Between the star-studded opening of the Nirvana exhibit at the EMP, and the 800 different kinds of awesome that took place on Record Store Day, we could barely keep up. However, we did manage to sneak a few shots off at the EMP, as well as at The Head and the Heart's evening set at the Queen Anne Easy Street, both of which are below for the viewing. Enjoy!

Friday night's opening of the Nirvana exhibit:

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Just a few more days of the Seattle International Film Festival and a ton of sizzling hot music shows to see now that June is here, but you should start "booking" (ha) some time for some very TIG-worthy readings and parties about books coming up. As a nervous and gluttonous reader of quality stuff, I heartily endorse all of the programs listed below, and hope that you can attend them.

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{Exene Cervenka plays at Easy Street Records (Queen Anne) on Friday, April 16 at 6pm, at Tyrannosaurus Records (Renton) on Saturday, April 17 at 2pm and at Damaged Goods on Saturday, April 17 at 5pm, all free and all ages.}

Record stores have, like nearly every business, not fared particularly well in the economic climate of the past few years. In fact, they have likely had a much more difficult time staying solvent as the move towards more people getting their music online than at retail stores. At the beginning of this year, the first two albums to hit number one on the Billboard 200 chart this year (Ke$ha’s Animal and Vampire Weekend’s Contra) were the first two albums in history to top the charts with more than 50% digital sales. The lower prices, huge catalogs and fast delivery methods have made iTunes, emusic and Amazon the often first place for people to go to purchase music (and that’s saying nothing of what is obtained via illegal downloading) and has made it that much harder for record stores to stay in business.

One artist who is doing what she can to help record stores is Exene Cervenka. Best known for being the badass frontwoman for punk band X and the alt-country band The Knitters, she has been one of the most prolific and multi-faceted artists over the past thirty-plus years. Not just a musician, but she’s also a writer, poet and visual artist. My favorite quote about Cervenka came from her X and Knitters bandmate John Doe (which I found in Maria Raha’s great book Cinderella’s Big Score), who said “she was such a badass! I pretended to be but Exene was the real thing. She had the ax to grind…the unusual wiring that made it possible for her to throw a drink in somebody’s face and still be right.” She most recently released a gorgeous solo record called Somewhere Gone last autumn. She is currently on a tour, playing in-store shows at record stores on the west coast that will include appearances at three Seattle-area record stores: Easy Street Records (Queen Anne) on Friday, April 16 and on Saturday, April 17, the actual Record Store Day, she’ll be at Tyrannosaurus Records in Renton and Damaged Goods in Belltown.

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As I was picking out my favorite shots from this past year, it quickly became apparent that I couldn't just leave it at ten.  I've posted my top picks below (in no particular order), but you can check out the rest here.

Huge thanks to the TIG crew, especially Chris and Keenan, for giving me the opportunity to share these amazing moments with all you lovely people! And thanks to all my fellow photographers, both in Seattle and elsewhere, for giving me inspiration every day. Hope you all have a safe, prosperous, and Happy New Year! Here's to an even bigger and better 2010!

2009-09-05: Hotels @ Bumbershoot - EMP | SFM's Sky Church

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at Easy Street Records

As Brandi Carlile and her band took the Easy Street Records stage last Friday in front of her hometown crowd, something magical was in the air. Just a quick glance around the store, and you would have thought that half of Seattle had come out to witness one of the most epic in-store performances in recent history.

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I've raved about the Wales punk band Future of the Left here before, so it should surprise exactly no one that I'm a fan of their angular rock. When I saw them about a year ago, I thought they were the best band on a sold out bill at the Showbox with Against Me! and Ted Leo + The Pharmacists. Naturally, I'm excited for their show on Tuesday night at Neumo's with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.

I had just found out that an in-store was added, as well. FotL will be playing a free, all-ages show at the Queen Anne Easy Street Records on Tuesday at 7pm.

Moreover, Matador Records offered us a limited edition 7" record of the FotL single "The Hope that House Built" as well as a copy of the new album Travels with Myself and Another. To enter, please send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Monday, October 12 with "FutureOfTheHopeOfTraveling" in the subject line. Please include your mailing address so we know where to send the goods to.

There is little bettter than starting the weekend off with some free Flotard.

Tonight {Friday, 9/25} at 7pm, Visqueen will take the Easy Street Records {Queen Anne} stage to share some songs from their fabulous new album, Message to Garcia.   It's all all ages and all free!

See you there!!! Don't forget your eyepatch!

{Thanks for the photo mordac!}

 

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Don't go to www.pigspeace.org without a hanky. No, seriously. Pigs Peace Sanctuary is a local non-profit created to provide a safe, loving home unwanted, abused or neglected pigs, as well as any other animal in need of some TLC. The pictures of the sanctuary's wards are darling, the stories are heartbreaking and touching, and the work of the agency commendable.

Can you look this little guy in the face without getting a little lump in your throat? Even Samuel L. Jackson would say "that's one charmin' mother f@!^ing pig."

Winston

C'mon! Look him in the eye! Don't you want to make sure he has a nice place to romp and play, clean wood chips to roll in, and tasty snacks? Don't you want to hear him squeal in delight?

If you do, there is an easy way to do it without getting your hands dirty and your stylish shoes poo-free. Andy Werth and friends will be playing a benefit show for Pigs for Peace at Easy Street Records in West Seattle on 6/5/09, starting at 9:00 PM. 100 percent of the proceeds will go to the charity. Werth and his band have recently completed his first full-length album, Burn the Maps, Bury the Compass, which you can preview and enjoy at www.andywerth.com. Tickets are $5.00, and the show is all ages, but alcoholic beverages will be available. The cafe will also be open with vegetarian and vegan options available.

Do it for the piggies! They should be able to go to market, stay home, have roast beef, have none, or go wee-wee-wee-wee in happiness and safety. Your porcine patronage is appreciated.

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Jeez, I had a great Record Store Day! The sun was shining, and I picked up some great records!

My boyfriend woke up super early on Saturday way too excited to get back to sleep, and wandered over to Easy Street in Lower Queen Anne at around 8:15, and there were already people in line. By the time the store opened at 9, there were about 50 people in line, and he described the scene similar to 20 minutes before the mall closes on Christmas Eve - mass pandemonium of people just grabbing any and all exclusive in sight. By the time he left around 9:30 (after a super friendly clerk helped him find one of the last Thermals exclusives), most of the exclusives were gone. And lucky him - a trip over to the Ballard Sonic Boom provided him with #69 of 95 of the Pavement Live in Cologne hand numbered red vinyl LPs.

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Our friends at Easy Street and Sonic Boom have put plans in place to make this the best Record Store Day Seattle has ever seen.

I'm still finalizing my list of things I want to pick up on what could be my biggest shopping day of the year and both stores have made it doubly hard to pare things down. There's a bunch of labels releasing rare and limited edition Record Store Day 7"s and re-releasing sup'd up favorites.

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