Three Imaginary Girls - Dept of Energy

Weekend plans to dance your funny valentine off?

imaginary liz — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:20:42 +0000

{Amazing Lesli Wood / Redwood Plan photo by Jason Tang from the TIG Flickr Photo Pool}

The weekend is nearly upon us... what are you most looking forward to?

On Friday night, Lesli Wood and the Redwood Plan kicking arse at the Comet with Dept of Energy headlining? Fresh Espresso (with a name like that you know they know how to work a Seattle crowd) with Truckasaurus and Head Like a Kite?

Saturday night we have to make sure you get your booty, whether it's broken hearted or already full of gue, to the Crocodile for the Dancing on the Valentine bash. It's an annual tradition and the *perfect* way to celebrate all the loves of your life and help raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. This years theme is all David Bowie all night. Dress up and dance your ___ off. What song do you want to hear covered?

Bumbershoot preview: Dept. of Energy

Imaginary Amie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:57:02 +0000

I have long thought that Robb Benson has one of the best singing voices in Seattle…which is why I used to stalk Dear John Letters by showing up at every one of their shows by myself (before I moved back to the city from the 'burbs and met lots of great friends – one of whom coincidentally ended up being the co-writer for DJL’s awesome lyrics, Michelle Auer).

Despite my tears over that band’s demise, I still got to hear Robb's fantastic crooning on a few solo endeavors, and eventually ended up really loving his next band, Dept. of Energy. DoE consists of Robb, drummer Cassody Laton, Keyboardist Ty Bailie Hammond – and occasionally, guitarist Jeff Fielder, who’ll be joining them for the Bumbershoot show.

Dept. of Energy creates the same, dreamy feeling for me as DJL did with just a slightly harder edge. I’d be lying if I didn’t hear a bit of Doors-y influence in there (and indeed, I’ve been at a show or two where they’ve ripped out a cover during an encore), but for most part they have their own unique sound - IMO, mostly due to Benson's vocals - and they rock damn HARD, sneaking a slower ballad in every once in awhile.

Most importantly, they put on a hell of a show. If you haven’t seen them, you’re missing out.

{Dept. of Energy plays at Bumbershoot on Monday, September 7 from 12:15-1:15pm at EMP|SFM’s Sky Church. Photo by SJ Corbett.}

Three Imaginary Girls IndieTunes Podcast {Bumbershoot 2009}

three imaginary girls — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 05:02:21 +0000

Bumbershoot takes place at the Seattle Center this September 5-7 and there's about a million and a half things to do (bands, literary panels, art shows, Flatstock, kettle corn lunches) over the three-day fest.

To help folks (especially ourselves) prepare for Bumbershoot 2009, we put together this lil mix of some of the things you should add to your Bumbershoot scheduling spreadsheet. We hope this helps you pick your must-sees or at least provides a soundtrack as you wander to and fro.

{go listen}

54:38 minutes (50.02 MB)

TONIGHT! Ball of Wax Vol 10 release show

imaginary dana — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:23:19 +0000

Sounds like a fun way to spend a Thursday night in Ballard to me...

The Blakes all-ages EP release show

Imaginary Kiku — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 22:20:07 +0000

5 Oct 2007

blakes07oct.jpg

The Blakes have taken the Seattle music scene by storm in a very short amount of time, and they've earned it, releasing two EPs and a self-titled full-length record {review} in less than a year.

They've played SXSW, Sasquatch, Seafair, and Bumbershoot this year alone, and are just about to launch into a huge nationwide tour. Really, I'm exhausted just thinking about all that.

Last night was their release party, both at VERA and later at the Crocodile Cafe (these guys don't take a break!), celebrating their new EP release on local label Light in the Attic Records, Streets {review}. Although their set was pretty short -- probably because they had to skip across town to sound check at the Croc -- their energy was astounding, even after a night of drunken partying (or so I read in the Seattle Times that morning). I've heard about the Blakes quite a bit, but I'd never actually listened to them before...

The Blakes. Photo by Eduardo Brambila.

...Hearing them for the first time live, I was struck with the impression that this must be what it would feel like to see the Rolling Stones before their rise to fame; leather, tight pants, and all. Their guitar riffs had a definite bluesy feel, their hooks were solid and catchy, and their songs were driven by the loud yet balanced sounds of bass, drums, and guitar -- everything I'd expect from experienced classic rockers. The emergence of a subtle keyboard riff in the fourth song really completed the sound, and made me giddy (I love well-placed keys).

The Blakes. Photo by Chona Kasinger.

The last song came much too soon, but when it did the band got even livelier. Halfway through, a large man leapt on stage and started dancing and singing along. How rude, I thought. It took me a minute to realize this was a guy from the Saturday Knights, who were playing after the Blakes that night. Bassist Snow Keim handed the stage-crasher a tambourine, and everyone cheered. Soon after, as the song was reaching its climax, another member of the Saturday Knights hopped across stage banging loudly on a cowbell. It was a fantastic close, as guitarist Garnet Keim was absolutely shredding and sharing a mic with his brother, the Saturday Knights were jumping around (and they knew all the words!), and the crazy fangirls I've come to associate with great indie-rock bands were melting with pleasure.

The Saturday Knights. Photo by Eduardo Brambila.

It was a fantastic show, not only because of the Blakes' high-energy performance, but because of their opening act Dept. of Energy. I'd heard great things about this band, and they did not disappoint. Like I've said, I love any band with great keys, and these guys definitely had that. They looked like those kind of geeky kids at school who secretly lead amazingly cool lives. Their synth was incredibly catchy, almost jazzy, and lead singer Robb Benson had a voice that could have competed in American Idol. I'm very excited to see more of them; I'll be keeping my eye out.

Dept. of Energy. Photo by Eduardo Brambila.

As for the Blakes, they're about to take the country by storm, and all we'll be left with is that classic line, "I liked them before they were cool."

The Blakes. Photo by Eduardo Brambila.

Their guitar riffs had a definite bluesy feel, their hooks were solid and catchy, and their songs were driven by the loud yet balanced sounds of bass, drums, and guitar -- everything I'd expect from experienced classic rockers.

Sunday night live show check-in...

imaginary dana — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 04:39:07 +0000

How about all of you? Anyone see a good show this weekend? Anyone see a shitty one? Tell us all about it...

Tonight's Recommended Show: Seattle Powerpop Blog's Anniversary Party

ChrisB — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 13:04:48 +0000

Tonight's recommended show is a celebration of my favorite non-TIG music website in town. Gary Miller and his Seattle Powerpop blog have turned me on to so many great powerpop bands over the past 365 days or so that it isn't even funny.

Tonight his blog turns 1 and he's assembled some fine bands to celebrate. Even better, each of the six bands on the bill will be playing a cover of another loved local band. The lineup so far is:

Midnight -- Sgt. Major, paying tribute to: Young Fresh Fellows, Model Rockets, The Sonics and The Fastbacks
11:25pm -- Dept of Energy, paying tribute to: Harvey Danger and/or Western State Hurricanes
10:45pm -- Shake Some Action, paying tribute to: The Heaters
10:10pm -- The Small Change, paying tribute to: Green Pajamas
9:35pm -- Andy Werth, paying tribute to: The Color Bars
9pm -- The Knast, paying tribute to: Screaming Trees

I'm especially excited to hear Shake Some Action! cover the Heaters (Seattle's first powerpop band), but really you can't go wrong with any of them.

Fests are upon us: Part 2: Noise for the Needy

imaginary dana — Wed, 02 May 2007 19:07:13 +0000

The organization is as worthy as their lineup is spectacular this year.

Fests are upon us: Part 1: Georgetown Music Festival

imaginary dana — Wed, 02 May 2007 18:40:06 +0000

While Bumbershoot and the Capitol Hill Block Party have grown to astronomical (read as: huge touring bands) proportions, The Georgetown Music Festival is keeping it local as can be, with a preliminary lineup of loads of Seattle- (and a few Portland) based bands prepared to rock South Seattle this June 2-3.

Held By Waits

Joseph Riippi — Tue, 01 May 2007 05:17:09 +0000

7.5

http://cdbaby.com/cd/deptofenergy2

deptofenergy07may.jpg

“History’s repeating!” Dept of Energy frontman Robb Benson belts out with full diaphragm control in “Carnival,” one of the indelible pop songs on the band’s first full-length, Held by Waits. But nothing could be less true.

For years Robb Benson has rocked and rolled in a number of projects well-loved in the Northwest: Nevada Bachelors, Dear John Letters, and solo as simply Robb Benson. His voice, nasal and powerful, graces all projects as such a highlight that the myriad songs tend to blur together. Distinguishing certain Dear John Letters tracks from certain others by Nevada Bachelors can be like Jeopardy.

Held by Waits strays from his history and, without implying that any quality is lacking from the past discography, sounds all the better for it. The drumming from Cassady Laton has only improved at pulling the group together, while keys take on a bigger role than in last years EP from Dept of Energy, balancing out what many, including this reviewer, considered in 2006 almost another Robb Benson solo record.

From organ to synth to piano, Ty Bailie lays it on thick and abundantly through tracks like the soulful “The Way You Pictured It” and the dance-rock Franz Ferdinand usurper “Firewall.” Soft electric keyboards back classic Benson guitar lines — Modest Mouse analogy, anyone? — like opener “Scuba” and ballad closer “Stereo Embers.”

Dept of Energy not only one-ups the band’s intelligent debut last year, but establishes a new band for Benson fans to rally behind and cry, “Give us more, give us more, give us more.”

And this time, don’t break up.

Dept of Energy not only one-ups the band’s intelligent debut last year, but establishes a new band for Benson fans to rally behind.

From the imaginary mailbins

imaginary dana — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 05:21:48 +0000

This week the imaginary mailbin had loads of treasures, though a surprisingly small number of Northwest releases. Here are some highlights:

Best of the bin: The Saps, a Chicago-based band whose debut release C'mon Already - Start a Fire officially (self) releases on March 27th. Expect an imaginary review forthcoming, and follow the link to their MySpace page to find tour info for Chicago, New York, and Boston for late March.
Traveled the farthest to get here: The Dark Beaks, who braved customs to send their CD Spill Your Heart all the way from Dunedin, New Zealand (!!). Thanks, fellas!

And this week in Northwest releases in the imaginary mailbins...

Three Imaginary Girls AstroPOP! August 2006

three imaginary girls — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 07:00:00 +0000

AstroPOP! for August 2006 features tracks from Oneida, Tender Trap, Downpilot, Burn to Shine, Panda and Angel, Martian Memo to God, Miraflores, Vivian Linden, Le Volume Courbe, Old Haunts, Dept of Energy, and The Zero Points.

44:16 minutes (8 MB)

Dept of Energy

Joseph Riippi — Thu, 18 May 2006 07:00:00 +0000

7.1

http://cdbaby.com/cd/deptofenergy

deptofenergy06may.jpg

I sat at my computer yesterday, and wrote this first:

Why Department of Energy? What kind of energy do you specialize in?

Yesterday afternoon I heard back:

(Laughing) What's in a name? Montague's, Capulets... heck we just wanted something people would remember. I guess the energy part we are talking about is a force much like STAR WARS portrays, except that it's a musical force to be reckoned with.

~ ~ ~

I emailed Robb Benson from New York a while ago to see if I could ask him some questions about the new Department of Energy record. When Department of Energy formed and word got round they were working on a debut EP, I was ecstatic. A longtime fan of whatever moniker adorned Robb Benson's latest musical endeavor, the fact that he had birthed yet another band after the breakup of Dear John Letters was, to put it bluntly, fucking great.

Nevada Bachelors stake claim as the earliest Benson band, endowing the musical climate with a shrilling shrieky voice (Benson) and thrilling literary wit (also Benson). Songs like "Bad Haircut" permeated the humble Northwest nighttime clouds whilst Benson and Co. rocked whichever local venue happened that night to host the group.

After two records, Dear John Letters broke up the Bachelors. Then two records as DJL later, and a couple of various other recordings thrown in for good measure, Benson's solo record The Tree Mind dropped onto shelves, tragically with a definite thud. (The Tree Mind was in this humble cynic's opinion, was one of 2004's best records.)

Nevada Bachelors, Dear John Letters, Robb Benson as a solo artist, and Department of Energy all share a lead songwriter and singer, which gives the three incarnations a feeling of being cut from the same Robb mold. His voice is uncannily recognizable, finding its timbral existence somewhere between terrible and wonderful. His range is more akin to Jeff Buckley, but with a harsh quality that lends itself more to Mountain Goats or Neutral Milk Hotel comparisons. This uniquity brands just about everything Robb does.

Department of Energy's debut EP embodies some of the best qualities of all three musical monikers. Benson's high vocal nasalities are captured beautifully on his Tascam 8-track, as he and bandmates Cassady Laton (drums) and Ty Baille (organ/piano/keys) work through the high-energy rock and roll that's made Robb a staple Seattle songwriter over the past decade.

A good song can never be performed badly, which seems to be the mission statement of Department of Energy. The six tracks take on many different tones and feelings, despite there being a fairly narrow instrumentation. Opener "Song for John Voluntine" starts with a slow, eccentric electirc guitar line that forms the basis for the first couple verses in a very Dear John Letters Stories of Our Lives sort of way. However, at the chorus, it bursts with a Pavement garage-rock enthusiasm.

"Summer" busts through the garage door and takes Pavement allusions to the edge of the envelope. Here come the crunching pine cones of Robb's guitar and power chords, along with a lot of cymbals, and a lot of regret: "I changed my mind about summer / and the things that I told you," Robb sings.

"I Remember What the Light Felt Like" takes the listener on a journey similar to "Summer," but sweeter, more friendly. The tone is much more welcoming. We travel on the crunchy, recognizable guitar along a flowing hammond organ, through hills of catchy choruses and synth riffs, like driving home from the Gorge in the dark.

"One last wish for Claire Grogan" features the best vocal performance on the record. Robb screaming: "How serious it is to put a needle near anything," again and again, at various degrees of shivering seriousness. "Cowboys and Aliens" is about, well, guess; and "Lemon" closes the EP with a lovely piano ballad. All in all, quite a wonderful, well-rounded and textured EP that seems neither disjointed nor unintentional in its entirety.

All in all, quite a wonderful, well-rounded and textured EP that seems neither disjointed nor unintentional in its entirety."