Three Imaginary Girls - Light in the Attic

Deep SIFF: Wheedle's Groove

ChrisB — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 08:23:06 +0000

You could probably be forgiven if the first time you thought of Seattle as having a vibrant music scene was when MTV first aired "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Thanks to an engrossing new documentary from first time feature director Jennifer Maas called Wheedle's Groove that just played at the Seattle International Film Festival, you learn an awful lot about the thriving soul and funk scene from Seattle in the 1960s and '70s. While few of the artists are remembered today and fewer broke out of this particular scene, it was thriving because there were a lot of clubs booking these bands and they were playing several nights and week to large crowds.

The Wheedle's Groove project was first a compilation album from local buried treasure-finders Light in the Attic Records that they put out in 2004, featuring bands like Cold, Bold and Together, A Black On White Affair and Ron Buford. They aren't household names today, but the compilation has sparked a renaissance of interest in this time and it has spawned a supergroup of sorts from this era who play and record as Wheedle's Groove and released an album of new music in 2009 called Kearney Barton. When I interviewed director Maas at SIFF, she told me how the idea for this documentary came about. "I was doing a documentary, I was pretty new to making documentaries but I made a lot of short things, I decided I was going to find out how a music scene works behind the scenes. I started interviewing people like John Richards and Jason (Hughes) from Sonic Boom, different record labels. I was going to interview some of the Three Imaginary Girls, although I don't know that I did. I think I planned that interview but I don't think it ended up happening." It changed, she said, when "I ended up interviewing Matt Sullivan at Light in the Attic. They were just about to put out this compilation of soul music from the 60s and 70s in Seattle called Wheedle's Groove. I instantly decided that was the movie I needed to make instead of the one I had been making. There was a record release party (at Chop Suey) and I showed up there with a bunch of cameras and then here we are, five years later." It should be noted that she and Sullivan also married in that time.

Maas said she felt fortunate to have learned of the project when she did because it make tracking down people to participate much less difficult. "I was lucky enough that I discovered the project just as the compilation was about to come out. Matt and Light in the Attic and Supreme (a record collector and DJ featured in the film who is a treasure of knowledge from the era) did all of the hard work. I think it took them two years to get everyone on board. When I was on board, everyone already loved them and trusted them and were excited about the project. It wasn't that hard." She added that "Kenny G and Quincy Jones were a lot more difficult. Some of the grunge-era folks weren't super-easy but most people were happy to have been involved."

Success, or at least in the sense of "making it big," became elusive for a lot of musicians of this era. It is a common theme that runs through the movie. As Maas told me, "I think the sad truth is that most people just don't get to make it. I think there is some sadness and bitterness there and I think if you talk to a lot of people, they'll tell you that not making it is failure." She added that "I don't think 'not making it' is failure". One example she cites is Robbie Hill, the drummer and bandleader for Robbie Hill's Family Affair. He's "a janitor at Seattle Central Community College and I'm sure he'd like to play music more, but I think he is good at what he does. He's been employee of the year multiple times and people give him a high five as he walks down the hall. He loves what he does and has a great life. I don't think there's a lot of sadness there." Hill is also the drummer for the supergroup that came from musicians of this era who still play on occasion together. "There is a drum break he plays and I've had grown men in the audience squeal when they saw him play that," Maas also said of him.

Part of what made it more difficult for Seattle musicians from this era to break through was there wasn't an infrastructure to support a nationally-known scene. As Maas told me, "there wasn't a collective understanding of the industry here. Not very many musicians had managers and there wasn't anyone here saying 'this is what you need to do.' They pounded the pavement and tried to make the money here and often they'd go to LA. That's the story we saw over and over again where they'd journey to LA to try to make it and then they'd stay there for a while, but usually it didn't happen... They could have used a little more guidance." She added that there "wasn't a Motown here" and wouldn't be anything comparable until Seattle became synonymous with grunge in the early 1990s.

Most musicians from this era were able to work as musicians and didn't need to keep day jobs. In one particular scene from the movie, Robbie Hill talks of telling his band they could make a living from playing music and they all took a leap of faith and did quit their jobs. It worked well for several years where they were able to live on what they made from playing shows nightly.

It's not lost that the one musician from this era to become a star musician was Kenny Gorelick, a then-young saxophone player in Cold, Bold and Together who, of course, is now better known as Kenny G. "It's a bit of a reward a few minutes into the film" Maas said. He also comes across as very likable and surprisingly cool. Maas told me, "he was really great to work with and was funny and self-effacing. I flew down to Houston to interview him before a show and he stopped his soundcheck because he wasn't done reminiscing with us. I think people are surprised by that and it's one of the bonuses in the film that it shows him in a different light." Explaining further, she said, "He's certainly villified by those of us who don't connect to his music. The interesting thing to me about his audience is that he has a very large following of older black women who were listening to the same (type of) music that is in Wheedle's Groove and that was what they transitioned into. One person I interviewed in the film really liked Kenny G and I asked her to explain it to someone who isn't as familiar and she said 'that is the music we were making babies to.' I didn't get to stay for his show but when you saw the crowd lining up, it was these really cool black women in their fifties and sixties. There's a very direct lineage between the Wheedle's Groove music and the music Kenny G was playing in the early '80s."

The documentary continues to play at film festivals and Maas said she hoped to partner with different local community groups across the country to show the film. "The dream is to have a small version of the supergroup that has come out of this movie tour with the film. They are really great and they can still play and it would be amazing to have them tour with this film. It's a pretty expensive prospect, but that would be awesome," she said. More modestly, she added "I think we're going to have a theatrical run." Meanwhile, the Wheedle's Groove band continues to play shows locally, including playing a party for EMP members later this week and a free, lunch time concert at Harbor Steps on Friday, June 18 at noon. They continue to record, as well. Kearney Barton, which came out last year, Maas said "that was all new music that sounded like old music. It's really good." A favorite for her is "'Jesus Christ Pose,' which is a Soundgarden song that Pat Wright redid as a gospel song. She reinterpreted it. It's sort of about rock stars standing up in a Jesus Christ pose acting persecuted on stage, which was probably a '90s thing to do, I don't see it much anymore, and Pat Wright turned it into a song about hypocrisy in the church and she's a pastor. That was really, really amazing." She then said "There also might be one or two more of the Wheedle's Groove compilations, as well," and added "there's still a lot of music that's not out."

Chomp down at Light in the Attic's 3rd annual doughnut eating contest

Imaginary Mimi — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 19:20:13 +0000

Here is a little free association test for you: When you hear the expression "competitive eating," what comes to mind?

If the answer wasn't a Mexican Elvis impersonator, well, you're probably not the only one, but it feels kind of appropriate, no?

Indie record label Light in the Attic is hosting their 3rd annual donut eating contest on Saturday, August 1st at 1p at Top Pot Doughnuts (5th Avenue location). This event is free to the public. There are a few fun and exciting changes this year for participants and cheerleaders alike, including the participation of four other record labels (Barsuk, Sub Pop, Suicide Squeeze, and Hardly Art).

The name of the game is doughnut eating, and apparently this will be a tag team-type affair. Volunteers from the audience will be selected at random and teamed up with one of the five label representatives to scoff down as many rings of fried deliciousness as possible.

Histoire de Melody Nelson

Andrew Boe — Tue, 26 May 2009 20:57:56 +0000

9.5

http://www.amazon.com/Histoire-Melody-Nelson-Serge-Gainsbourg/dp/B001Q8FRMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1242507321&sr=8-1

gainsbourg_histoire_cover.jpg

Gainsbourg has gone on to achieve cult status in Europe, but has remained under the radar in the United States. I can't figure out why. This album is truly stellar. It seems if his lyrics were sung in English that this would have been rather popular in the US. The music recalls Can, Pink Floyd, the Bad Seeds and Sonic Youth. Yes, this is quite an impressive range.

The first track, "Melody," is seven and a half minutes of some of the grooviest bass playing that I have ever heard. On top of this, there are jazzy drums and garage guitar playing that gel together extremely well. Gainsbourg's vocals are spoken over the funky musical accompaniment with an enviable smoothness where one can practically smell the brandy on his breath.

From this point on, the brief twenty-eight minute album winds through some incredible songs that often include orchestral arrangements. The heavy inclusion of strings often taints albums or songs by other artists, but on this record it sounds completely natural. "Valse de Melody" is an example of schmaltz that still feels absolutely right in this context. There are also tracks here that feature no strings at all and that is partly why the orchestra works on this album.

"L'Hotel Particulier" combines the funkiness of the performing band and the lavishness of the string arrangement with impressive ease. Once again, the production of the bass guitar here is amazing. Hypnotically, it leads the other instruments while Gainsbourg plainly delivers his lines just as confidently as Leonard Cohen ever has. The disc's finale is "Cargo Culte," another standout featuring incendiary wandering bass lines, grimy guitars and a hauntingly cinematic backing chorus. The crescendo near the end of the song is something out of this world.

In the press release from Light in the Attic Records, there is a line stating that this is “an essential album for the discerning music lover.” I don’t think that I could have summed it up any better. Histoire de Melody Nelson is a true masterpiece. The album is absolutely stunning and the recording sounds incredible. How the fuck did this one ever slip through the cracks?

Seattle's exceptionally cool Light in the Attic Records has wisely released another long lost classic. This time, it is one by the relatively unknown French icon, Serge Gainsbourg. The album, Histoire de Melody Nelson, was originally released in 1971. The reissue CD (which is also available on LP) has been lovingly remastered and comes with a tome of a booklet that includes generous footnotes, historical information and lyrics in both French and English. Gainsbourg has gone on to achieve cult status in Europe, but has remained under the radar in the United States. I can't figure out why. This album is truly stellar. It seems if his lyrics were sung in English that this would have been rather popular in the US. The music recalls Can, Pink Floyd, the Bad Seeds and Sonic Youth. Yes, this is quite an impressive range.

Light in the Attic's Retail Road Trip

ChrisB — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:50:24 +0000

The folks from Light in the Attic are going on a road trip, which began Monday morning in Seattle (at Easy Street Records) and will hit 50 total record stores in the next 10 days, selling Light in the Attic releases along the way. They are borrowing the tour van of Brent Amaker and the Rodeo, which may or may not have working seatbelts.

New Saturday Knights video: Count it Off

ChrisB — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 01:58:05 +0000

The Saturday Knights premiered a new video to their single "Count it Off" last week at SXSW.

Light in the Attic re-issues 1971's Histoire De Melody Nelson

imaginary victoria — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 19:33:12 +0000

With its far-reaching inspiration touching everything from the quintessential rap of De La Soul and The Beatnuts to like-minded and eclectic singer-songwriter Beck, Nelson continues to entrance.

Black Angels giveaway: free tickets and signed poster

imaginary dana — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:43:05 +0000

Free tickets, free signed poster, yo.

Download the Saturday Knights record "Mingle" for free

imaginary dana — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 17:30:58 +0000

The kind folks at the band's label (Light in the Attic) have made the record available for free download. The artwork for the free download promotion is pretty damn funny, too.

Imaginary Interview: Barfly of the Saturday Knights

imaginary dana — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 18:00:47 +0000

The Saturday Knights have not only released one of the most exciting Northwest records of the summer {Mingle}, but they're also hosting one super sweet event -- literally. This Saturday, July 26th, the band will play at the downtown Top Pot Doughnuts during the second annual doughnut eating competition.

TIG had a chance to catch up with Saturday Knight Jeff Newton, aka Barfly, about the new record and doughnuts. If you want to see the Saturday Knights -- or strut your competitive eating stuff -- the action starts at 2p.

Have a Pink Feathered Boa for TIG, wouldya?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TIG: What is your relationship with the stewardess on the cover of Mingle?
Barfly: Ahem. She prefers the gender neutral term, "Flight Attendant," if I'm not overreaching. We know her from our salad days in the Portuguese navy. She's sort of a life coach for all of us.

TIG: "Dog Park" is a great pop song. What pop star would you most like to see cover it and why?
Barfly: Well assuming anyone would cover it at all is flattering, but I think Lilly Allen could cover it well. They aren't exactly pop stars but I'd like to hear what would happen to it in the hands of say Sam Coombs or The Clipse. All of those artists have terrific pop sensibilities.

Why a donut eating contest? Will any of you be participating in the gorge-fest, or just playing for those who do? Also, do you have any tips based on last year's competition?
A Donut Eating Contest sounds like a lot of fun until you're done eating the donuts, I'm guessing. None of us are competing but we do have a stern and rigorous screening against substance-enhanced performances on the field of battle. All of our athletes are off the pot for at least 24 hours prior to competing. My advice to prosepctive competitors is win. Win by eating the most donuts and when you've won, celebrate by having a few more donuts.

What was the best wine year for donut gorging?
2006 was a good donut year for Washington vineyards. Might I suggest a Top Pot Old Fashioned accompanied by a 2006 Chateau Emerald Queen Port? It's raisiny bassnote is a fine compliment to the glazed loaf of cake sweating on your plate! Let's eat.

Lastly, if you could have a donut called a "Saturday Knight" what would it be and why?
A Saturday Knight is just a bacon wrapped glazed with a Crown & Rocks in the hole.

SATKNIGHTS08JUL.jpg

Join the Saturday Knights on Saturday July 26 at Top Pot for the second annual doughnut eating competition!

Mingle

ChrisB — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:11:12 +0000

8.6

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0018BEGDC/?tag=wwwthreeimagi-20

1028004.jpg

This review is giving me nothing but fits.

There is very little about the Saturday Knights for reviewers to grasp on to. You just have to sit back, listen to the music, and groove to it. That’s the easy part. Explaining it is where the trouble starts.

See, there is no real definitive “Saturday Knights sound.” There are 13 songs on the album – and the worst you can say about any one of them is that it is merely “very good” – and not one sounds like the one that precedes or follows it. It is the most consistently solid but inconsistently sounding record I’ve heard in a while. On “I Go”, they employ a Van Halen-like guitar intro (from Soundgarden’s Kim Thayil) and follow it with “The Gospel”, a Southern Rock/country ditty that bears little to (but not to none of) the hip hop sound that runs through quite a bit of Mingle.

The album kicks off with their first single “45” – it’s got a big chorus (“I was on the dance floor and I heard the DJ drop my 45 and I was so hot that I dropped my .45 and everyone just ran, ran, ran”) rhymed over a turntable scratch from DJ Suspence. During the final chorus, they change “ran” to “danced” and that gets it right. It could be a big dance hit with the floor packed with people moving to the song and singing along to the chorus. The rhymes on this track specifically (and on this album in general) are so tight and flow so smoothly that you can’t dismiss these guys as a joke band. They are fun and funny but Tilson, Barlfy and Suspence know how to make a hit song as well as anyone.

“Dog Park” is the laidback summer anthem. The rhymes and the tempo are slowed down considerably but it is followed by “Foreign Affair” – TSK’s ode to four international hotties that increase their blood pressure and, subsequently, the energy of the album. The love they show in this song is for Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Nicole Willis and MIA and their rhymes drop song titles and lyrics from those four ladies’ songs (“Amy, Amy, Amy, help yourself to some f-me pumps in my bed…”). The verses come across to fast to keep up so you (or is it just me?) only can keep track of one or two words in a sentence to hear who they’re referring to (“Soul investigator”, “Tears dry on their own,” “Are you a window shopper?” etc…).

They are equally libidinous on “Private School Girl,” another catchy pop killer with a catchy, call-and-response, boy/girl chorus. On a record that has appearances from the Dap Kings (no shit!), Chris Ballew from the Presidents dropping a bassline, and legendary producer Jack Endino playing drums, the use of Holly Deye (the bassist from Lillydale, a one-time Northwest pop/rock band that I really miss) on vocals might be the most inspired guest musician on the record. She captures the personality of a party girl who finds TSK’s overtly sexual “charm” completely irresistible while only trying to give an illusion to any innocence.

“Ass Kicker’s Haircut” is a funny title for a song – and has lyrics to match. Name-checking on-screen tough guys like Steven Segal, Patrick Swayze and Sylvester Stallone, they celebrate and mock the Dirty Harrys on film. An electric guitar and drums provides the beat and the rhymes include lines like “…arguing over who the dude with the biggest belly is, I can tell you this, this fucking pool hall smells like pomade and piss”. The song is an absolute riot.

Each song on Mingle is unique – but none can be truly considered serious. They are often hilarious and fun, but still well-constructed and expertly produced. Like Outkast, TSK has the feel and spirit of a rock band even if their sound is commonly labeled as rap or hip hop. TSK does prove here is that being pigeonholed or labeled is bullshit. The first time I saw TSK play live they opened for Harvey Danger and just last week they shared a stage with Wu Tang Clan’s RZA. On Mingle they prove that they don’t care who is at the party, only that they are at a party and they are going to have a damn good time while they are there. Everyone else will too.

There is very little about the Saturday Knights for reviewers to grasp on to. You just have to listen to the music and groove to it. That’s the easy part. Explaining it is where the trouble starts.

Win tickets to see the Blakes with the Broken West

imaginary dana — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:25:36 +0000

Three Imaginary Girls has two pairs of tickets for two lucky winners to the Blakes/Broken West show at Neumo's next Tuesday, June 24th.

Directions to See A Ghost

Jon Harthun — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:43:28 +0000

http://www.amazon.com/Directions-See-Ghost-Black-Angels/dp/B0015N0786/wwwthreeimagi-20/

black-angels-album-cover.gif

It's not everyday a band can hand over a sophomore release without worrying about unmet expectations. For starters, Passover is arguably one of the most impressive debut albums of the 2000s, period. An album with such power and innovation at such an early point in a career could have easily meant unreachable expectations for future releases. Unlike many bands, the Black Angels found a way to avoid that 'sophomore slump' cliché with Directions to See a Ghost. If you've ever seen the band live, you'll know how much intensity they can create out of thin air. Directions completely captures that intensity, while moving in matured territories. Yes, Passover was charting waters 99% of modern bands don't bother to seek out, but this album does it all over again, taking even more risks at not just ear splittingly loud proportions, but with painstakingly passionate and innovative forces to boot.

To put it bluntly, Directions is the Brian Jonestown Massacre with balls. It's the electricity and magnitude of Velvet Underground live shows, Andy Warhol visual effects and all. Directions is the brains behind of any Warlocks release, but with the rawness, ingenuity, and aggressiveness original psychadelia and acid rock were all about. This is Krautrock with the levels maxed.

Though a few songs may sound like dead ringers for tracks off Passover (“You In Color,” “You on the Run”), the album rises above the charred remains of the world the Black Angels dropped its first bomb on and begs you to ask the question: how loud can my stereo get? With swirling vocals that would make My Bloody Valentine jealous (“Science Killer”), and sitar strumming that might get Anton Newcombe kicking in skulls (“Deer-Ree-Shee”), Directions to See Ghosts might just be the first enviable release of 2008. Not because you want, or need to buy it, but because more artists will want and need to sound like this.

Directions is the Brian Jonestown Massacre with balls.

Streets (Limited Edition EP)

imaginary stella — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:35:32 +0000

6.1

http://lightintheattic.net/releases/theblakes/streetsep.php

theblakes-streetsep-cover.jpg

Local boys The Blakes keep churning out the releases! Just on the heels of their debut full-length is Streets, a five-track quickie that includes three songs from the self-titled LP. I'd actually consider this an expanded single, though they're billing it as a stand-alone EP.

The two new tracks, "Die" and "Village Green," feature the threepiece exploring their psychedelic side. I can't help but think of The Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour" days on both songs. And "Village Green" wanders Down Under toward The Vines' sound: strained, long-drawn-out vocals, minor keys, and subtle angst.

The new material isn't their best (I tend to prefer their straightforward rockier numbers). But the EP is worth picking up as a collector's item: It's foil-stamped and oh-so-shiny.

Saturday Knights + Top Pot + Competition = Amazing YouTube!

Joseph Riippi — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:51:07 +0000

Saturday Knights + Top Pot + Competition = Amazing YouTube!

Tonight's Recommended Show: The Saturday Knights/The Cops at Havana

imaginary dana — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 17:05:45 +0000

Tonight the Saturday Knights have a FREE show at Havana, with free drinks, at 7p, Seattle band the Cops are opening, and then they're going to debut the video for "45" afterwards.

Top Pot Doughnuts eating contest. Oh yes.

imaginary dana — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 19:04:36 +0000

Light in the Attic will host an in-store with the Saturday Knights and an accompanying Top Pot Doughnut Eating Contest!

Also tonight: Eric Howk benefit, VIP DJ sets

imaginary liz — Thu, 24 May 2007 15:56:57 +0000

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.

The Blakes sign to Light in the Attic records

imaginary dana — Thu, 17 May 2007 21:01:28 +0000

I've been wondering who was gonna snatch those fellas up, and I'm thrilled to see they've picked a label close to home.

The Saturday Knights Coloring Book Contest

imaginary dana — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:02:40 +0000

Crack out those crayons and revert back a few years, kiddos, and you can win your own personal show with Seattle hip-hop band the Saturday Knights!

Guess who's replacing the Fratellis...?

imaginary dana — Sun, 06 May 2007 23:29:25 +0000

Looks like they found themselves a great replacement: Austin's the Black Angels!