Three Imaginary Girls - Easy Street Records

Photoessay: Nirvana exhibit at the EMP, Head and the Heart at Easy Street

imaginary victoria — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 23:18:41 +0000

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:

Bookmark THIS! Thee best "lit up" events that will "ZAPP" ya this month

Chris Estey — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:40:26 +0000

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:

Evergreen graduate Megan Kelso is one of the dazzling shards from the Pac NW underground comics explosion of the early 90s, best described as the first queen of twee comics, and has a new graphic novel out from Fantagraphics called Artichoke Tales. Since doing her self-published Girlhero back in the early 90s, she has done several books (Queen of the Black Black and The Squirrel Mother among them), and had her "Watergate Sue" weekly run in the New York Times Magazine. Artichoke Tales is about two families struggling in times of war and it will probably beat the holy tarnation out of your poor little heart. Her artwork is simple-dimple but elegantly evocative, every line precise with meaning, which sees all-of-us-every-last-one-of-us pain from oppression and abuse, transforming it into magical illustrated storytelling. The Fantagraphics Store will be hosting an exhibit and book launch for Artichoke Tales on Saturday, June 12, from 6 to 9 PM. It's also the Second Saturday Art Attack in Georgetown and you won't want to miss that!

Hey, did you notice that howlingly great Stranger cover drawn by David Lasky a couple of weeks back, which satirically boiled all the plots of the SIFF movies down to one several panel strip? Well, Mr. Lasky has helped put together a humungous benefit for ZAPP, the esteemed and great time-killing zine library at the Hugo House, and Megan Kelso will also be there, along with Jim Woodring, whose Weathercraft we hyped a few days back. Thus, something called Grandma ZAPP's Rolling Thunderheart Mountain Variety Show is coming up Tuesday, June 15 at the Hugo House, starting at 7 PM. $10 to benefit the zine library, one of the very best in the country, and other performers include insanely talented mini-comics duo Max Clotfelter and Kelly Froh ("Stewbrew"), Lucy Morehouse of "Ong Ong" zine, and musical performances by Helen Parson. (1634 11th Avenue on Capitol Hill.)

But what about the King? Elvis Presley, that is, and Seattle is home to one of the best authors who have ever written about him, Gillian G. Gaar, in the period true fans care about him the most (his black leathery sex god '67 comeback special!!), in a handsome B&W history just out, with oodles of loving musical details, photos, and story, story, story. Return of the King: Elvis Presley's Great Comeback (Jawbone) starts in the valley of Elvis bashing out flick after flick of crap (with the occasional Blue Hawaii giving us a "Can't Help Falling In Love") or a track like "Return to Sender" from Girls! Girls! Girls! But mostly, people thought Elvis was washed up in the mid-60s as he actually was by the late 70s. But as Gaar so masterfully tells the tale, an archetypal Southern saga of raw, raunchy, rock redemption and ascension from the ashes, Presley got his shit together for some recordings in front of some wetting-themselves like a Faulkner-scribed Mississippi gusher fans, of live versions of timeless soul-punk like "In The Ghetto," "Suspicious Minds" and other city boy kisses country boy rockabilly razzle dazzle. It's a story you shouldn't miss, like the Beatles snarfing speed in Germany and bashing out a new form of beat music, or the Sex Pistols in Jon Savage's England's Dreaming. And if you do desire to own at least one book about the King in your collection, make it by one of Seattle's best rock writers, long-time scribe Gillian G. Gaar, who will be reading from the Return of the King on Sunday, June 20, at 4 PM, at the new location for Elliott Bay Bookstore on Capitol Hill. Q&A and signing to follow! (Yay, Gillian, this one is as great as the Rough Guide to Nirvana, which I keep by my bedside! If you care about real rock write, you'll be there with me.)

Finally, a bit of a rerun to a preview I did several weeks ago, but since a finished copy of WE NEVER LEARN came in by New Bomb Turks' front shouter and journalist-on-the-lamb Eric Davidson, "The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001," soaked in spilled pints and girl-spit and roadie sweat and blood from scraped knees against burning hot amplifiers getting the hell on and off the stage, covering the "your floor my ceiling" underground of The Dwarves and The Dirtbombs, the White Stripes and Oblivians, Jay Reatard and Brit brat Billy Childish and hundreds of other punch-your-guts-out garage punk bands from at least three continents, 351 pages of giving the finger to MTV and pure beard-pulling you-are-there writerly adrenaline, with a forward by queen bitch of noise Byron Coley, you best be aware that Mr. Davidson is coming to Seattle on Tuesday, June 29 at Easy Street Records on 20 Mercer Street for a book signing/reading at 3 PM in the afternoon, and then later that night at 9 PM at swanky vinyl bar Snooze Part Deux at 10406 Holman Road for a DVD showing (!!) as well. Don't miss it. Yes, this paragraph descended into all bold FOR A REASON. BECAUSE OF ERIC DAVIDSON'S GREAT BIG GORGEOUS GRAB ASS BOOK (JUST OUT AT EASY STREET) IT IS IN ALL CAPS AS WELL.

Exene Cervenka's record store tour

ChrisB — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:15:41 +0000

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.

I asked Cervenka during a phone interview last week why she was doing this tour of exclusively record stores and she said bluntly, “I want to help keep them open,” and then adding “and I want to play places that are all ages, where we aren’t playing at 11:00 at night that is full of beer and whiskey, where young girls can come, or young boys who want to see someone who has been around.” She also said, “I want to play my new songs and I want people to hear my new songs and not have to worry about getting a babysitter and drinks and parking and can’t go because it’s at 11:00 at night. It’s hard for people to go out and spend that kind of money, so I wanted to make it easy for them. I win, the fans and the audience win and the record stores win.”

Her album she’s touring to promote is Somewhere Gone (Bloodshot), her first solo album since 1996. It’s a beautifully-made album with personal, sincere lyrics that compliment the folk arrangements. Contrasting with her previous work, she told me “these songs are different. They’re all like emotional landscapes and they’re all love songs. They’re kind of poppy and folky and catchy.”

She’s had a remarkable career for over thirty years, not just with numerous musical projects like X, The Knitters, Auntie Christ and her solo work, but also as a writer and artist. My favorite book of hers is Adulterers Anonymous, a collection of poetry with No-Wave artist Lydia Lunch where they annotate each other’s words. She said of the comparison between making visual art and music, “The art, the collages that I make is great because your mind is kind of free and kind of Zen-like. You don’t really think about anything other than what those colors look like together but when you write a song you’re going deep into your emotions. It’s a completely different process. It depends on your mood. Some days you don’t want to think about any of that stuff so you make art, other times you feel like you really want to get your emotions out and something hops into your mind that you want to work on, so you write a song.” She added “right now, it’s all music, all the time.”

This all music, all the time is keeping her busy. Later in the spring she’ll play some shows with X and The Knitters before finishing up her next solo album. She told me “I started recording and when I get home from this tour and I’ll start recording again and hope to finish up in June. I’ve already figured what the songs are going to be and they’re all written. I have a fantastic producer, fantastic studio and fantastic people to play on it. I can’t wait.” She understandably didn’t want to talk about who she would be collaborating with.

Part of what makes her energy, output and longevity as an artist so impressive was the admission recently that she has multiple sclerosis. She released a statement, visible on her website, saying in part “many people remain strong and continue to live their lives as productively as they had before an MS diagnosis. I plan to be one of those people.” When I heard her on KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic” program a few months ago, host Jason Bentley asked how she was feeling and said “fine”. With her prolific output as an artist and upbeat, friendly manner when I talked to her on the phone, it’s difficult to see how she could be anything but.

Right now, she is on this tour of record stores and said she’s having a great time. She said the in-stores “were exactly what I had envisioned when I thought about doing this. There were kids there and all kinds of people there and they were buying records and things to have signed. There have been a lot of people coming out and the record stores were very happy.” She added, “There is pressure when you go on the road because you have a band and you have to pay everybody and make sure everybody’s rooms are right and all that and you have to keep everyone happy. Everyone is playing for not very much money and you don’t know if people are going to come out or not. They don’t have any money either, but with these in-stores, there’s no pressure. It’s me with my guitar and my best friend and we’re driving around the country and we’re having a great time. No one has to have any pressure if no one shows up; that’s just not even an issue, it’s fantastic.”

One point she wanted to convey was that she hoped everyone would support the record stores as much as they could. She told me “this is one thing I’d like to say is that when people come out to my shows, I don’t care if people buy my record or not, if they do it’s fantastic and if they don’t, it’s fine, but please buy something from the store. There are all kinds of great things in the record stores and I just want people to patronize the stores while they’re at the shows, even if it’s just to get a button or something. Just help the store out.”

{Photo by Ali Smith.}

{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.}

Jason Tang's Top Ten Concert Photos of 2009 (plus a few extras)

Jason Tang — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 03:20:32 +0000

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

Brandi Carlile's Easy Street Records in-store performance

Jason Tang — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:05:37 +0000

20 Nov 2009

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.

Accompanied by her bandmates Josh Neumann (cello) and twin brothers Tim (guitar) and Phil Hanseroth (bass), Brandi's 10-song, nearly hour-long set included selections from her new album Give Up The Ghost, two Johnny Cash covers, last album's hit song "The Story," and even an encore sing-a-along of fan favorite "Turpentine." In between songs, she promised the crowd they would be "extra good" because of a band practice the night before and joked about pitching an idea for a TV reality show with the twins (any takers?).

Easy Street owner Matt Vaughan said it was one of the biggest in-store crowds they've ever had. Although the heat was almost unbearable near the end of the set, it didn't phase the crowd of nearly 800 strong. Most of them stuck around (up to an hour) after the show for a meet and greet with the band.

Setlist:
1) Dying Day
2) I Will
3) Touching The Ground
4) Dreams
5) Pride And Joy
6) The Story
7) Jackson / Folsom Prison Blues
8) That Year
9) If There Was No You
10) Turpentine (encore)

Video of the entire performance can be found here.

Brandi Carlile and her band will be making a special appearance (possibly in costumes) at 103.7 The Mountain’s Winter Warmth Concert at The Moore Theatre on Sunday, December 6 which also features Brett Dennen and Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. Tickets are available at The Moore Theatre box office or online at stgpresents.org.

Win a Future of the Left 7" and their new album

ChrisB — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 01:14:02 +0000

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.

Visqueen Record Release In-Store at Easy Street {Queen Anne}

imaginary liz — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:27:06 +0000

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!}

And let the Babe references begin: Pigs for Peace Benefit

Imaginary Mimi — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:29:06 +0000

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.

Record Store Day roundup - what did you buy?

imaginary keenan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:53:27 +0000

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.

Fill your pockets this Saturday - it's Record Store Day!

imaginary liz — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:25:41 +0000

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.

Star Anna in-store at Easy Street Records (QA) tonight

Jflores — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:26:01 +0000

Remember Star Anna from Exile in Imaginary Guyville?

The girl with the big voice has a new record out today with her band The Laughing Dogs called The Only Thing That Matters. It is a great follow up to Crooked Path, her critically and fan acclaimed debut.

She'll be stopping by Queen Anne Easy Street tonight at 7 pm to celebrate! She also has a record release show at The Tractor Tavern this Saturday.

New releases from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:31:04 +0000

Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan together just slay me. I need to see them together before I die!

Photo Essay: Ingrid Michaelson at Easy Street and Neumo's

Jason Tang — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:59:43 +0000

10 Nov 2008

ingrid08nov.jpg

New York native Ingrid Michaelson heated up a chilly Seattle evening, as she played an acoustic in-store set at Easy Street Records followed by a sold-out show at Neumo's last Monday. She first garnered national attention a couple years ago when her songs were featured on the popular TV series "Grey's Anatomy." Since then, her single "The Way I Am" was featured on the Old Navy Fall 2007 advertising campaign and she has recently been on tours with Dave Matthews Band and Jason Mraz.

Michaelson was joined by band mates Bess Rogers (guitar), Allie Moss (guitar), Elliot Jacobson (drums), and Chris Kuffner (bass) for the in-store performance, much to the surprise of even Easy Street Records owner, Matt Vaughan. The six-song acoustic set was followed by a signing and meet & greet with Ingrid. A webcast of the set can be found on the Easy Street Records site.

British singer-songwriter David Ford started the Neumo's show off in style, as he put his looping skills and passionate vocals on display.

Fellow Brit Newton Faulkner followed with his unique guitar playing style (which consists of rhythmic tapping and unusual plucking patterns accompanied by organ pedals) and closed his set with an amazing rendition of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Ingrid Michaelson took the stage shortly before 10 PM with her band and immediately connected with the sold out Neumo's crowd. Her set consisted of a mix of songs from her debut album Boys and Girls and her new one, Be OK. She kept the audience entertained in between, including a hilarious Sarah Palin impression and jokingly played a song request in exchange for an audience member. The melodies and harmonies on songs such as "The Chain" showcased the simplistic yet powerfully emotional and seemingly effortless vocals which have rocketed Michaelson to the top of the charts.

Ingrid Michaelson will be back in town on Saturday, December 13 at The Paramount as part of the The Mountain's Winter Warmth concert, featuring The Pretenders, Matt Nathanson, and Augustana. Her soothing voice will surely keep your ears warm from the Seattle cold.

Songs to check out:
David Ford: "Go To Hell", "Song For The Road"
Newton Faulkner: "Dream Catch Me", "People Should Smile More", Teardrop"
Ingrid Michaelson: "Be OK", "Breakable", "The Chain", "The Way I Am"

The rest of my photos from the Easy Street in-store and Neumo's show can be found here and here.

She'll keep your ears warm from the Seattle cold.

New releases from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:50:29 +0000

This week sees a new full-length debut from Moondoggies as well as new singles from Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear. Oh yeah!

New releases from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:03:10 +0000

We've got some hot new releases for out hot summer day.

Seriously people, today's the day

imaginary liz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:00:08 +0000

Wonder what it might be like to wonder the record store aisles with Conor? Would he head for the used 7" records? The local bin? Or surprise us all and go towards electronica vinyl or sound effects compilations?

A lil secret about a Conor Oberst show from our friends at Easy Street

imaginary liz — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:11:24 +0000

Our friend Jesse just whispered a little secret in our ear...

New Releases From Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:07:09 +0000

New Releases From Easy Street Records

Natalie Portmans Shaved Head record release in-store -- tonight!

Jflores — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:07:59 +0000

Easy Street Records is proud to host Natalie Portmans Shaved Head at the Queen Anne location tonight at 8p!

New releases from Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:19:03 +0000

There are some great re-issues coming out from Rocky Votolato, Metallica, and the Moody Blues, as well as a few new titles that might tickle your fancy: