We are incredibly pleased to announce an addition to our (already uber-groovy) holiday party lineup!

Sean Nelson {Harvey Danger, The Long Winters} and Kyle O'Quin {Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground} along with Thomas Hunter and Aaron Benson {Kay Kay / Wild Orchid Children} -- who are currently performing under the working title of Temp Score -- will be taking the stage second-slot at our party, taking place on Friday, December 16th at Columbia City Theater. You may already be familiar with their new project, which made its Seattle debut during KEXP's Rekyavik Calling showcase at Neumos earlier this fall. We asked Sean to give us a little more on the band, for those who aren't yet familiar:

This will be our second show. It's piano + vocals + bass + drums. No guitars. Fairly up. Rather catchy. Very nimble, mid-'60s-esque, British-influenced piano pop in the Zombies/Kinks/Rubber Soul-era Paul mold, with a few droplets of solo Graham Nash, my usual tablespoon of Morrissey, and maybe a soupcan of pre-rock melodic influence. Mostly it's just pop songs about the usual rock subjects: girls, feelings, blame, regret, suicidal despair, milkshakes cold and long. It's a good band. Kyle is amazing.

The combination of me and him doing the writing, and those three guys (who play together ALL THE TIME) with my very different performance style, makes for a very exciting hybrid of stuff. We're hoping to make a record next month.

As if Heligoats isn't enough of a reason to get there early! Just a reminder: tickets available here, Facebook event page here.

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Are y'all getting excited about this year's City Arts Fest yet? There's so much goodness packed into only three days! Since Victoria did such an incredible job picking stuff you can't miss,  I thought I'd join the fun with a list of my must-sees: 

Thursday 10/20

MUST SEE
Hedwig and the Angry Inch Movie Sing Along
SIFF Cinema
8pm | $12 
buy tix 

How do I even being to express my love for this movie? I can't. It's too much. If you've never seen it, you HAVE to. Like, right now. And if you have, how can you pass up a chance to sing "The Origin of Love" and "Sugar Daddy"? I mean, seriously. you guys. seriously. I only wish I had an official foam Hedwig hat/wig/thing to wear to this. 

RUNNER UP
Crystal Castles 
w/Crypts, Nightmare Fortress 
Showbox SoDo
7pm | $27.50 adv, $32 doors
buy tix

These guys won my heart with their cover of Platinum Blonde's "Not in Love" featuring Robert Smith. I proceeded to buy their CD immediately and fall for their crazy retro electonic-y pop tunes. I kind of bet they're adorbs on stage too. 

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Sean Nelson fans, you may have been asking yourself - what the hell has that guy been up to lately? Well, here's your answer. Mr. Nelson co-directed a movie (with Humpday Producer Steven Schardt) that's getting all kinds of good buzz. It's about an LA filmmaker (played by Joshua Leonard) whose schemes lead him to faking a drug addiction in order to check himself into a fancy rehab clinic, befriend a sought-after actor there, and convince him to star in a movie - thus, of course, making  millions. Nelson plays his friend, so I'm not sure how big his part is since I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but hey! A co-directing credit is kind of a big deal, you know?

Anyway, throw in a soundtrack by Robyn Hitchcock, and duh. I am SO there. Nelson, Schardt, and some cast are scehduled to be at tonight's (!!!) screening, so you can give them all a big round of applause after it's over. Who's with me?

{Treatment screens at SIFF Thursday, 5/26, 9:30pm at the Egyptian, and again on Saturday 5/28, 11am at the Neptune}

*He also had a bit part in The Off Hours

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Man oh man. The Seattle International Film Festival’s Northwest Connections showcase ALWAYS thrills me, as I love to see what innovative NW filmmakers they’ve picked from the talented submitters, as well as who shot films here, and what I can recognize in them. Here are few top picks from the long, long list!

The Catechism Cataclysm apparently involves a priest on sabbatical and a pair of Japanese tourists recreating the river journey in Huckleberry Finn (what the), it’s been gaining steady word-of-mouth for massive hilarity, and was produced by Seattle-based filmmaker Megan Griffiths—who also directed Sundance favorite The Off Hours (which is here in the NW Connections program too). And Late Autumn follows a pair of ill-fated lovers through the streets of Seattle.

WWU graduate, poet, photographer, songwriter and filmmaker Caleb Young directed the touching Do You See Colors When You Close Your Eyes? about coping with family tragedy, and horror-master John Carpenter hauled his cast & crew to Eastern WA in order to shoot his first film in nine years, The Ward: a spooky atmospheric tale about a woman in a haunted asylum. Also filmed in Washington is Marrow, a psychological thriller that frankly, looks all kinds of MESSED UP, and Without—a haunting debut from Seattle native Mark Jackson, set on Whidbey Island. And then of course, there’s Treatment: the directing debut of our own beloved Sean Nelson (co-directed with Steven Schardt), about an LA filmmaker who lies about addiction to check himself into rehab in order to land an A-list actor being treated there. Nelson also has a role (+ a bit part in The Off Hours! That guy is all over the place…), and we know he’ll light up the screen. Treatment also has a score by Robyn Hitchcock!!!

NW Documentaries include Holy Rollers: The True Story of Card Counting Christians, in which we learn how Seattle-based Churchteam reaps serious profits from casinos for the lord (how did I NOT know about this before?), How to Die in Oregon about a woman’s choice to end her life under OR's Death with Dignity clause (bring some tissue, folks), and A Lot Like You, which follows Seattle filmmaker Eli Kimaro back home to Tanzania as she uncovers some long hidden family secrets (yeesh. Mebbe go to Costco and stock up on a palette of Kleenex). In addition to all these and tons more, there’s a package of shorts called Seattle Stories to get through, which covers everything from buskers and street artists to retinas (ew).

Huzzah! Support local filmmakers by getting out to see at least a few of these during SIFF's 2011 run.

Photo from: Late Autumn

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{Photos: Victoria VanBruinisse / Ashley Anthony}

As you are already aware, the Pacific Northwest is a breeding ground for amazing songwriters. One afternoon perusing the archives of the EMP or one evening bar-hopping the clubs of Capitol Hill proves as much. But, we are also lucky enough to have a slew of artists who can take a batch of proven songs and cover them in a way that infuses a whole new life and energy into them.

On Tuesday, May 10th one of Seattle's finest {Sean Nelson} and one of Portland's finest {Dave Depper} will each take to the Crocodile stage to re-introduce us to the songs of a couple of heros and we have a pair of tickets to the show to giveaway. To enter, email tig @ three imaginary girls.com with the subject line UncleAlbert before noon on Friday, May 6th.

Opening up the night is the always lovely and talented, Sir Sean Nelson performing his famous Nelson Does Nilsson tribute set. The only thing more beguiling than Sean dressed in his finest suit, is Sean evangelizing the brilliant song-smithing of Harry Nilsson.

Headlining the evening is Mr. RAM Project himself, Dave Depper, a Portland renaissance man who...

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Here at TIG, we firmly believe that good content trumps mediocre video quality. Hopefully you do too. Because that's Sean Nelson above, doing his acapella rendition of "Brown Sugar" at BARE last month, a night at the Fremont Abbey full of nothing but some of our favorite local artists and their booming vocal cords. Below, our friends Goldfinch do an excellent version of "Jolene," and Kaylee Cole gives us both a stir and a laugh during "Smile."

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Every Valentine's weekend, my lovely friend Jenny George celebrates another year on earth by flipping off the bastard that almost took her from it with a birthday cover show that benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year, please join us at The Crocodile this Friday, February 11 for Dancing on the Valentine VI: Strangelove and give cancer a big "F YOU" while listening to Depeche Mode covers by Seattle bands, buying raffle tix for awesome prizes, and you know, probably drinking a lot.

We can't tell you who's covering what (that would spoil the surprise!), but we can tell you who's playing: Black Swedes, Hotels, Exohxo, SHiPS, Lesli Wood with Jupe Jupe, Sean Nelson & Phil Peterson, Legion Within, and The Animals at Night w/special guests Brent Amaker & Ruby Mimosa from The Atomic Bombshells!!! Tickets are $10 advance ($12.38 online w/fees from The Croc, $12 @Sonic Boom locations) or $12 at the door. Every bit of the $10 gets donated + all your raffle dollars!

Bonus: we've got a pair of tickets to giveaway! Send an email to us at tig {at} threeimaginarygirls dot com by Thursday 2/10, 6pm - subject line: Strange Highs and Strange Lows and we'll pick a lucky winner at random and notify them Friday AM (that way you can spend all your donation $$ on raffle tickets!)

Dancing on the Valentine VI
Strangelove: A Depeche Mode Tribute & Benefit for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Friday, 2/11/11
The Crocodile
Doors @8
Show @9
$10 adv (+ fees)/$12 at door
21+

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The first two weeks of 2011 have set the bar pretty high for shows: Lovesick Empire killing the stage at a real-life $5 cover night at Neumos, Damien Jurado selling out Columbia City Theater, and back-to-back nights with The Head and the Heart (an impromptu night at Porterhouse in West Seattle last Thursday, and Friday's packed house at Neumos). Suffice it to say that what we're about to see this week is no exception.

On Friday night, the Great Hall of the Fremont Abbey will be filled to the brim with nothing more than the voices of some of our favorite artists -- The Maldives, Sean Nelson, Grand Hallway, Goldfinch, Drew Victor, Shenandoah Davis, Pablo Trucker, and a half-dozen other talented local folk will be hosting an entirely acapella evening, and we're already counting down the minutes to the show. It's the second annual installment of a show called BARE, where we'll be spending the evening sans instruments, electronics, or any kind of amplification -- just the audience, the voices, and the rafters of the hall.

***UPDATE: We've got two tickets to give away to the show, and we want to send you and a friend! Send an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls.com by 5pm on Thursday, January 20th with the subject line BareItAllAtTheAbbey, and tell us why we should choose you to attend the show.

We totally get it if you don't want to run the risk of the show selling out, so click here to pick your tickets up while you still can -- the event is all ages, and prices are only $12-$15 depending on where you'd like to sit your seat.

We'll see you at the show!

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Guest Editor Ann Powers opens the book with a powerful introduction that (forgive the pun) strikes a chord in the reader and emphasizes the fact that although the world of criticism and analysis is often thought of as exclusive, music is still an inclusive, uniting force:

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"Pairing a French-lyricist and classically trained marimba player with the former lead singer of Harvey Danger, the second installment of Chamber v. Chamber looks at the sounds we create when we want forget about the holiday of Love."

Starring: Sean Nelson and Erin Jorgenson. I know. Rad, right? Read on:

As the musical fraction of the Sorrento’s Night School, Chamber vs. Chamber endeavors to spark a dialogue between indie rock and traditional chamber music, combining classical chamber performances with indie rock theatrics. Each Chamber vs. Chamber evening will include multiple illuminating performances and conversation between the musicians and leaders in the classical and indie rock canon. (The first Chamber event included the likes of Loch Lomond, Spectratone, and Lori Goldston.)

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