Got your running shoes handy? No, not your Chucks. I mean the ones that you lace up to go the distance. Yes, I know they're buried in the bottom of your closet. We'll wait.

Okay, good. Now, get your favorite socks on warm up those calves -- there's too much good stuff going on around town tonight for you to hit just one show. For starters, the opening set at Neumo's tonight will be a great place to pre-funk. I'm sure that Justin Nozuka is a tremendous headline, but our sources from back east swear that Elizabeth & the Catapault will be the glimmer in our proverbial eyes for the designated warmer-upper of the evening. The Brooklyn based singer-songwriter will be unleashing her endearing, charming ways on the earlybirds that make their way down to Neumo's tonight, and you'll be doing yourself a favor by making it the first stop of your night.

After that, it could go either way -- if you don't stay for the rest of the show at Neumo's, you have your pick of two not-to-be-missed performances going on that you can shuffle to your liking. The first would be making sure to see most, if not all, of Kay Kay & his Weathered Underground's headlining set at the Tractor. It's no secret that our very own ChrisB hearts them to no end, as stated in his loving and well-thought commentary on a past show: What makes Kay Kay such a special band is that there are not any limitations imposed on the music. When you listen to them, you hear elements of vaudeville, ragtime, psychedelic rock, show tunes, Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles, and anything else they can find under the kitchen sink. It’s like they raided their parents’ and grandparents’ record collections and ignored much of their own. All that, and the fact that Hey Marseilles' Sam Anderson hails as a member of their repertoire, makes this a win-win-win.

The other big sha-bang happening this evening is the benefit show for the recent GIVE compilation that was released, with a line-up to beat the, um -- band. Or something. Anyhow -- have a look at this: on one bill, for charity, and at a mere fifteen bucks [!!!], you can catch Grand Archives, D. Black, Kinski, Grant Olsen (of Arthur and Yu), Gabriel Mintz, Tilson (of the Saturday Knights), Fences [swoon], and the Tea Cozies. Really, that's less than a dollar a band member, if you splice it out the right way. And even at twice that, it's a better-than-fair price for a best-of-the-best kind of show.

So, bundle up tonight and hit the town -- whether you go Neumo's > Tractor > Croc, or Neumo's > Croc > Tractor > Croc, pick one to hit up with your birds and bliss the night away. With all this talent, you're sure to get a win no matter what venue(s) you choose!

This show at The Crocodile features two atypical, orchestral pop groups that make some of the best music to come from the Northwest. With the bigger stage and crystal clear acoustics, The Crocodile should be the ideal venue for these two bands.

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at The Blue Moon

I shopped extensively for New Years Eve shows and immediately dismissed The Paramount’s offering with The Presidents of The Unites States of America, as I genuinely detest their music. But...

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at Capitol Hill Block Party 2008

When I originally saw the Capitol Hill Block Party lineup, I knew if there was one band I couldn't miss, it was Seattle's own Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground. The band opened the Main Stage on Saturday to a beautiful day with an intent crowd -- utterly captivated with this eclectic, larger-than-life band.

Immediately upon taking the stage, the 10-member band (according to Kay Kay superfan ChrisB, that's "a light showing" for them) got the presumably bleary crowd clapping along with their first song -- and this wasn't a simple clap-clap kinda thing. Without prompting, the audience nearly instantaneously sprang to life and clapped along in exact rhythm with the band, as if well-rehearsed.

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We had loads of Sasquatch photos posted to the TIG Sparkly Indie-Pop Photos pool, and we've selected a few faves to share with you.

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I made one this afternoon. You can listen to it at imaginarychrisb.muxtape.com. What would be on yours?

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at The Triple Door

When you listen to them, you hear elements of vaudeville, ragtime, psychedelic rock, show tunes, Sgt. Pepper-era Beatles, and anything else they can find under the kitchen sink. It’s like they raided their parents’ and grandparents’ record collections and ignored much of their own.

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So... was the Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground / J. Tillman show at the Triple Door the greatest thing since sliced bread or what?

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You voted, we tabulated. Here are the winners of the Three Imaginary Girls top 50 Northwest Releases of 2007 Readers' Poll!

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All things considered, I think I can face Father Time if that's what 2008 holds in store. What albums are you awaiting in the next 365 days?

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