Happy May 10, 2013! 

Ten years ago today, The Long Winters performed three shows in three Sonic Boom Record shops in a single day.  It was a mini-tour to celebrate the release of their brilliant record, When I Pretend To Fall... and it was just as amazingly fun as we dreamed it would be.

Thankfully we can relive the magic because imaginary dana documented the whole day (back in the day).  She definitely earned that limited edition 'tour' t-shirt.

Imaginary. You could call it that.

We all know good things come in threes. It took a band as brilliant as the Long Winters to finally think of playing at all three fabula-riffic Sonic Boom Record stores in one day, to promote the release of their long-awaited sophomore release When I Pretend to Fall. I was determined to follow them all day like the Dead Head I never was, and not just because I wanted to get the limited edition Long Winters Sonic Boom tour t-shirt, either.

I was there because I am a Long Winters superfan. {There, I've said it}. And that is just what superfans do.

{read the whole article... with photos!}

Hat tip to John Roderick's kind tweet linking to this article a couple days ago (which reminded us of this special date). 

Speaking of rad John Roderick-related things... are you a diehard fan of the Roderick On The Line podcast yet?  Add it to your queue; you can thank me later.  And that way you'll be prepared to join in my Roderick On The Line discussion group / email thread / chat line once I get it up and running.  If you are too overwhelmed to start at the beginning, you can test it out by trying episode 24: The Wrong Mustache or episode 17: Antisocially Promoted.

So, you're not one of the lucky folks with tickets to Prince? Fret not, dear imaginaries. There are endless options to get your music fix this weekend, between a bounty of shows, PopCon, Record Store Day, and KEXP's Hood-to-Hood Celebration -- and that's barely the beginning of it.

Lace up those sneakers and make yourself a schedule! Here's some of the things we'll be out taking in over the next few days:

FRIDAY

KEXP's Hood-to-Hood Celebration 2013 {U District}

If you're reading this from your desk at work, it's likely you've already missed Jonathan Russell {The Head and the Heart}, Damien Jurado and Tomo Nakayama {Grand Hallway} opening up a day of live broadcasting and bands at Red Square. It's all happening as part of KEXP's Hood-to-Hood Day Celebration in the U District, going strong until 6pm tonight, with a ton of evening DJ sets and performances in area venues after that (PS, most are free). You can catch Alex, Larry Rose, Quilty 3000, see Pony Time play a live set, or check out a photo showcase as part of the Artwalk! There's also a Cafe Racer memorial benefit with Don Slack and Greg Vandy happening {at Cafe Racer, 8:30p, $5 suggested donation}. Check out the KEXP blog for more details.

White Hawaiian {The Blue Moon}

There's a whole slew of people taking the stage at the Blue Moon tonight, but we're most excited about the show's opener, White Hawaiian. You know Jamie Aaron as the guitarist in Eighteen Individual Eyes and H is for Hellgate, and in this incarnation, she'll be bringing her dreamy, moody, lo-fi multi-track goodness solo style. Pop on over here to check out Jamie's Soundcloud vibes, and get yourself to the bar early as she'll be starting off the night. More info about the show (and the rest of the bands) at the Facebook event page here.

SATURDAY

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Remember last winter, when John Roderick played at a house show in Ballard, and how it was pretty much the best thing ever?

Yep.

In case you missed all those great videos the first time, here's a recap:

and the rest are on the Dorsia Films site here.

Happy Friday!

It's a Christmas miracle! A mere few days after all the fun was had at our Imaginary Holiday Spectacular, photos of you and Santa are ready for your viewing pleasure.

Just click on over here to check them out! Huge piles of gratitude to John E. Hollingsworth for capturing all the fun.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Come on down to Chop Suey tonight and help us celebrate the last event of our tenth year anniversary! 2012 has been a very good year, so let's get together and see her out right: with a bunch of great bands and a ride on Santa Roderick's lap. We'll have the lovely and talented John E. Hollingsworth on hand to take your photo!

Seriously, you guys. This could be you:

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Yep, you guessed it -- with the passing of Thanksgiving, the holiday season is now officially in full swing, and with that, we're super excited this morning to announce the 2012 lineup for the Imaginary Holiday Spectacular!

Get your calendars out and mark the date: this year's show will be taking place on Friday, December 21st, and we'll be returning back to the Hill {Chop Suey, to be specific} for a 21-and-up night of music, good vibes, and Santa-lap hilarity. This year's theme is Open Mic Night, and will be featuring some stripped-down sets from Pablo Trucker, Lesli Wood (of The Redwood Plan), Cristina Bautista, Leif Anders (of The Orca Team), Chris Otepka (of The Heligoats), and Brite Lines. Of course, we've got the inimitable John Roderick playing Indie Rock Santa for the evening, with John E. Hollingsworth bringing his photo-tastic skills to capture your special holiday moment. Hooray!

Tickets are on sale now, and if we do say so ourselves, ten dollars (!) is a mighty fair price to pay for an evening of all this fun! But if you still need convincing, stay tuned: we'll be posting features in the upcoming weeks about all the artists taking part in this year's show. And PS, be sure to head on over to the Facebook page for the event to stay in the loop.

Happy almost-holidays!

{Photo of John Roderick and Eric Elbogen from 2011's Imaginary Holiday Spectacular by John Hollingsworth.}

I know you haven’t even had the chance to gorge yourself on turkey yet -- don’t get all in a panic you guys, but really, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. And not just what gift to give your new in-laws (liquor) but the more important questions, like what music will rock the seasonal spirit into your festive holiday soiree. Thanks to the latest collaboration between John Roderick and Jonathan Coulton, One Christmas at a Time, you’re no longer stuck with only the standards like “White Christmas” to choose from. Hooray!

On one hand, you've got a John: (Roderick) is most familiar as the front man of local band The Long Winters and his column in the Seattle Weekly. He’s brought his indie vibe as a guest musician with bands like Harvey Danger and Death Cab for Cutie. On the other hand, a Jonathan: (Coulton) became an internet sensation after lyricizing the wonders of geekdom in the song “Code Monkey” and his cover of “Baby Got Back.” For those of you keeping score at home, these two quirky singer-songwriters also collaborated previously on the 2011 album Artificial Heart.  

Now they’ve applied their stellar talents to creating a slew of new Christmas classics (plus one Hanukkah song!) that will be enjoyed by generations to come! Their clever humor and whimsical lyrics are showcased on tracks like “2600,” an ode for the gaming generation that will replace “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” in the hearts of geeks nationwide. “The Week Between” makes the wasted week between Christmas and New Year’s (seriously, does anyone get any work done in those five days? c’mon Feds, just give us the week off already!) seem shiny and bright, instead of a gift-returning, stuck-with-family, drunk-fighting holiday nightmare.

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And now, straight from his iPhone the road, a few words from Seattle's own John Roderick as to why your attendance at Friday night's Jonathan Coulton show at the Showbox would be a good idea:

"People make the mistake of thinking Jonathan is a novelty songwriter, because his tunes are set after the zombie apocalypse, or they're sung from the perspective of a deranged scientist, or they sometimes feature monkeys. But Jonathan's songs are not novelties, they stack up against any pop songs written by anyone. Monkeys aside, Jonathan's songs are ultimately about losing what you crave most, or loving too hard, or feeling lost, or whatever any great songs are about. Plus, he's hilarious and smart, and his fans are devoted to him but totally inclusive. There are plenty of people who prize their own cynicism over ever discovering something new, or laughing unexpectedly, or finding a new way to express an ancient feeling. It's foolish trying to convince cynics of anything. For everyone else, Jonathan Coulton is one of the best practitioners of smart pop music working today. Go see him. (Plus, I'm opening, and all that stuff I said about Jonathan is totally true about me too, except for the monkeys)."

We couldn't have said it any better ourselves. Tickets are still available, but we want to give you a chance to see the show for free. Send an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls {dot} com with the subject line "Let'sBeNemeses" sometime between now and 5pm on Thursday, June 21st. Tell us why we should pick you to go to the show, and if you're our lucky winner, you'll be on the guest list for Friday night. Good luck!

{21+ / 8p doors / $28.50 adv / $30.00 DOS. Tickets available for advance purchase here.}

Sure, you've got a lot on your dance card already this weekend -- date night, Mother's Day, Allo Darlin's show at the Vera -- but we'd like to take a moment to remind you about two shows full of amazing going on this Saturday and Sunday at the Moore Theater: on Saturday at 8pm, and on Sunday at 2pm, the Seattle Rock Orchestra will be performing songs from the Beatles catalog. And not just any songs, either -- we're talking the entirety of Rubber Soul and Revolver, back-to-back, with a little help from some friends around town. (See what we did there?)

Taking the stage with the SRO for this double-decker of Beatles goodness will be none other than John Roderick {The Long Winters}, Sean Nelson {Harvey Danger, Sounds Major}, Matt Bishop {Hey Marseilles}, and a peppering of local talent that you can learn more about at STG's event page here. Conveniently enough, it's also where you can get yourself (or you + your mom!) some tickets. Both performances are all ages and seats are $18.00.

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There's been an incredible current underfoot in our fair city these past few weeks, as two noteworthy nonprofits -- the Seattle Theater Group and 826 Seattle -- have been gearing up for their annual fundraising events. On April 28th, STG presented DOORS: Opening Doors to the Arts, a combination dinner, live show and paddle raise held at the Paramount Theater that funds dozens of incredible programs and community initiatives each year. Between the silent and live auctions and the actual straight-donation paddle raise that collectively brought in over $430,000.00 {!!!}, there was also a live show featuring some of the teachers, students, and performance groups that STG has been able to reach out and impact -- and a special performance from Allen Stone with members of the Seattle Rock Orchestra.

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