Three Imaginary Girls - Neumos

Don't miss: two nights with the Cave Singers {12/1 & 12/2}

imaginary victoria — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:05:07 +0000

Pull up those bootstraps, kids, because The National isn't the only game in town that's got a double-decker lineup in Seattle this week. The Cave Singers are about to put on two nights of amazing sound-wall that'll knock you clear off your feet! Here's the deets:

Night One, also known as this coming Thursday, December 1st. The Cave Singers pack the one- in one-two by taking the stage for an all-ages night at the Vera Project {7:30p doors / $16 adv / buy tickets!}, with a stage-warming by none other than our pals The Young Evils -- who may very well be working on putting out one of our favorite local albums of 2012 as we breathe and type. It'll be a great room to catch both bands in with a music-focused, booze-free crowd.

If you're heading to the Neptune (or one of the other fine establishments in town) this Thursday, fret not: Night Two will be going down on Capitol Hill at Neumos on Friday, December 2nd. Sound-wise, it'll be a much darker-tinged night with openers The Builders and the Butchers taking the pre-Cave Singers stage spot, and also worth noting: this show is 21+. {8p doors / $18 adv / buy tickets!}

One night with Two Gallants

Imaginary Michael — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:40:07 +0000

27 Jun 2011

Two_Gallants_62811.JPG

Man, Two Gallants are a force to be reckoned with. After releasing less than a handful of records on Saddle Creek and after taking a two year break, it seemed like Two Gallants gained, not lost, steam after their hiatus. We were lucky enough to have caught them on their summer tour with The Mumlers and with support by Broken Nobles at Neumos on Monday night.

It was strange -- yet still fitting -- to see Broken Nobles opening the show. Seemingly drawing from the same influences as Two Gallants, it was kind of like being transported back in time to see one of those classic rock bands that never made it. Equipped with long hair, open shirts, and aviator sunglasses, they took the stage and started with a guitar-vocal duet. I thought this was the highlight of their show as the rest of their set morphed into songs that KZOK wouldn’t even play... to clarify: by no means was it awful, I even found myself singing along to a song of theirs -- it was rather more of a sharp contrast point between them and what we were expecting from the mighty Two Gallants.

The Mumlers came up next and delivered a pleasant set. The Bay area group had a great sense of harmony, their palate was full with a tuba, saxophone, and a vibraphone;and it was downright cool to see these guys out on stage having a good time. Unlike Broken Nobles, The Mumlers delivered a new take on a more classic sound. I’d definitely recommend checking the two opening groups out if you are in the mood for a more vintage-esque band.

After a good deal of waiting (seriously, they were almost a ½ hour late), during which time I entertained myself by spotting local notables like Telekinesis’s Michael Benjamin Lerner in the crowd, Two Gallants took the stage. If you’ve never seen them before: Adam Stephens splits his guitar into two separate amps -- one taking care of the low end and one taking care of the high end in order to give more depth to the duo’s sound. Tyson Vogel’s drums were set up right next to Adam, and once everything was up and running they began to thrash harder than any plugged-in folk duo on earth.

I think that’s what made this show so special. After seeing these two low key classic sounding groups, Two Gallants were able to take a new spin on folk music. They played everything with the intensity of frat boys after three Four Lokos, like animals on the stage. Even after hard renditions of “Las Cruces Jail”, “Steady Rollin’”, “Despite What You’ve Been Told”, and “The Hand That Held Me Down” among others, the two were able to end the set with an extremely powerful acoustic performance sans drums of “Seems Like Home To Me." Their new songs were great too! Adam seemed a bit shy about their new ones and he timidly introduced them by saying “This is a new one. Applaud even if you don’t like it. We could use the encouragement.” But it seemed like everyone in the crowd dug the new ones just as much as the classics with sounds of “That didn’t suck!” ringing out from all corners of Neumos.

Overall, it was a great show -- hopefully these guys will be back soon. It was quite refreshing to see them back out there thrashing on folk tunes like only punk rockers could.

Recommended show + free tickets: Two Gallants at Neumos {6/27}

Imaginary Michael — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 16:07:46 +0000

Ah, yes: Two Gallants are once again one!

After spending the past two years musically adrift, this grand duo has reconciled and will tour throughout the Summer. (Yes, we capitalized that. Summer. Summer, Summer, Summer!) They'll be taking the stage at Neumos on Monday, June 27th with the Mumlers and Broken Nobles -- and we want to send you to the show! Keep scrolling for details...

Brendan Perry and Robin Guthrie Live at Neumos

Andrew Boe — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:53:56 +0000

8 Jun 2011

P4.jpg

The classic 4AD Records sound has been influential to a million bands in addition to remaining timeless in its unique place in history. The label is perhaps the greatest independent one in existence. Although the record company is still around today, it remains a mere shadow of its former self, a collective that released brilliant record after brilliant record during the 1980s and 1990s. Two noteworthy artists from that era, Brendan Perry (Dead Can Dance) and Robin Guthrie (Cocteau Twins) are currently on tour together and they stopped in Seattle on Wednesday evening for a well attended show that was also part of the Noise for the Needy benefit.

Robin Guthrie opened the show with about an hour of instrumental guitar soundscapes that were a cross between The Cocteau Twins and dreamy soundtrack material. With him onstage, he had a young drummer and bass player to help fill out the layers of sound. For a few pieces, the other two left the stage and Guthrie performed atmospheric melodies on his own, albeit with a generous collection of guitar pedals.

After a short break, Brendan Perry took the stage along with two keyboardists, a bass player and a drummer. Perry is certainly looking older these days, but his voice isn’t showing an ounce of it. His set consisted of songs from his new record, Ark, along with several Dead Can Dance compositions and even a few new tracks. Unfortunately, there were no songs selected from his last solo album, 1999’s beautiful LP, The Eye of the Hunter, which was mostly an acoustic folk album.

The new songs were all electric based with a heavy accent on the drum and bass rhythm section. The sound is unmistakably Perry, but is also a departure from both Dead Can Dance and his previous solo release. They contain more of a dancey, trip hop beat and also feature predominant keyboard currents. “Utopia” is certainly characteristic of this description. There are some classical elements to the composition such as a harpsichord, but most the song structure is rather modern.

During his performance, Perry introduced Robin Guthrie onto the stage and they performed a breathtaking cover of Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren” amidst washes of Guthrie’s guitar. This was a terrific selection as the track was recorded in 1984 by The Cocteau Twins on the first This Mortal Coil LP, It’ll End In Tears.

The encore was perhaps the triumph of the evening where two well-chosen Dead Can Dance tracks were performed. The first one, “Severance,” featured a minimal sound with two organ players and a passionate vocal delivery by Perry. The second and final song of the evening was “Spirit,” which was tightly played by the accompanying musicians.

The rumor now is that Dead Can Dance is planning on recording and touring again next year. It looks like we will finally see a follow up to 1996’s Spiritchaser after all.

Setlist (Brendan Perry):

Tree of Life

In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated

Love on the Vine

The Carnival Is Over

Golden Rule

Eros and Psyche

A Passage in Time

Icarus

Song to the Siren (Tim Buckley)

This Boy

Wintersun

Utopia

---------------

Severance

Spirit

Win two tickets to KJ Sawka at Neumos {5/4}

Imaginary Steve — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:38:31 +0000

The exalted Elvis Costello once opined “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” With all due respect, anyone who’d fail to recognize that his given name of Declan McManus is light years cooler than any other moniker he could muster clearly doesn’t have all the answers. Moreover, Mr. CostelloMcManus has probably never had the pleasure of hearing Kevin “KJ” Sawka play drums.

I first became familiar with KJ Sawka in 2001 when he was playing in a superb trio called Siamese. It’s easy to oversell a performer and render the experience of seeing them for yourself anti-climactic. Nevertheless, I immediately came to realize that what my friends were telling me was absolutely true -- the things that Sawka can do with (and to) a drum set are nothing short of amazing. I can still recall thinking of a memorable line from the propaganda-fest known as Rocky IV: “He’s not a machine -- he’s a man!!”

Wire

Andrew Boe — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:07:36 +0000

13 Apr 2011

Most Wire fans agree that their first three albums are excellent recordings that still sound as vibrant and challenging today as they were upon their initial release approximately thirty years ago.

Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154 are all timeless classics in their own right and each successive LP was vastly different from the previous one, making them that much more impressive. Interestingly, Wire fans tend to have wildly fluctuating opinions about their subsequent output. Personally, I quite like the 1980s albums too, but have not exposed myself nor been exposed to any of their records after that period. On Wednesday evening, Wire took the stage at Neumos and offered a retrospective of their entire career, which provided the audience with a sampling of each decade’s evolution through music.

The last time that the group came to Seattle, the set was centered around harder rocking tracks. This time around, Wire focused on the more experimental side of their material, which was much more satiating as they are perhaps the quintessential art rock band. Red Barked Tree, the band’s newest offering, was featured heavily in the set as were several songs from the underrated 1980s albums, The Ideal Copy and A Bell is a Cup Until it is Struck.

Wire is currently a three-piece consisting of Colin Newman (vocals, guitar), Graham Lewis (bass, vocals) and Robert Grey (drums) as their other original member, guitarist Bruce Gilbert, left the group in 2005. The band does have a second touring guitarist, but only the three original members performed on the newest studio LP.

They did not set foot onto the stage until after 11:00 p.m., which seemed a bit late for a weeknight, but the group was as tight as could be. Wire churned out a solid performance from start to finish, and the new songs from Red Barked Tree blended in quite well with the familiar tracks. Of these, two opuses from the stunning 154 album were performed, the poppy, Low-esque "Map Ref. 41°N 93°W," and the incendiary "Two People in a Room." Newman was playing a rare National guitar through his vortex of pedals and the instrument sounded wonderful.

Other highlights were A Bell is a Cup's trance inducing "Boiling Boy" and The Ideal Copy's centerpiece "Drill." Of the new tracks, the song "Red Barked Trees" closed the main set and this composition was just as good as any of the classics. The band waited until the very last song of the evening to delight the hardcore fans with "Pink Flag." The song selection alone was enough evidence to reveal that Wire is one of those legendary bands who have influenced hundreds of others throughout the years. It is easy to see why as they uniquely blend pop, rock and experimentation into their music while remaining difficult for imitators to copy.

Setlist:

Comet

Smash

Advantage in Height

Please Take

Silk Skin Paws

Kidney Bingos

Clay

Map Ref. 41°N 93°W

Bad Worn Thing

Moreover

Two People in a Room

106 Beats That

Boiling Boy

Red Barked Trees

---------------------------

Down to This

Drill

Underwater Experiences

----------------------------

Adapt

Pink Flag

Photo by: Amy Bernard

Most Wire fans agree that their first three albums are excellent recordings that still sound as vibrant and challenging today as they were upon their initial release approximately thirty years ago.

Pink Flag, Chairs Missing and 154 are all timeless classics in their own right and each successive LP was vastly different from the previous one, making them that much more impressive. Interestingly, Wire fans tend to have wildly fluctuating opinions about their subsequent output. Personally, I quite like the 1980s albums too, but have not exposed myself nor been exposed to any of their records after that period. Last Wednesday evening (April 13), Wire took the stage at Neumos and offered a retrospective of their entire career, which provided the audience with a sampling of each decade’s evolution through music.

Photo by: Amy Bernard

Steel Tigers of Death! 2 Shows: a benefit for Japanese Red Cross (4/22) & w/punk legends OFF! (4/24)

Chris Estey — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 18:14:23 +0000

This week, Seattle's Steel Tigers of Death! are playing two very noteworthy shows, both official album release parties: one is a band-stacked-for-a-great-cause Funhouse extravaganza, and the other a Neumos-hosted history-making punk rock event!

Details after the jump...

Win two tickets to Fences and Campfire OK {4/16}

imaginary victoria — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:13:09 +0000

You like Fences. You like Campfire OK. You have twelve dollars. You should be at Neumos on Saturday night.

What's that, you say? Don't have twelve dollars? Well, as the old folks like to put it -- today is your lucky day! Because our lovely friends over at Neumos have a pair of tickets to give away for this Saturday-night-ful all-ages show: just shoot us an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls {dot} com with the subject line "AFenceAndACampfire" to be entered to win! We'll choose a lucky winner +1 to attend the show gratis by Thursday at 4p, so make sure'n get your entries in before then.

Win two tickets to Ravenna Woods and Drew Grow & The Pastors' Wives {4/7}

imaginary victoria — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:48:21 +0000

Fresh off of a mini-tour documented by photographer extraordinaire James Bailey, Ravenna Woods is about to bring the buzz that everyone's been talking about them squarely where it belongs: on a hometown stage, this Thursday night at Neumos. With squarely solid support from the lovely sounds of Drew Grow and the Pastors' Wives and an opening set by Big Sur, we're quite sure this is going to be a show to be reckoned with -- and thusly, we've got a pair of tickets to give away for you and a friend to attend.

Just send an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls {dot} com with the subject line "SendMeToNeumos!" by 3p on Wednesday, April 6th. We'll pick a lucky winner before the end of the day and notify you by email that your plans for Thursday night are s-o-l-i-d. Don't forget, this is a 21+ show!

Swans return to Seattle with a bludgeoning!

Andrew Boe — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:29:00 +0000

26 Feb 2011

Swans_Lino_Brunetti.jpg

Michael Gira has been to town several times in the past decade, both with his group The Angels of Light and as a solo acoustic act. He has not, however, brought his legendary original band to town since it was officially boxed up and stored in the attic back around 1998. In fact, he has rarely even brought along an electric guitar on the tours he has done. So when Mr. Gira reinvigorated Swans last year and announced that they would take on a massive tour, I knew this was going to be an experience that was not-to-be-missed. And last Saturday evening, this was exactly the case as Swans performed a ninety minute set of what very well may have been The Loudest Show That I Have Ever Attended.

Opening with a thirty minute cacophony in which each member of the band took the stage about five minutes after the previous one created a massive build-up: first drums, then hammered dulcimer, pedal steel guitar, bass; and finally guitars to finish off layer upon layer of noisy complexity before Swans launched into "No Words/No Thoughts" from their excellent 2010 release. It was booming drums, bells, and guitars oscillating in some kind of mutilated brilliance.

Gira has an intense stage presence. When not delivering his surreal, psychotic vocals, he paced the stage like a madman, often yelling indecipherable words. The rest of the band stoically performed in the background and were almost invisible except for an out-of-place and shirtless Thor Harris on hammered dulcimer/percussion. The new incarnation of Swans represents every period of their career: Norman Westberg (guitar) from the original lineup, Christoph Hanh (lap steel guitar) from the mid-period group, and Phil Puleo (drums) from the final tour in 1998. He rounds out the band along with Chris Pravdica on bass, who played with Gunga Din (the underrated New York band that Gira's wife used to front).

A variety of material was performed, including a few older songs, four from the new album and some yet-to-be recorded new tracks. Adoring fans were treated to "Sex, God, Sex" from 1987's Children of God and a stellar version of "I Crawled," originally from 1984's unbelievably brutal Young God EP. Oddly, the highlight of the evening might have been "Jim," from My Father. The hypnotic bass line alone in the song is fantastic enough, but the rich tapestry of noise guitar that is woven into the track is incredibly impressive, even moreso live.

Sonically, this was a brutal performance. Unfortunately, Swams did not perform anything from their mid-period, which would have made for a much more dynamic set. The focus this time around was violent intensity -- which actually made the show a bit one-dimensional. On most of the songs, the group would grind out lengthy, loud introductions before reaching the main portion of the composition. So, while the performance was teeming with bludgeoning dissonance and it was a treat to see Swans in any format, representation from their untouchable 1988-1995 period could have made the show even better. Hopefully, this will be the case next time around. And in either case, it was great to see Gira playing his gorgeous hollow-bodied Gibson again and to be supported by an extremely talented cast of musicians.

Setlist:
"No Words/No Thoughts"
"Jim
"Sex, God, Sex"
(new song)
(new song)
"I Crawled"
(new song)
"Eden Prison"
-----------------
"Little Mouth"

Saturday night's all right: Sebadoh, Quasi and Lovesick Empire take over Neumos

imaginary victoria — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:03:05 +0000

As if you hadn't heard already, the sweet sounds of Sebadoh (pictured above circa '90-something, courtesy of none other than the great Charles Peterson) will be filling the stage at Neumos this Saturday, helped along by Portland's Quasi and our very own Lovesick Empire in the opening slot.

We caught up with Lovesick Empire's leading lady Alicia Amiri earlier this week to check in about the show, and namely, sharing the stage with one of her heroes and on a possible new track or a Sebadoh / Lou Barlow cover:

" [It] might sound ridiculous but for me, playing with Sebadoh is comparable to playing with Elliott or Nirvana or the Cure. A sound that's been a huge influence on me for 10+ years. So yeah. I'm crapping my pants. New song? Sort of, we really wanted to have a different set but we have Jonah from Schoolyard Heroes on bass this show, and he had to learn everything in a couple practices, so we decided to not mix it up much."

Even un-mixed up, they're going to put on one heck of an opening set, and we can not stress enough how much you need to be on time for this show. It's likely that your lid will be blown off well before Lou & Co. come anywhere near those side-steps.

{8p / $15 / 21+}

Recommended show: Say Hi at Neumos {tonight}

imaginary victoria — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 23:13:25 +0000

We'll get right to the point: if you haven't heard by now, there's a sweet lineup at Neumos tonight, and you'd best get yourself and some friends over to Capitol Hill to catch it.

Gracing the stage of one of our fave venues will be none other than Say Hi, starring the much-celebrated Eric Elbogen as he parties in the pants of his newest release, Um, Uh Oh. He'll be sharing the bill with the Globes and Cataldo, who will be opening up the night for all the early-comers.

Straight outta Barsuk:

The record is also Elbogen’s best to date. It’s weary and blue-noted, revealing, personal and pained and there’s expressiveness in his performance absent from previous releases. In fact, it’s difficult to fathom that the same songwriter that once wrote the sugary frivolity of the early Say Hi material could have written such a mature collection of songs. If you’ve been a fan in the past, you’re going to feel that Um, Uh Oh is a large step in the evolution of the band. If you haven’t, this is the record that’s going to change your mind.

As per usual at Neumos, it's a lineup full of bands you'll want to see from start to finish, so don't be late. We'll see you there!

{Tonight's show opens doors at 8p / all ages / $12. Photo by the mega talented Jenny Jiminez.}

Recommended all ages show: The Thermals @Neumos {Friday, 1/21}

Imaginary Amie — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:58:01 +0000

Another discovery via my boyfriend - I love, love, LOVE the way this Portland band rocks my socks off! I can’t really put a label on what they do (they call it indie/alternative/pop-post-punk, so I guess they can’t either), all I know is: it is awesome. Watching them live in this KEXP video at Bumbershoot last year makes me all giddy with anticipation.

I’m unsure if I’ll be able to make it to the show on Friday, but you absolutely should because it’s going to be a bouncy night of super-fun with The Thermals, Unnatural Helpers and White Fang. Swing on by Moe Bar to buy some tix, or pick them up online here.

Friday, 1.21 at Neumos
Doors @8pm
Cover: $12 (Advance)
All Ages, Bar w/ID

Photo essay: The Head and the Heart at Neumos

imaginary victoria — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:28:13 +0000

The Head and the Heart, Curtains for You and Lemolo slayed the pants off the sold-out show at Neumos this past Friday night, and we've got the pictures to prove it. HATH amazed, as per usual, and we couldn't have been prouder of our home-town showing of love for them. Curtains for You brought their best warmup, and Lemolo blew our minds with their two-girl show of achy post-White Stripes sound. All in all, an evening to remember, for sure.

Lemolo stealing the start of the show:

The Head and the Heart:

Recommended show: The Head and the Heart at Neumos {Friday, 1/14}

imaginary victoria — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:27:45 +0000

Sweet Pacific Northwest!

We know this post's title show is sold out -- the Head and the Heart's headlining gig at Neumos has been out of tickets for weeks already -- but HATH is playing several shows regionally before they head out for tour, and it's our .02 that you should get yourself to at least one of them:

Thursday, 1/13 - Bellingham, WA @ The Green Frog
Friday, 1/14 - Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Saturday, 1/15 - Spokane, WA @ the Empyrean
Wednesday, 1/19 - Portland, OR @ the Doug Fir

Of course we're particularly excited about our hometown show, where we'll get to see one of our 2010 faves take the stage with Curtains for You and Lemolo. We'll have plenty of photos to post come Monday, so check back for a recap of the night!

{Keep an eye on the Neumos twitter feed to see if any tickets get released day of show! Photo courtesy of Robertsen Ashman, via the band's Facebook page.}

Win two tickets to see Bronze Fawn's last show at Neumo's {11/18}

heather hydra — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 19:39:16 +0000

Listen up: November 18th will be the last time Bronze Fawn graces any stage. Their bio mentions the sound of the band being "lush... shoegaze with 70's-inspired prog-psychedelia" which, in my book, translates to GOOD TIMES. Get your drink on (this is a 21+ show) if you drink, smoke if you got 'em, or whatever your pleasure may be. Also, if you show up, we can whisper all sorts of things about Bryce Shoemaker... he plays guitar in Bronze Fawn and is a former school-mate of mine. Can anyone say "drama club"?

You. Me. Bronze Fawn. Last show. November 18th. Neumos. 21+. And guess what? We've got two tickets to give away!

To enter the contest, simply email tig {at} threeimaginarygirls dot com with the subject line DontStopBelievinInBryce, and tell us why you deserve to win. The more creative, the better! And you only have until November 16th at noon to enter... so don't delay.

As if you need more convincing, Bronze Fawn will be playing with Eighteen Individual Eyes. Think Blonde Redhead with a healthy side of rock, and just a smidge of late 90's/early 00's mathiness. If any of you out there were ever into Primrosa, you will probably be into Eighteen Individual Eyes -- point is, they're not to be missed.

Basically, you will totally cry into your Four Loco if you miss this show. No joke-o.

{Photo courtesy of Dan Wick / BronzeFawn.com}

Tonight's recommended show: Black Light Black Out Halloween Dance Party at Neumos {free!}

imaginary liz — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:40:41 +0000

It's that time of year again where I dust off my Meg White wig and head towards buckets of fun-sized candy {a year-round weakness of mine}. There are a bunch of ghoulish places to zombie-walk towards this time of year, but the ghoulish fun starts tonight {10/28} at Neumos as the Capitol Hill venue hosts a FREE Black Light Black Out Halloween Dance Party.

Champagne Champagne, Ononos, DJ sean cee, and DJ res will be supplying a soundtrack to the monster mash with pumpkin jello shots on top! Heck, if you're feeling fairly superior about your costume this year, there will even be costume contests with some pretty cool prizes. I personally would don a Four Loco costume if it meant I could win a year of free Nuemos shows.

Are you dressing up this year? If so, please share your brilliance with us as there are some of us that are still brainstorming.

Photo Essay: The Octopus Project and Starfucker

Imaginary Nicky — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 20:38:30 +0000

19 Oct 2010

It's hard to believe it's not the weekend yet - if you happened to be at Neumos Tuesday night, there was definitely some Friday-night style action going on! The Octopus Project played a mesmerizing set, wowing the audience with their ecclectic mixture of home-engineered instruments, whimsical animated stage props, and intricately layered music. The Octopus Project doesn't just make noise, they smash decibels, photons and surrealism together to create an all-encompassing atmosphere of awesome.

Portland electroacoustic heroes Starfucker were up next, and quickly got down to business - within two songs they not only had the crowd amped, but were fending off kamikaze stage-divers and crowd-surfers. Fans donned rabbit ears, waved glowsticks, and proudly raised their "STRFCKR"-painted arms in synthpop-abandon. Let them rave on.

It's hard to believe it's not the weekend yet - if you happened to be at Neumos Tuesday night, there was definitely some Friday-night style action going on!

The Octopus Project played a mesmerizing set, wowing the audience with their ecclectic mixture of home-engineered instruments, whimsical animated stage props, and intricately layered music. The Octopus Project doesn't just make noise, they smash decibels, photons and surrealism together to create an all-encompassing atmosphere of awesome.

Check out some more amazing photos of The Octopus Project and Starfucker after the jump.

Cello-rocking Rasputina returns to Seattle Wednesday, August 18

Chris Estey — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:33:07 +0000

Rasputina is playing Neumos this Wednesday, August 18, with all-along-the-tour openers Larkin Grimm. Whenever Rasputina plays here it tends to be at crowd capacity, as the leader is a genius with cracked, sort-of steampunk art song, and roils a big-ass cello.

Rasputina has been wicked wild woman fun for over seven albums. The latest is Sister Kinderhook, and on blood red gems like "Holocaust of Giants" and "This, My Porcelain Life," it mistressly blends sweet singing, harsh buzz, spoken word segues, and a one-woman blitzkrieg string section as the phalanx. It's big and loud and soft and dangerous cello-fueled chamber rock, created by a corseted visionary named Melora Creager with a couple of other cello players, and occasionally a drummer.

Whenever she comes to Seattle with her contemporary gang, it stirs the souls of murdered sailors and ghosts of harlots as well as a whole lot of prog-rock kids, Goths, Velvet Underground dark-minimalist rock fans, and assorted musical freaks who pack out their performances. Every show is special, an explosion of bow-scraping boldness, and Creager usually treats audiences not only to her own songs about the extinction of Nephilim and eternal "Dark February," but covers of Pat Benatar ("Fire & Ice") and of course the VU ("All Tomorrow's Parties").

Recommended All-Ages Show: Girls Rock! at Neumos, Saturday {7/31}

Imaginary Amie — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:25:30 +0000

Awhile ago, I urged everyone with daughters to send them to the Girls Rock! 2010 Summer Camp, because it's the most awesome thing of all awesome things for girls to do. For one week, girls learn how to play instruments, sing, write songs, and then put on a kick-ass show!

This Saturday, July 31st at 1pm, this year's girls will get on stage at Neumos and blow you away with rockin' goodness. I've seen this show a few times, and it is completley AMAZING. There is nothing better than seeing a group of kids/pre-teens/teens work together and really have fun doing it.

Tickets are only $10 (in advance), and you can buy them online here to support future Girls Rock! camps. And why'll I'm at it, I'll plug the movie again, because it's also 100 kinds of awesome and everyone needs to see it: