Now that summer's officially 86'd, it's time for the inaugural (hereafter annual?) City Arts Fest, which takes over our fair city this upcoming Wednesday - Saturday {Oct. 20th - 23rd}. Laden with an impressive lineup at venues far and wide, CAF is catering to more of the mini-SXSW feel that makes these 'festivals' enjoyable -- think along the lines of MusicFest NW's style -- and for this, we applaud and squee! with joy. There's something about cramming too many people into too small of a space, even with a homerun lineup, that can make a gathering of the proverbial vibes inherently less fun.

And so -- with sneakers laced up and schedules in hand -- away we go with the music! Click the links below for more info on each particular show, including the where & what on how to get yourself some tickets:

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There's so much amazing show options swirling around, many of us are on overload with our red warning lights blinking.  One reason this month is so packed with some of our favorite bands is thanks to the folks at City Arts who have put together a three day schedule that makes even SXSW and CMJ festers weep.

To push things a little bit closer over the overloaded-with-giddiness edge, we've got TWO chances for you to see an amazing show for free!

Cat Power at the the 5th Avenue Theater on Thursday, October 21
Enter to win tickets by emailing tig @ threeimaginarygirls . com with the subject "Lived In Bars" by Tuesday 10/19 at noon.

She & Him at the 5th Avenue Theater on Saturday, October 23
Enter to win tickets by emailing tig @ threeimaginarygirls . com with the subject "I'd LikeYou For My Own" by Tuesday 10/19 at noon.

Want a sampler for what your evening at one of these shows could include?

Cat Power covering Oasis's's's Wonderwall


She & Him with the coy cutie anthem "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

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Elizabeth Goodman, a former editor at the missed rock magazine Blender, has written a very compelling biography of Chan Marshall, the artist we collectively know as Cat Power.

The book's full title is: Cat Power: A Good Woman, How Chan Marshall, aka Cat Power, Survived Herself - and Became the Indie Rock Queen. It was actually published in April but I just found out about it about three weeks ago when I saw it on a shelf at Barnes and Noble. Goodman begins her book by detailing the lengths that Marshall had gone through to stop the book from being written. She had gotten vaguely-worded letters from Marshall's attorneys and Marshall's acquaintances were told not to speak with Goodman. That was unusual because Marshall has generally been really forthcoming in interviews she's given and Goodman was a fan (so am I) and wanted to write a flattering portrait of the artist. Goodman became enchanted with Marshall when she interviewed her for Spin in 2005 and found her charming and forthcoming. She said in the introduction to A Good Woman, "it felt as if we were at a slumber party and had stayed up all night watching Christian Slater movies and eating Lucky Charms and sour straws." She continues:

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Less than a year after releasing Jukebox, Cat Power's second album of mostly other people's songs, Chan Marshall and company decided that they still haven't gotten that out of their system and are planning on releasing another covers album this December. This is a double, 10 inch EP called Dark End of the Street.

The album will be, again, out on Matador (as the details came from its Matablog) and it'll be released on December 9, both digitally and as a double 10" record. The six songs are:

1) Auld Triangle (The Pogues)*
2) Dark End Of The Street (James Carr, Aretha Franklin)*
3) Who Knows Where The Time Goes (Sandy Denny / Fairport Convention)*
4) Fortunate Son (Creedence Clearwater Revivial)
5) I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) (Otis Redding)
6) It Ain’t Fair (Aretha Franklin)*

* - previously unreleased recordings.

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at Showbox Sodo

With her thick black eyeliner and her attacking stage presence, Cat Power was as gorgeous to watch as she was to listen to. This says a lot, as her voice is a rippling and hazy wonder.

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At more than 2.5 hours long, that’s a lotta Dylan covers, even for a serious fan.

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at Orpheum

To her advantage, Chan Marshall comes off as completely unpretentious, totally sincere, and so friendly that you just want to run up and give her a hug.

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I liked this record quite a bit. All I’m saying is that there have been better Cat Power records in the past and there will be better ones in the future.

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New releases from Easy Street Records, featuring Cat Power, Drive By Truckers, Depeche Mode reissues and much more.

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Pitchfork has been revealing all the details of Cat Power's upcoming covers album as they've been getting them and from the looks of things, I may already have my favorite record for 2008.

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