Summer wouldn't be summer without a sweet lineup at the Mural at Seattle Center during the month of August, and this year is no exception: our friends over at KEXP have put together another killer series of shows for 2011. As usual, it's all ages to rock, 21+ to hit the beer garden, and f-r-e-e FREE. (Although donations are gladly accepted at the KEXP tent, we're sure!) "Doors" are at 5, bands start at 6, and each Friday is hosted by a different DJ. It just doesn't get much better than that. Check out these bands and hosts!

Friday 8/5
Host: DJ El Toro
The Maldives / 
Hey Marseilles
 / Black Whales

Friday 8/12
Host: Troy Nelson
Seapony / 
Gold Leaves / 
Math and Physics Club

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There's only one place to be on Saturday night, and that's at the benefit show for Drew Grow out at Columbia City Theater. Featuring (mostly) acoustic performances by The Maldives, Kevin Murphy of The Moondoggies, Mychal Benjamin Goodweather of Campfire OK, Bryan John Appleby, Jake Hemming of Big Sur, Ghosts I've Met and, apparently, some special secret guests.

On top of what will prove to be a compelling night of live music, CCT will be opening its doors early for a silent auction starting at 7 with all proceeds going to Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives. It includes items like three nights at the Doe Bay Retreat House for you and 19 of your closest friends, $2,000 worth of web-design by Hardly Coded, and an array of more affordable items too. In addition, a merch market will be open all night with vinyl from Damien Jurado, prints from Dylan Priest and Sarah Jurado, special silk-screened posters made just for the benefit by Killorn O'Neill -- the list goes on and on.

True story: be there, or kick yourself in the pants forever. When good people come together doing great things for a worthy cause, magic is bound to happen.

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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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Iceland versus Seattle on Friday, November 5, 2010 at the Crocodile. WHO WILL WIN THE EPIC BATTLE? Who will be voted the most precious of all indie rockers between here and Reykjavik?

Akin to the now defunct Band Lottery, the musicians will be teaming up to possibly reinvent old material, but are more likely to create all new jangly and sparkly songs to soothe the (potentially) waterlogged audience. Personally, I am hoping that Sindri Mar Sigfusson (Sin Fang Bous/Seabear) and our own John Roderick are paired up. If you've never heard of Sin Fang Bous, think "The Commander Thinks Aloud" but with micro beats and quieter vocals. (DID YOU JUST GET EXCITED? I DID!!) Rachel Flotard (Visqueen / Cobirds Unite) will also be gracing the stage, possibly in a Bjork-style gown.

If that doesn't peak your interest, how about this: THE EVENT IS FREE!! It is 21+ (sorry kids!) and open until the venue reaches capacity. I hear rumor that Roderick will be sporting a genuine Icelandic-themed sweater! The other Seattle artists that night will be: Rusty Willoughby, Nathan Wade, and Jason Dodson. Lay Low, Petur Ben, and Mugison are rounding out the Icelandic team.

Flotard aptly described the upcoming night of radness, "Without getting too 'We Are the World' over the potential for kindred connection and cultural hilarity, this evening of Seattle/Reykjavik spin-the-bottle makes my heart implode."

Prepare your hearts and get there early. Don't miss a minute.

{Photo of Rachel Flotard by Kirk Stauffer from the Imaginary Flickr Photo Pool}

Come welcome fall with us this Sunday, October 17th at the Corson Building!

Music, cider pressing, family dinner, and more -- it's all going on at the third annual Cider Press Event, a benefit for the Teen Feed organization (you may recognize Teen Feed as this past year's primary benificiary of the Noise for the Needy shows). There will be music from The Maldives, performing a stripped-down acoustic set, along with DJ sets from KEXP's Greg Vandy, and much, much more from 1-6p.

This event is all ages, and tickets will be sold at the door -- adults are $40, and kids under age 12 are $5. The price includes the music, the cider pressing, and a casual fall feast. More information can be found at the Teen Feed and Corson Building websites.

We'll see you there!

It is sheer madness that there are so many great live performers appearing at Bumbershoot 2010 this year. This is my personal schedule to see a cross-section of irascible indie-ness (be it indie pop-friendly Pac NW hip-hop, indie rock, Brooklyn funk, etc.) but mostly focusing on those TIG-sparking artists who either put out a great record recently (and may or may not have gotten the deserved acclaim) or have one coming right up.

So let's begin the plan, and bear in mind if you haven't heard the music that may already be available from these performers, we would recommend checking the releases hyped below out before you attend Bumbershoot 2010. This is not because you would be in any way disappointed with what you will see and hear when you hit the full-genre full-on phenomenon that is the festival this year; just the opposite, we want you to already have some of these songs down to sing/chant/rap along when they pop during the sets. All are recommended and approved.

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Seven bands, nine hours, sixty-eight degrees, three rounds of busking, and a good helping of some straight-out wonderfulness: it all adds up to this year's No Depression Festival up at the lush, lovely Marymoor park in Redmond. With stellar sets from bands like The Swell Season, the Cave Singers, Alejandro Escovedo, and Sera Cahoone -- well, it's tough to find anything bad to say. We got our indie roots on all day, and through part of the night -- without a curfew, I'm quite sure Glen Hansard and Co. would have sang us straight through to the sunrise.

Sera Cahoone, warming up the post-Maldives crowd.

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Check it out!

We're giving away two tickets to this year's No Depression festival!

On August 21st, the grounds of Marymoor Park (Redmond, WA) will be graced with not just one or two, but seven swoonworthy acts to fit the taste of every alt.americana, alt.country, and modern-folk indie-roots enthusiast within driving distance. Performers like Lucinda Williams and the Cave Singers will be sharing the stage at the second annual installment of ND, following in the footsteps of stellar sets from last year's big name headliners -- Gillian Welch, Iron & Wine, and Jessica Lea Mayfield, just to name a few.

Did we forget to mention that the Swell Season is headling? Silly us! If you haven't bought yourself some tickets already -- and even if you already have -- you might want to take a moment right now to enter our ticket giveaway. Send an email to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line SummerIsTheSwellestSeason and tell us why you think we should send you off to the Park for the day!

The only full-font fine-print is that entries must be recieved by midnight on Wednesday, August 11th to be entered into the drawing. Winners will be announced on Friday, August 13th. There's no catch! You can even bring your underagers, since No Depression is an all-ages event.

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{photo by Victoria VanBruinisse}

When I asked my dude if he wanted to see John Roderick at the Triple Door this Thursday with me, his response was "I don't know. Is he just going to read his tweets?"

Our dear indie-rock-Santa-Claus John Roderick has had a very prolific Twitter career lately, posting little tiny bits of genius at 140 characters (follow him @johhnroderick, it's very much well worth your time). He recently won "Tweet of the Year" from the Seattle Weekly Web Awards. Barsuk even put out a book last year, Electric Aphorisms, containing 365 of his tweets. Said dude of mine refused to buy this for me for Christmas (despite my pleading), saying he'll buy his next album, but he refuses to support him actively not making music.

Well, the time has come again to actively support John Roderick making music. He's booked 3 solo-ish shows (some with special guests) at the Triple Door this summer, and the first one is tomorrow. He's said (via twitter) that all old songs are on the table. (There may even be a handful of new songs. ) Jason Dodson of the Maldives opens, along with J-Rod's childhood friend Karen Korn doing stand up (and part of me hopes this stand up will all be ridiculous stories of J-Rod as a child, because how awesome would that be?). The show is all ages and starts at 8. Plus, it's going to be like 90 degrees tomorrow, and the Triple Door has fancy schmancy air conditioning. Skip the movie you will inevitably have to go see to escape the heat and come support one of Seattle's greatest songwriters.

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{photo credit: the lovely Laura Musselman, courtesy of our imaginary flickr pool}

Now that we're all done with Sasquatch, it's time to set our sights on the next raddest lineup to hit the west coast: it's Noise for the Needy, 2010 edition. There's close to seventy-five bands and djs playing a baker's dozen of venues next weekend, when NFTN takes over every corner of Seattle from June 9th (Thursday) through the 13th (Sunday). Among the notables in big font this year are John Vanderslice, Visqueen, Horse Feathers, Delta Spirit, the Maldives, The Album Leaf, Animals at Night, The Portland Cello Project, and The Redwood Plan -- along with enough supporting acts to make your head spin. Tickets are available at Brown Paper Tickets, or you can just buy a la carte at each show / venue -- although there's some sweet all-access wristband deals being offered if you want to rock it like that.

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