There's a sad-hearted party going on next Thursday, and you're invited.

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter will be taking the stage down at the Showbox at the Market a week from tomorrow {8/4} in celebration of the new release, Marble Son. Already hailed a triumph by folks who've gotten their hands it, Marble Son is definitely cause for cheer, even though the content is shot through with melancholy leanings. Here's a little more about it from Jesse:

I liked the idea of something beautiful that may or may not be appreciated in its own time... of course, a statue comes to mind. They seem to last forever and are beautiful and viable even as they disintegrate. Some were built so well that their dissolution is almost more powerful because it exposes the process and the bare essentials are revealed - we are left with an arm, a torso - and sometimes those parts say enough. There's a line in the song "Marble Son" that goes - "Oh marble son why cant I love you more? I wish I'd found you beautiful before." Many things I didn't see beauty in when I was young, I find beautiful now, and visa-versa.

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Our friends at the Showbox have done it again!

Troubadours of the hurts-so-good-to-be-sad Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter have just confirmed a show down at Showbox at the Market for this summer: they'll be taking the stage in celebration of their latest release, Marble Son, with support from The Sadies. The free world will have a crack at picking up tickets this Saturday, April 30th -- but since you're all so imaginary, you'll be able to get the direct line to the presale a day early. On Friday, April 29th, we'll be announcing a link and a password just for our readers to pick up tickets online, starting at 10am.

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No Depression has long been the place to get the inside scoop on the best Americana, roots and alt-country folks to watch - and we're pleased as punch that they've put all that know how into a full on festival of fabulous artists. The first ever No Depression Festival is set for Saturday, July 11th at Marymoor Park in Redmond. They've scored a stellar line up and you certainly don't want to miss: Gillian Welch, Iron & Wine, Patterson Hood & the Screwtopians, Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, Justin Townes Earle, Jessica Lea Mayfield, a Seattle roots-music all-star revue, and Zee Avi. And we have a pair of tickets to giveaway to a lucky imaginary reader! Enter to win a pair of tickets by emailing us at tig @ threeimaginarygirls.com with "NoDep" in the subject line sometime prior to Friday, July 3 at 9am. Please include your mailing address so that we can put the tickets in the mail asap!

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Photo by Kyle Johnson.

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Music starts at 5PM with special guest star Anna, followed by Mark Pickerel, and then the incomparable Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter anchoring the show.

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Burn to Shine's forthcoming Emerald City edition is quintessentially us. Like the other houses featured in the previous three Burn to Shine installments, this house was destined to be destroyed... but not before some stunning musical performances by great local performers like Tiny Vipers, Eddie Vedder, and Burn to Shine curator Benjamin Gibbard.

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Speaking of popcorn(!) and music... we love it when folks combine our favorite things into one night of fun. The super-cool SIFF folks have taken their pledge to Find True Film out of the theater and into the rock club with their Face the Music program.

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Take one part gothic-noir diva with the mysterious beauty of a young Emmylou Harris (and the lisp of Sean Connery)...

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The top Northwest releases of 2004 as voted on by you, our readers (see winners #30-21 here).

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