Three Imaginary Girls - Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death

Some Of Us Are In This Together

Chris Estey — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:20:18 +0000

7.5

http://www.amazon.com/Some-Us-Are-This-Together/dp/B004H83IJG/?tag=wwwthreeimagi-20

I love and hate the bipolar skronk of Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death. I have ever since I bought their "Diamonds In The Mine" (a Leonard Cohen cover) 45 at Easy Street Records a few years ago. That first bitter taste of their smeared mediation between old world magic and new chaos, between folk and punk and noise and song and anti-song, can be found in their hasty approximation of a song based on moral outrage and spat out brusquely.

Years down Highway 99, after a smattering of releases and a sputtering of shows, on the new Don't Stop Believin' full-length Some Of Us Are In This Together, the dead hooker's bruises still haven't healed. Who can expect them to? Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death is as cold as they come. It's still-born squalor, between abyss and existence. The ten tracks on Some Us Are In This Together are as tribal-loyal, exclusive, paranoid-defensive, and elitist as the LP title sounds. Drummer Andrea Zollo (ex-Pretty Girls Make Graves) is at the center of the activity, pounding away like an embittered Moe Tucker pummeling on an abusive boss's balding cranium with a Walmart price gun, allowing Corey J. Brewer (guitars, Cold Lake) and Joel Cuplin (bass, Constant Lovers) to churn death-pasta into a bile casserole.

I actually respect vocalist Spencer Moody following up his classic rock band Murder City Devils with this, certainly an archetypal PiL to his Sex Pistols, improvised and conceptual, not surf nazi jock rock for wastoids. Morality is just another weapon in his songs, bleating and hoarsely demanding: "Hey Asshole," "Don't Lust After Other Women," "If You Believe In Blood." Notice how those song titles kind of lead up to a full statement? As the bio says, "Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death do what they want, tour when they feel like it, and will never, ever break up."

Do I want them to? No. Do I want them to add a little & Nico to their White Light/White Heat? Yes. I have trace memories of lovely psyche-pop streaming out of the clanging and raging in the basement of the Cha Cha before a mutual loved one died. (Maybe that's saying something right there. Maybe I imagined it.) That's evaporated, if it ever existed. No sassy "Femme Fatale" for these foes, it's all feral "Sister Ray" now. Well, we're in deeply hungover times, covered in rashes, and somebody lied to us.

Just remember, kids, Jonathan Richman heard something else in the Velvet Underground in that scrawling seventeen minutes too, and made a "Roadrunner" out of it. You've just given us a full length of misery, now how about seven more inches of pleasure?

John Spalding Benefit Concert with Minus the Bear, Rocky Votolato, Cave Singers and more...

Steve Louie — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:28:22 +0000

9 Jan 2009

minusthebear2_john_spalding_benefit.jpg

On Friday night the Showbox hosted one of the many series of benefit shows for local Seattle legend John Spalding who passed away from cancer last November. All proceeds from the show including merch benefit the John D. Spalding Medical Fund. This was an all-ages show featuring Minus the Bear, Rocky Votolato, Cave Singers, Past Lives (members of Blood Brothers) and Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive To Death.

All the bands turned in great performances and spoke their appreciation for John in front of a supportive all ages crowd.

As local writer Chris Estey writes, “John Spalding… a truly astonishing underground Seattle musician and incredibly incandescent creative spirit… Former guitar player for late 90's punk band Ninety Pound Wuss and performance art/hard rock picadors Raft Of Dead Monkeys, John passed away from the cancer he was diagnosed with four years ago, shortly after marrying a lovely young woman named Jody… John was only thirty-three years old and leaves behind his wife, a deeply loving and proud mother, father, brother and sister, and loyal pooch Scooter. But he also leaves behind a legacy, both relational and musical, in the deep heart of Seattle.”

An all-ages show to support and remember the legendary Seattle musician John Spalding.

Past Lives/Triumph of Lethargy tonight at Showbox Green Room

Chris Estey — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 19:49:52 +0000

Tonight (a Monday night! How lucky can we get?) Past Lives plays the Showbox at the Market's Green Room, a nicely intimate way to get to know this new challenging, more melodic material from these brother punks.

Northwest goodness at the Georgetown Music Festival

elle — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:18:45 +0000

There is plenty of Friday and Saturday afternoon to catch the route 60, 131, 134, or 170 to catch this little festival with a big Northwest line-up.

Join us Chop Suey this SUNDAY for the Unscrew the Croc Employees Benefit

imaginary liz — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 06:57:18 +0000

Even though we're in the midst of a celebratory time of year, the shock of the sudden closing of the legendary Crocodile Cafe is still with us.

Burn to Shine: Bright Seattle stars

elle — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 02:50:50 +0000

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Opening with a montage of Seattle, Burn to Shine's forthcoming Emerald City edition is quintessentially us. The film's opening montage pieced together clips of places here and there -- the I-90 bridge, homeless people at a bus stop, downtown hustle and bustle -- all familiar, but not cliched street corners. Resting on the house where the video is set, we're treated to inside views of this charming dwelling as sound crews and camera teams set-up for the footage. The house is probably similar to many others set in outlying residential neighborhoods, its early 1900s construction featuring dark wood trimming and thick rafters, large windows filling the rooms with natural light, and built-in shelving tucked away here and there.

Like the other houses featured in the previous three Burn to Shine installments, this house was destined to be destroyed.

For those not familiar with the concept of Burn to Shine, the production team has these five rules:

Gather bands on one day in a house that will be destroyed.
All bands play one song each, and perform their song twice.
No overdubs.
Film the destruction.
Edit and display in chronological order.

The first three were shot in Washington DC., Chicago, and Portland. As with those, the Seattle edition featured songs by local artists. Curated by Benjamin Gibbard, there was definitely a collection of influential Seattle artists of our time, including some rising stars deserving of being mixed in. Set in the empty cavernous living room of the house, each band played a song, with numerous camera angles mixing in and out.

I was honored to attend a sneak peek event for the forthcoming film on Monday night, October 15, 2007 at Chop Suey. Surrounded by Seattle music luminaries, I compiled the following list of the performances that struck me during the film, how the video was shot, and bits of commentary (Big thanks to Sound on the Sound for the final track list).

Spook the Horse "Another New Year"
Harvey Danger "Little Round Mirrors"
Tiny Vipers "On this Side"
Small Jesy Fortino looked even smaller set far back in the living room, taking up hardly any space in the cavernous room. The camera made up for this fact by focusing primarily through her song on her eyes and mouth. Shots through the window, reflections of other houses masking some of her face, added to the haunting charm that is Tiny Vipers.
Blue Scholars "Morning of America"
This was the only flat piece of the DVD. While it's great a local hip-hop act was included in this local artist round-up, without crowds pumping in energy to the music, the raps just feel half-full.
David Bazan "Cold Beer and Cigarettes"
Benjamin Gibbard "Broken Yoke in Western Sky"
Although like Fortino, just a solo musician with an acoustic guitar, Bazan and Gibbard seemed to be more commanding presences in the barren setting. Laugher broke out from the Gibbard camp, seated over next to the bar, when his set came on, which was a bit intriguing...
Eddie Vedder "Can't Keep"
Definitely one of the finer storytellers of this music generation, I'm glad to see Eddie Vedder included among other highly influential players. It definitely created an interesting visual as he looked awkward haunched over an ukulele, seated in the center of the room.
Minus the Bear "Arctic Knights"
The Cave Singers "Called"
On film, this band was just as enigmatic as they are in-person. As the footage was shot back in January, the Cave Singers demonstrated a strength even from the start.
The Long Winters "Departure"
Perhaps a bit ironic by name, the Long Winters broke the sleepy winter feeling the rest of the film carried, as one of the harder sets.
Kinski "Crybaby Blowout"
The living room seemed a bit too small for the four-piece Kinski, it could hardly contain them.
The Can't See "Bar Fight"
Triumph of Lethargy Skinned Alive to Death
"Big Bed"-With the soaring guitars and howls of the singer, Triumph of Lethargy could have destructed the house themselves. If the DVD had ended on this band, it would have been very appropriate.
Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter "The Air is Thin"
The film ended, however, on Jesse Sykes, which made for a very bittersweet goodbye to the house.

I won't give anymore away; this is definitely a must-have for anyone who considers themselves a Seattle music lover. The final destination of the house, I believe, is supposed to be kept elusive until the final moments of the film, so I'll keep mum on that event as well.

Visit http://www.trixiedvd.com/ for more information about the previous volumes, and for information on when our hometown edition will be available.

Burn to Shine's forthcoming Emerald City edition is quintessentially us. Like the other houses featured in the previous three Burn to Shine installments, this house was destined to be destroyed... but not before some stunning musical performances by great local performers like Tiny Vipers, Eddie Vedder, and Burn to Shine curator Benjamin Gibbard.