Her dazzling combination of fan kicks, gymnastic-routine splits, wigs, shoe changes, on-the-job-torn fishnets, Lita Ford and Samantha Fox simply rocked everyone's mullets off and earned her top honors. Turns out that Naughty Girls *Do* Need Love Too. Who knew?

If we could bottle the evening's performances of Mz. Jenny, well, not only would we all be very rich... but the world would also be a better, sexier, sassier place.

Thankfully she graced the stage three times throughout the evening. Twice Lita-style and once doing the Miss. Fox song.

We ran into Jenny a few weeks before the contest and she told us about how she had been practicing and had her outfit planned out already. It was then we knew that we were in for something big. But again, who knew that she would actually put Lita Ford to shame with her dance routine? It was like some outrageously sexy aerobics class gone very, very wrong in all the right ways.

Many in attendance still haven't recovered. Especially Steve the KJ, who after Jenny's performance, could only stammer the words, "Um, could she do that again, please?"

Whoo-eee. That girl can KICK!

As much as I love the guys in eyeliner (we're getting to that — be patient!), the women owned buttrock. Case in point: Bre Loughlin from Kuma belting Motley Crue's "Shout at the Devil" like she was born with fishnets in hand {hmm, strange mixed metaphor there}.

Bre remarked how strange it was that the front row actually looked scared when she sang. And no wonder: have you seen the lyrics to this song? "He'll be the love in your eyes. / He'll be the blood between your thighs. / And then have you cry for more. / He'll put your strength to the test. / He'll put the thrill back in bed. / Sure you've heard it all before." Eep. I'm shuddering just reading it. Why don't indie rockers write lyrics like that?

But music, schmusic — really, isn't buttrock about the clothes? Bre knew that rule — look at that outfit. She told us she'd been propositioned at 23rd and Jackson on her way to the club.

We're not surprised. HOT!

And how about Carly and Amanda (The Catch, United State of Electronica) singing, gyrating, living Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me?" Hot and sticky sweet, indeed.

I was most excited to see who was going to choose this song as it is quite close to my heart; I think it is the only song in my record collection that is of the "buttrock" persuasion. I remember the special day I purchased it on 7" at my local mall record store. After years of practicing it in my bedroom mirror, I still wouldn't have been able to top their performance.

Yes, you're right, igDana. The women understood the importance of dance moves for the ultimate buttrock experience.

And let's not forget Jessie S.K of Ripley with her buttrock-tacular rendition of the Cult's "Firewoman." Jessie not only did the dance move, but also tied her scarves to the microphone stand AND brought her own air guitarist!! If that doesn't say buttrock, why, I just don't know what does.

What about the wonder-woman who pinch-hit for The Lawnmowers boys! While we had a hard time believing that the incredibly Lawnmower boys might have been — dare we say — intimidated by a karaoke mic, we totally understood why they voted to send in Lawnmowers bassist Tanner's 'ringer' wife, Holly to face the glorious karaoke stage to sing on their behalf. And you know what? She not only earned their free drink tickets, but she made it to the finals! She Axl'd it up with "Welcome to the Jungle" and made the team proud.

GO GO Girl Power!

Right, right. Now let's start the discussion of boys in buttrock attire. The eyeliner. The tight pants. The posturing. It was all the dancefloor could do to NOT split their pants in David Lee Roth air splits.

What a champ Ollie Byrd from Yeek Yak Aiforce was. He was the first black-eyeliner-donning fellow in the door and then proceeded to overcome adversity: namely, we didn't have the song he'd been practicing over over a month Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home."

If there's one thing we should have learned from buttrock, it's that you can't stop rock and roll. You've gotta rock and roll all night.

Ollie clearly understood these principles. He didn't pack it in and settle for just singing some fast jangly shoe-in. He belted out a spot-on a capella "Home Sweet Home" and then launched into a smashing rendition of his second-choice song, Poison's classic power rock ballad, "Every Rose Has it's Thorn." He earned our honorary imaginary best in show prize! Congrats Ollie!

I think igLiz's fuchsia taffeta prom dress nearly fell down to her beige pumps when Robb Benson (of Dear John Letters) revealed onstage that he lost his virginity back in the day to Def Leppard's "Love Bites."

Did I mention Robb was wearing a doo-rag bandana-thingy? He was. While we didn't have the soundtrack to his de-flowering, he settled instead for the tender love ballad "Rock of Ages." Luscious.

How could any buttrock cover performance rival the the Divorce show at the Crocodile last June?

Somehow Shane and Jimmy summoned their inner Kip Winger and belted out a rendition Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again" that still has me mumbling something about, "I'm goin' down... a road... I go! again! on my own!"

{ed note: igLiz, David Coverdale was the lead singer of Whitesnake, not Kip Winger. Kip Winger was like, totally the lead singer of like, Winger. Duh. ~igDana}

Is this is the song with that Tanya Cataine in the white flowy dress rubbing herself all over the car?

{ed note: igLiz, it's Tawny Kitaen. ~igDana}

Hmm... that was in 1987, right? Sorry, I was a big Crowded House fan then.

{ed note: You might remember Tawny as being in Bachelor Party with Tom Hanks? Or that she was also married to athlete Chuck Finley? ~igDana}

And just when we thought things couldn't get any sexier, what with that Divorce boys singing, what happens then? Goddamn Zach "my God what product does he use in that gorgeous hair" Davidson from Vendetta Red) crashed the party and grabbed the mic to duet "Wanted Dead or Alive" with Jimmy from the Divorce. How lucky were we all to witness that, and more importantly, what product does he use in that incredible hair?

Holy hell. At some point it occurred to me: we're throwing a party and Zach and Jimmy are singing Jon Bon Jovi!! Someone get me another TIG {and thanks to Frank and Adrian at Chop Suey for making our imaginary dream come true by naming a drink special after us}!

Did anyone else hear Zach regretfully tell me that he couldn't marry his cousin igChar because we're kinfolk? I told him that I'm from Michigan — we encourage that sort of behavior there!

Lucky me!

Perhaps that was when I was momentarily stunned / terribly entertained when I caught my hugely-haired reflection in the glint of Brent from Dorkweed's awesome shiny cop reflective sunglasses. He rocked the place with his buttrock'd Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker."

Oh, plus Dorkweed gets super extra bonus points for the red Loverboy pants. Word.

Sean Moe from American School of Warsaw not only sported a faux mullet, but he did "Lick It Up" by... um, er... Def Lepard?

{ed note: NO... and Def Leppard as two "P"s ~igDana}

um... it was... the Scorpions?

{ed note: NO... actually strangely no one sang any Scorpions songs that night. ~igDana}

um... something with Kip Winger in it?

{ed note: NO! It was by Kiss. ~igDana}

KISS! No way, I can't be stupid on Kiss!

{ed note: Don't worry about it... it was late-era Kiss. Sans make-up Kiss. There is no shame in not knowing late-era Kiss... except maybe for "Lick It Up." ~igDana}

{ed note: Oh, I know that song... except I thought they were singing "Live It Up" ~igChar}

{ed note: A-ha... finally, the MTV-obsessiveness of my youth has worked to my advantage. For this issue, I rule! ~igDana}

Grr... damn, it doesn't ring a bell... but I DO know the other song that Sean performed as one of our top-five finalists. "Jump" by VAN HALEN. The vision of Eddie VH staring directly into the camera for the video of that song while he plucked that dunk dunk dunk dunk, dunk dunk dunk dunk part and smiled that "Dude, Party On" smile that he does so well is seared into my head. I remember how my older sister was going to marry him and her best friend was going to marry his brother.... what was his brother's name it was... um...

{ed note: Alex. ~igDana}

How very sweet and humble (not to mention, newly shorn and rather gorgeous) was Jon Auer when he came backstage and stated that he, "...usually plays with the band called the Posies," and requested to sing a karaoke tune.

How could this have happened, Jon Auer imploring me??

I bet he felt strangely compelled by forces he didn't understand, forces that I like to call the "Aussie effect." Namely, the scent of Aussie Scrunch spray intrigues all men. Try wearing it one night — you'll see! If they're in their late twenties or older, then you smell like every girl they ever dated in high school... if they're younger, then you smell like their babysitters. No young man can resist the allure of the Aussie!!

But I digress, there I was with JON AUER asking ME if he could sing!!! Good heavens! A happy coincidence, as just that moment I had the slip for Cheap Trick's "I Want You to Want Me" in my hand, and no one took responsibility for submitting it. Jon grabbed the mic and kicked all kinds of Robin Zandler ass, so much so that judge Matt Nichols awarded him the "Best impersonation of a rockstar" award.

Darn, why don't we have any pictures of Jon Auer singing!??

{photographer's ed note: I think I was belly up to the bar at this point. Perhaps getting SOMEONE another TIG? ~Ryan Schierling}

That was such a sweet rendition of one of my favorite "Knock-the-drainage-pipe-off-the-house-at-2am-while-dancing" songs.

Oh, wait... I have the Cheap Trick boxset in my music library. Score for me! I do have more buttrock in my collection than just the "Pour Some Sugar On Me" 7" record. Whew. I was beginning to question my upbringing.

That guy Dex Manley, the star of the Unsung movie, was awesome!! He totally took off his shirt while singing "Ice Cream Man."

{ed note: hey igChar — I'll give you five bucks if you can tell me who sings "Ice Cream Man." ~igDana}

Ooh! It's that one guy with all the hair and he always wears that half shirt and in his videos he had all those costumes!! What's his name??!?

{ed note: David Lee Roth? ~igDana}

Yes, that's him!

{ed note: OK, close enough. Five dollars for you. ~igDana}

I knew that Ben Hooker of Visqueen had it in 'em. It began with his exchange with emcee igDana.

igDana: "What are you singing??"
Buttrock Ben: "Maiden... the best band EVER!"

From there he proceeded to belt out a bitchen' rendition of Iron Maiden's "Aces High" with dance-routine assistance from Cory Murchy AKA "Rico" of Minus the Bear. His wails left us screaming for more and his ferocity left us inspired. The combined effect earned Ben the judges' award for "Best Falsetto."

Now we know what can happen when you let a drummer out from behind his kit...

Ingrid "Ingo" Wurl — Steve the KJ regular, friend to all those imaginary, and cast member for Unsung — it's about time someone awarded that girl a prize for her pipes and sexy fashion sense! Ingo rocked the mic with a karaoke fav, Guns and Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" which won her a spot in the judges top five. Her finalist performance was controversial — was Journey really buttrock? — but after Ingo had her way with "Don't Stop Believin'", well, we believed.

Ingo went on to win the "best looking in a ripped shirt award." I don't think we need to explain why...

Speaking of controversial buttrock songs, could "I Touch Myself" by the Divinyls ever be consider as buttrock? Justin Benson from Argo raised the question with his remarkably- early- in- the- night- for- so- torrid- a- song-choice performance, but before we could answer it, he belted a buttrock favorite: the good ol' "You Shook Me All Night Long." And no one would dare question AC/DC.

Only TIG-artist extraordinaire Randy "Cold as Ice" Wood could make a blue stretchy jumpsuit look so natural. And yes, we mean that as a compliment!

Randy's outfit was to die for! I wonder if this is the first time he has worn it... or if he wears it around the house... I wonder if he originally got it for a Thanksgiving dinner celebration, or to jump out of a cake... the possibilities of what one could do in that suit are endless. It was fabulous. The judges agreed, awarding Randy a special "best jumpsuit" award — not a category we anticipated for the event, but apt and deserved nonetheless.

He looked like Evil Knievel.

But he was as Cold as Ice.

I know!

Speaking of costuming, Theo Craig from Water Kill the Sun went all artsy-craftsy and constructed a faux metal mask that made me want to whip out the candy corn. He and fellow WKTS-ster Gavin Gregory presented a rousing rendition of Quiet Riot's "Cum on Feel the Noize" worthy of the song title's Us and Zs.

Theo's PBR shirt... Gavin's authentic demin-ware and the moves on both boys screamed, "Cruising the strip mall for chicks."

They inspired girls rocking boys. We all got wild, wild, wild.

{ed note: Wow... Liz you're getting good at this sing-along thing! ~igDana}

And in true Buttrock 'n Roll fashion, the night ended when the place had to turn off the sound system and mics before our final winners could be picked and our last song sung.

Just Tommy Lee would say, "Darn those pesky noise ordinances!"

Didn't the same thing happen to Pretty Girls Make Graves at SxSW??

Oh... I feel their pain!

The Capillaries

three imaginary girls — Tue, 28 Jan 2003 08:00:00 +0000

28 Jan 2003

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Yeah, yeah, we know we just reviewed The Capillaries in our last issue. But we saw them again, okay? So we're writing about them. Sue us.

Besides, it's worth your while to read about them again if for no other reason than we brought photographer extraordinnaire Ryan Schierling this time. We've posted the photos to prove it. In fact, you might as well ignore our words and the band and just look at the photos. That's what we'd do.

This particular night, the Capillaries played at the newly un-scary Rendevous, a classic Seattle establishment that just received a glamorizing face-lift. Interestingly enough, igLiz and I had never visited during either phase. While the bar is nice, it's the stage area that's nearly fascinating; it's intimate and cozy, and during the three opening acts (Jon Auer, Andrea Maxand, and Gavin Guss), we actually couldn't talk, because the space was so quiet we would have been interrupting the performers. And we weren't in a "sit-and-listen-respectfully" sort of mood. We wanted to rock!

Before The Capillaries came on, they handed out earplugs. Our problem was about to be solved.

The Capillaries played a driving set of power-pop numbers from their soon-to-be-released debut, Overnight Lows and Daylight Savings. In fact, the sign in front announced that this show was a CD release party. But none were made available to us. Hey boys — when's that CD coming out, anyways...?

While we heard a couple of interesting new tunes (the as-yet-unnamed opening number with its falsetto "I'm freaking out!" lyric being a notable one), we missed some of our favorites from the last show, namely: "Waterloo," "Sleeping You Off," and of course, "Don't Leave Me 'Til After Christmas." Pretty astonishing that we could recall the names of songs from one show when the band hasn't even released an album yet, doncha think? These guys are catchy. Of course, we said that in our last review...

Yeah, this show frankly wasn't as great as the last one we saw. Hell, they told us that themselves. But one of the self-professed great things about this band is that they have fun, even when they're not having their best show.

Towards the end of their set, Jon Auer (of Posies fame) joined them on stage. In fact, it was only fair trade, as Capillaries drummer Jon Foley had assisted Jon earlier in the night. With the on-stage camaraderie evident, the mutual admiration society was in full-force — and the whole of these musicians became greater than any of their respective parts as they beamed their way through a couple of great cover songs, including Matthew Sweet's "Sick of Myself" {have I shared my long-standing Matthew Sweet fascination with all of your before...? Well there you go, I guess I just did}.

Anyhow, there are our words about the show. Now did you see those kick-ass photos...?

The Capillaries: frankly, not as good as the last time we saw them.

Aaron Sprinkle

imaginary dana — Mon, 12 Aug 2002 07:00:00 +0000

1 Aug 2004

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So Marlene and I headed to the Baltic Room to meet a few friends for a few glasses of wine. We got to the door, and lo and behold! It was a show! Seems the Imaginary Girls couldn't get away from their musical reviewing passions even for an evening. This particular show was a singer-showcase, and among the performers, John Roderick (Long Winters, Western State Hurricanes) and Jon Auer (Posies). Good heavens. We headed upstairs to enjoy some drinks before John (Roderick) took the stage.

But the lure of a new singer boy proved too strong, and I headed downstairs to hear singer #2, Aaron Sprinkle.

What's going on here tonight, I wondered? It's like Seattle's greatest open mic night. Who planned this?

Luckily, new Imaginary Girl friend Peter provided an answer of sort. Apparently, the event was organized by a cute girl in a cowboy hat named Michelle, for her birthday.

Now, you know how we Leos LOVE our birthdays. And you all read about my birthday exploits in last issue... I'm just saying I have a thing or two to learn from this Michelle. John Roderick and Jon Auer playing your birthday party? That is the shit. Strong work, Michelle, and Happy Birthday!!!

Wow. Aaron is a cute singer, too! He's a little guy with a big clear voice. And I could understand every single word (How novel at a live performance).

"You're much stronger than me, you know you are."

That's a nice lyric — descriptive of one who is strong enough to admit how vulnerable he has made himself, yet the admission itself is so much an overt showing of strength, it's a paradox (not the club, but the occurrence).

The music sounded much better downstairs, so I was glad I got up out of my seat. Aaron deserved to be much more than just background music for red wine and bar chats (though that part was pretty nice too...) So I dragged Imaginary Marlene down the stairs, away from her classmates and her cabernet, for a closer listen.

Aaron is like the very short and very cute boy next door.

Aaron Sprinkle is such a cute name. I think I should marry him, so that my name would be "Dana Sprinkle."

He gave a lovely, clear, strong and bold performance. Those are the words that come to mind: monosyllabic, no-nonsense modifiers for a straight-forward and direct show.

As with the other performers for the evening, Aaron performed solo, with only his guitar as accompaniment. Frank and earnest, he boldly faced the audience and belted his heart-felt lyrics, staring straight-ahead and slightly upward, as if seeing every word to some unseen ideal target.

"Someday you might hear
an apology that's sincere."

Oh, poor little cutie pie Aaron! He's so earnest, belting his sincerity — only, he's so strong vocally that you know the power for that big voice is coming from a deeper place than your common belt can muster. His voice reminded me of a few other local crooner/belter musicians (A little bit Sean Nelson?), and was perhaps reminiscent of Matthew Sweet. Only neither of these quite described it; he has a voice that can only be described as Aaron Sprinkle. And that is a damn cute name.

John Roderick and Jon Auer playing your birthday party? That is the shit.