Last month I was alerted to the fact that one of my favorite musical artists EVER had been in a terrible bike accident that almost resulted in the loss of her hands, and I immediately started crying. Not because I know Heather Duby personally, but in addition to crying over how horribly painful and emotionally traumatizing something like that is, I think her music is so beautiful and amazing that I couldn't imagine a world in which she wouldn't be able to play it.

I caught on to Heather's amazingness at some show, somewhere, in Seattle around 2000 or so - and once I heard her, I made sure I was at every single place she played . I scooped up Post to Wire and Come Across the River as soon as they were available, and loved her electronic-y collaboration with Elemental. This girl can play keyboards like whoa and her voice - her VOICE - is gorgeous, gorgeous, and more gorgeous - just like her. One of my favorite memories of all time will be the night I told her I had purchased her new album at the (old) Croc, and she immediately took me to the back bar and bought me a shot. I LOVE THIS WOMAN. And I was positively crushed when she moved to NYC.

But, I digress. We all know what a bitch expensive medial care is - with or without insurance - and thus, I'm asking you to help me rally around Heather by attending this rockin' benefit on Saturday night (11/26) at The Crocodile. I know, I know, Visqueen's last show is that night too - if you can't make both, you can always drop Heather a few dollars of support on this page.

The Crocodile Presents:
A Benefit for Heather Duby with
Helms, Alee, The Redwood Plan & More
Saturday, 11/26 | Doors at 8pm | 21+ 
Tickets $10 ($12.50 w/fees online)

{Hey Marseilles photo by Jason Tang from the Imaginary Photo Pool}

Huge thanks to the folks that have put together the Nic at Nite party for letting us share a special invitation to their big soiree on Monday, May 23rd at the Fred Wildlife Refuge (128 Belmont Ave E ) in Capitol Hill. The evening is a celebration and fundraiser for Nicole Pieratt, amazing Seattle stylist, lady, etc. Earlier this year, Nicole was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer (at the age of 27) and has spent the last few months in treatment. To mark this special milestone, a group of her fans and friends have organized a fancy party complete with performances and silent auction prizes featuring a who's who of Seattle:

Special Live Performances by:
Hey Marseilles
Pearly Gate Music
DJ Erika White

Silent Auction Contributions from:
Mathews Winery, Mark Ryan Winery, Sub Pop, Teatro Zinzanni, Pacific Northwest Ballet, autographed works by Lance Mercer and Charles Peterson, photographic prints by Hayley Young, original artwork by Stacey Rozich, Drew Christie, Daniel Carillo, autographed vinyl from The Cave Singers, Campfire, Ok, and many more

Autographed vinyl! Original artwork and photographic prints! Sub Pop!

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Chop Suey is hosting a benefit on Sunday, December 30 for The Croc (RIP) staff and Three Imaginary Girls is proud to sponsor the event.

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A big congratulations is in order to Lesli Wood for organizing such an event that has become a staple in Seattle every Christmas season...

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It’s ten days and counting until we christen the pina colada-drenched schooner that will be the Yacht Rock Tribute Night at Neumo’s on July 26th! In honor of the event, we offer a pleasant spritzer for the uninitiated, counting down the very best of the Yacht Rock canon. I’m sure we’ll forget as many classic bands and songs as we include, so please add your two cents!

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There is no single term I find more grating than "guilty pleasure" when applied to music - not even "seminal."

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You get the added bonus of getting to say you saw CSS before your friends who listen to Top 40 radio, along with the good feeling that comes with supporting a worthy cause - this show is a benefit for Noise for the Needy as well.

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This show is a benefit to coincide with the documentary Girls Rock!, which premiered at SIFF last night (and plays again tomorrow afternoon). The film profiles a camp that brings young girls all over the country to Portland for a week to teach the campers about rock and/or roll. One of the regular instructors is Carrie Brownstein, the amazing guitarist for Sleater-Kinney (my favorite band ever).

This is an early show (starting at the very rock and roll time of 2pm) at Chop Suey. The cover is $10 (or more - it is a benefit).

The details come from the film's MySpace page:

Now, we're getting ready for our even bigger U.S. Premiere at the Seattle international Film Festival over Memorial Day Weekend! Not only will our premiere be at the very cauldron of musical movements that influenced the Rock Camp, but all four of the girls we focused on in the movie will be there! Plus, a bunch of camp staff, other alumni and the extended camp family. It was looking to be so festive, we decided to have a big party/concert to celebrate, and thus was born the third edition of Girls Rock Fest.

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The smell of SIFF is in the air and boy is it tasty! But if you're in the mood for something less cinematic, there's a couple other things that could tickle your fancy.

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This Thursday (May 17) the McLeod Residence is hosting a special benefit happy hour with a donation-supported bar from 6pm - midnight.

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