Three Imaginary Girls - Coconut Coolouts

Recommended show tonight: Coconut Coolouts, Dreamdate, So Cow, Sandy City at the Sunset

imaginary keenan — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 17:56:15 +0000

It sure is a gorgeous Monday! How else are you going to celebrate that, than with a rad show at the Sunset?

I was introduced to Dreamdate, known as "East Bay pop sensations" by friends a few weeks ago, and found them to be perfectly up my alley, with two female singers harmonizing and a laid back poppy/punky beat. They seem straight out of the mid-90's, and that makes me very happy.

Coconut Coolouts/Head/Thee Sgt. Major III at the Funhouse

Imaginary Shrie — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:33:39 +0000

6 Jun 2008

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I don't feel like I'm a true Seattle indie rocker. In the near two years that I've lived here I had never been to the Funhouse until last Friday night. Fortunately, the Coconut Coolouts, Head and Thee Sgt. Major III were the bands fated to pop my Funhouse cherry.

With a name like the Coconut Coolouts, one might expect to see four slightly hair individuals donning grass skirts, pina coladas in hand, romping about onstage. They were definitely cool, and there was a banana costume involved... but sadly no coconuts. The Coconut Coolouts are an energetic mutt; equal parts Hawaiian surf, proto-punk and bashed-out garage rock. They thrashed around, amusing the crowd with their rehearsed between-song banter. The Amazing Bananas (in full costume) stole the show though, showing his true party spirit whilst still playing his instrument! The Coconut Coolouts' strength is their campy humor and their Stooges-riff Tiki party vibe. This is the band that you book for your keg party, coked-out stripper party and every cocktail party in between.

With an appropriately vile name, Head followed up the Coolouts with a cold shot of punk rock. Sounding a bit like Screeching Weasel grounded in fuzzy feedback and darker vocals, Head continued the party and readied the crowd for headliners Thee Sgt. Major III. Squealing punk vocals and big drums introduced the five-some to a crowded Funhouse. They were all sweaty energy, flipping off the crowd and indulging in perfectly executed guitar solos. Leslie Beattie hopped around onstage beating that tambourine to death, and the crowd loved it. Their hard-edged grimy sound was reminiscent of "Anarchy in the UK" era Sex Pistols, but that could have just been the whiskey neat that I'd been drinking on top of healthy doses of Pabst Blue Ribbon talking. The vibe at the show was straight-up punk rock and the bevy of party-goers that I lugged with me couldn't agree more, as they pushed their way to the front, shaking their asses all the way.

My first Funhouse experience was exactly what I'd been hoping for: a whisky-drenched party-punk blow to the brain. Friday night fixed everything that was wrong with my entire shitty week.. and I have these three wonderful bands to thank for that.

Quote of the night (as heard from someone onstage from Thee Sgt. Major III): "No shortage of barbs in this band."

The Coconut Coolouts are an energetic mutt; equal parts Hawaiian surf, proto-punk, and bashed out garage rock.

Party Time Machine

Bob Ham — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:44:11 +0000

6.8

http://www.luckyhorseindustries.com/shop/item_detail.php?pid=CCPTM-CD&PHPSESSID=4500f1ed35ede0b969180674b4f24e41

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I imagine that the six members of this band probably have the time of their lives when they get together. Any band that has given themselves such a goofball moniker and plays such giddy sounding pop/punk should sound as freewheeling and anxious as Coconut Coolouts does on this album.

The 11 songs on this album whiz by leaving behind jet-streams of infectious energy and a smattering of catchy choruses that sound like they were custom made for live show singalongs. In fact, it is quite obvious throughout this album that the songs here are probably better served in a live setting than they are in their recorded models.

Coconut Coolouts is, in that sense, reminiscent of groups like Tuscadero and Bis, artists who are a downright blast to watch live, but pump out music that can easily be left behind conscience-free. The CDs and records that bands like that put out are nice reminders of the fun you had drunk on vodka tonics and dancing like crazy with your friends, but inevitably end up sitting on your shelves for a few years before you either give it away to a friend or end up selling it off.

We all have still or have had albums like this in our personal collections, and there's nothing at all to be ashamed about. True, in 20 years or more, like the unbelievable number of garage rock bands that are being heralded as geniuses of their time, Coconut Coolouts may finally get their due. Now, fortunately or unfortunately as the case may be, they are serving a simple and singular purpose - to be ingested like a drink or a drug and then slowly worked out of one's system.

A fun, but ultimately empty experience by this gang of pop/punkers.

Join us Friday night for the second "Unscrew the Croc Employees" benefit show at Chop Suey

imaginary liz — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:09:10 +0000

Join us at Chop Suey this Friday (January 4th) for a second "Unscrew the Crocodile Employees Benefit Show" featuring stellar Seattle bands Coconut Coolouts, The Intelligence, The Girls, and Das Llamas.

Another UNSCREW the Crocodile Employees benefit in January

imaginary liz — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 20:44:15 +0000

It's good to know that there's a ton of folks who loved and miss the Crocodile and it's employees as much as we did.

Glory be to this town and the folks that have gathered the recent benefits to help the Crocodile employees who have found themselves suddenly and fairly inexplicably without jobs in this holiday season.

There's already a benefit planned at Chop Suey on 12/30, and Three Imaginary Girls is proud to help sponsor a second one, for Friday, January 4th at Chop Suey.