I've been in crush with Matt Pond (usually of Matt Pond PA) since the mid 2000's, when a track called "Kc" came out on their album Emblems around '04 or so. Really, any angsty musician singing "There's no way to the heart / better than awkwardly" in the opening lines of a haunted-chord laden ditty would have won me over, but Matt's earnest tones coupled with that verbage -- plus a cello accompaniment -- mixed up the run-of-the-mill sad alt.indie sound of the time very much to my liking, and it stuck. It's a mixtape staple if there ever was one from that timeframe to be had.

Cut to now, and we've got said heartstring-yanker taking to the road on the heels of his latest release, The Dark Leaves, with none other than our local love-slash-Barsuk member Rocky Votolato. They're taking to the road for a winter tour, with Matt accompanied by Chris Hansen and cellist Shawn Alpay. Sadly, there's no Seattle date on the tour, but if you can push your friends and loved ones out there to pop into a show that hits their city (Connecticut, I am looking at you!), please do. Given the intimate nature of these venues, it's a lineup well worth your time and money.

February 25 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction
February 26 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
February 27 - Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room
March 01 - Austin, TX - Stubb's BBQ [indoors]
March 02 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory
March 03 - Springfield, MO - Outland Ballroom
March 04 - Memphis, TN - Hi Tone Café
March 05 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
March 07 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
March 08 - Gainesville, FL - Common Grounds
March 09 - Ybor City, FL - New World Brewery
March 10 - Orlando, FL - Back Booth
March 11 - West Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
March 12 - Carrboro, NC - Cat's Cradle
March 13 - Charlottesville, VA - The Southern
March 15 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
March 16 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church
March 17 - Hamden, CT - The Space
March 18 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Loft
March 19 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom
March 20 - Boston, MA - Middle East [downstairs]
March 22 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
March 23 - Toronto, ON - Drake Hotel
March 24 - Lansing, MI - Mac's Bar
March 25 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean

{Photo courtesy of Matt Pond.}

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Musicfest, Musicfest Northwest, M-F-N-Dubs, Baby SouthBy -- whatever you want to call it, this past weekend's slew of shows down in Portland were nothing short of an absolute blast. We ran rampant through the quadrants for four days straight, shooting every show we could get our hands on, swooning exponentially more as each night passed. Here's just a fraction of what went on for the first half of the fest, during Thursday's and Friday's sets.

The big knock-it-out-of-the-park set on Thursday was David Bazan / Rocky Votolato set over at the Doug Fir. After the stage was properly warmed up all day with KEXP in-studios from the likes of the Cave Singers and Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Rocky took the spotlight (after what was likely a gorgous set by Joshua Morrison, that we hit town a little too late to catch) and the room over for a good forty minutes, with a set that pleased both rabid forever-fans and fringe-fans alike. There was something almost infectious about his performance, as he surpassed the standard singer/songwriter storyteller vibe and instead delivered each song with a repectful, earnest, homage-y vibe that struck the major chords of our very own indie-lovin' heartstrings.

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As with most weekends around SXSW time, the clubs were packed with music this weekend. What shows did you see?

Each night had a bunch of choices from Rocky Votolato, Laura Veirs, Mike Watt, The Big Pink, a Wooden Birds instore at Sonic Boom, and some Hollow Earth Radio fest action with Sir Richard Bishop... just to name a handful of the many options.

On Friday night, I found myself at Goldie's where some friends did a killer karaoke version of "Empire State of Mind" (totally YouTube-worthy) and on Saturday at the grand opening fun at Jigsaw Records (photos and recap coming soon) with performances by Math and Physics Club and D. Crane from BOAT.

And you? Add your photos to the TIG Flickr Photo Pool and tell us all about it!

(Rocky Votolato photo courtesy of Kirk Stauffer Photography)

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at Ash Street Saloon

Local to Portland, Viva Voce seemed to light up the crowd the most. Kevin Robinson taking to smashing his guitar on the stage near the end of the set.

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When it comes to Rocky Votolato, Spin Magazine puts it best: "Votolato possesses the kind of voice that never-been-kissed teenage girls imagine their crushes might have in a perfect universe." With a review like that, you could practically be a serial killer and still sell out your next five gigs.

Just kidding. Lucky for us, Votolato is not only felony-free, he's bringing some goodwill (and those sweet vocal chords) to the Triple Door next Saturday night for a show to benefit The International Fund for Animal Welfare, with the Terrordactyls. All proceeds will go straight to benefit the cause.

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My Suicide features music from Rocky Votolato on its soundtrack (and I hear that he will be at the screening, along with the film's director, David Lee Miller). The film screens on Wednesday, June 10 at 9:30pm at Pacific Place. If you want to see My Suicide at SIFF, just e-mail tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Wednesday, June 10 with "My Suicide" in the subject line and we'll notify you shortly thereafter if you've won tickets to the screening that night.

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at The Showbox at the Market

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

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There are some great re-issues coming out from Rocky Votolato, Metallica, and the Moody Blues, as well as a few new titles that might tickle your fancy:

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Votolato drenches his trademark croon in Bluegrass whiskey and mandolins, and in turn, creates a very authentic sound.

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at Neumo's

Slender Means didn't feel like the same gentle pop band with just hints of darkness and malcontent in their lyrics; they played with rich, loud, soulful emphasis.

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