The Imaginary Zine is a 60-page old school printed zine recounting our first 10 years with some of our favorite blog posts and stories from our imaginary friends. It is extemely limited with only 333 handcrafted zines made.
It also includes a cd chock full of rare, live, or exclusive songs by some of our favorite local artists, including The Long Winters, BOAT, Tullycraft, Exohxo, Tennis Pro, Math & Physics Club and many more!
I am beyond honored to be join Rachel Flotard (Visqueen, Fretboard Journal, lady about town) and Lyall Bush (Executive Director of the Northwest Film Forum), along with host Steve Scher on KUOW's Weekday program TODAY around 10.40am.
We are all going to sit around the preverbal water cooler and chat about about a few of the topics making the rounds. The topics are subject to change at a moment's notice - but it looks like we might gab about the Grammys, George W. Bush's hidden painting talent and the state of the film industry.
Fill your mug with something warm and join the convo! It starts at 10.40am today (TUESDAY 2/12) on KUOW.org / 94.9fm.
This chat room segment was recently been made famous by recent participants Sir Mixalot and John Roderick who spent their "chat room" time talking about the gun buyback program here in Seattle (and a couple other lighter subjects like the Super Bowl and Macklemore's success). You can listen to their the segment on the KUOW website, it starts about 36 minutes in.
In case you missed it, you can hear the segment on the KUOW.org website. Can I mention a thousand times over how brillant Steve, Rachel, Lyall and KUOW are?
We can't thank you enough for helping us celebrate our 10th Anniversary in Rockstar New Wave Karaoke style last Friday {June 1, 2012} at Chop Suey!!! The evening was so much fun and having you all there really made it all super special. There were so many amazing moments, some that we can't even believe actually happened! If we weren't already in love with every one of the performers that took the stage, we are certainly over the moon with them now.
There were so many amazing performances it's impossible to list all the amazing moments here... but here are just a couple off the top of our heads:
Ben Hooker re-writing Duran Duran's "Girls on Film" to "Three Imaginary Girls On-Line." We still don't know how he did it and really wish it was caught "on film." We are still blushing from the honor of having a Ben Hooker-penned song about us!
Patrick from Your Favorite Book singing "99 Luft Balloons" IN GERMAN! We're not sure if you noticed, but the words on the karaoke monitor were in English, which means Patrick actually memorized the German version. From seeing YFB shows in the past, we knew he was going to go all the way. But, blow up red balloons and fill the crowd with them as he broke out into song? While singing in German?
Jenny Jimenez capturing all that is "She Bop" by Cyndi Lauper. The face paint, the outfit, the dance moves, AND a spot on rendition of this classic Cyndi tune. It was a big undertaking and Jenny nailed it!
Sean Nelson singing "Peace, Love, and Understanding." Sean not only covered the Elvis Costello song beautifully, he got so into the moment that he left the stage with a hole ripped in the knee of his pants and a bloody knee! We admire his new wave devotion!
Jenny and Chris of Tullycraft's version of "Come On Eileen." The overalls, the dance moves pulled directly from a Dexy's Midnight Runners video and the over-the-top vocals. Thank goodness it was captured on video (posted below)!
Did you pick up your copy of the Imaginary Zine at the big Rockstar New Wave Karaoke Bash at Chop Suey on Friday, June 1st?
If you don't have a copy of the zine yet (or you want to buy another!), you can order online or purchase at any upcoming Three Imaginary Girls event in the near future (next one: the 10th Anniversary Ice Cream Social at Bluebird Microcreamery in Capitol Hill on July 12!). The zine is limited run of 333 copies (the back cover does not lie), so buy yours soon!
The Imaginary Zine is a 60-page old school printed zine recounting our first 10 years with some of our favorite blog posts and stories from our imaginary friends. It also includes a cd chock full of rare, live, or exclusive songs by some of our favorite local artists (full list below)!
The most amazing part? It's only $4 (+ USPS postage)
Want a sneak peak of some of the radness inside the hand-crafted zine?
{Total sweetness: Rachel and Ben after the last Visqueen show / photo: Jason Tang}
We haven't been the same since Visqueen rode into the sunset last November, when they played their last show at the Neptune. It was a glorious affair. Every song rocked like it was the first time we heard it. Genuine love and appreciation (on both the part of the band and the audience) filled the air and as the final notes of the last song we're strummed, we all broke down into tears. Sure we were sad that we'd never get to see another Visqueen show or pick up another new Visqueen album, but mostly the tears were grateful ones, that we were there and they were there and we were all together sharing this amazing moment of rad songs, rad people, and BFFs forever (video proof below).
BUT, come Friday, June 1st at our 10th Anniversary Rockstar New Wave Karaoke Bash at Chop Suey {tix}, dry those tears and wildly spray your Aussie Scrunch hairspray, because Ben Hooker (and possibly a member or two of his entourage) will take the stage to sing a favorite new wave hit.
You might remember Ben's karaoke skillz as illustrated in his spot on performance of Iron Maiden's "Aces High" (with Cory Murchy of Minus the Bear) at our 2003 Rockstar Buttrock Karaoke Party, a performance which earned him the award for "Best Falsetto." This time will be even better, because we will be celebrating a wonderful 10 years of imaginary togetherness (a love affair detailed in the 10th anniversary imaginary zine, which you can be the first to pick up AT THE SHOW!).
How can Ben possibly top "Aces High?" We will see… oh we will see!!!
If you don't already know the name Cristina Bautista, you soon will. She's been part of some of our favorite Seattle bands over the last few years (Visqueen, Paxil Rose) and currently, her most recent release--the Gold Parts EP--is in high rotation in the imaginary offices (listen to it on bandcamp or get the ltd. ed. cd version).
Brimming with boundless enthusiasm, Cristina is a shining light in Seattle's music community with the voice of a mischievous angel and the sass of a gal who's seen equal parts happiness and heartbreak. It's a surprise that there isn't a Glee character based on her (or that she hasn't been snapped up to be on the cast).
As you may have heard, 2012 marks Three Imaginary Girls' 10th anniversary of being Seattle's sparkly indie-pop press and we can't think of a more imaginary way to celebrate than with a big bash with some of our favorite rockstars and YOU!
On Friday, June 1st at Chop Suey, we're going to host the biggest TIG birthday party of all imaginary time with some of Seattle's most stellar rockstars taking the karaoke mic to sing in the key of new wave, including:
It can't get any more astonishing, right? Well, the rockstars aren't the only ones taking the mic, we want YOU to sing too! Throughout the night, audience members can volunteer to take the Chop Suey stage by storm to karaoke their favorite new wave hit. Folks will be chosen first come, first served, so get there and turn in your song early (doors are at 8:30pm)!
To add to the birthday merriment, the evening is going to be hosted by imaginary Dana and Adrian LeFluer (of Iron Composer fame), who you might remember stealing the show as emcee at our 69 Love Songs cover night a few years back.
Get your ticket to the night of new wave love and big imaginary fun now!
As an added bonus for those at the show, you can be the first to pick up a copy of the Imaginary Zine! A printed old school zine recounting our first 10 years in stories and recounted memories from our imaginary friends. It will have a special screenprinted cover (thanks Seattle Show Posters / 112 Printworks!) and a cd chock full of rare, live, or exclusive songs by some of our favorite local artists, including The Long Winters, BOAT, Exohxo, The Femurs, Tullycraft and MORE! It's limited to a hand-numbered print run of only 333, so you should make plans to pick up your copy at the show.
{This is part two of two in our best-of photo series of 2011. Take a peek over at part one here, and don't forget to check out our festival best-ofs part one and two as well!}
Favorite photo #5: Ocean Shores :: In a get-to-know-your-roots {PNW edition} kind of road trip, we hopped in the car one weekend with esteemed sometimes-imaginary photographer and fellow transplant Laura Musselman for a ride out to the water -- Ocean Shores, to be exact -- with jaunts to Aberdeen and Hoquiam on the way. It was all at once melancholy and sun-filled, juxtaposing sad, semi-abandoned mainstreets with a big, bright, full-fledged kite festival once we were beachside. Strange as it was for those two worlds to meet, it was definitely a day trip for the books, yielding a half-dozen photos that easily made our best-ofs for the year (like the one above). {more field trip photos} {Laura Musselman}
Favorite moment #5: Eef Barzelay {at the Madrona Ale House} :: The night after Eef Barzelay's headlining appearance at our Imaginary Holiday Spectacular, he played a much quieter affair as part of a private party at the Madrona Ale House. Abandoning the PA after three-quarters of a song, he sat down across the table from us, where he proceeded to stay for much of the show. The result? A very front-row seat for one of our favorite performances of the year. You can even hear a moderately decent recording of one of his Journey project tracks from the show over here and relive the moment along with us! {more photos of Eef} {Eef Barzelay / Clem Snide bandcamp}
Favorite photo #4: Lovesick Empire at Neumos :: This one happened so early in the year that it almost slipped through the great sort-through! Way back in January, Lovesick Empire played an AMAZING set at Neumos, and even though they're pushing forward with a slightly different lineup than seen here, they are still making some of the most kick-ass music coming out of Seattle today. It's huge-sounding, dirty, full of guitars, and cuts right to the point -- another one to add to your "do not miss under any circumstances" list of live bands to catch so that you don't regret it forever the morning after they've played. {more photos from the Neumos show} {Lovesick Empire FB}
Favorite moment #4: John Roderick's pre-City Arts house show :: We were the luckiest of all ducks to not only attend, but actually host a super-intimate house show with John Roderick out in Ballard this past October, where less than two dozen folks pulled together a potluck and a city of tealights for one of our favorite shows of the year. John held court in front of the mantel, singing and storytelling and taking requests for more time than we could keep track of (minutes? hours?) while the room swooned away with delight -- like Eef's Alehouse show, we even managed to sneak in a homemade recording, which you can take a listen to here. Honestly, there's not much we can think of for 2012 that's going to be able to top it. {more photos from the house show} {The Long Winters}
This past Saturday, we said goodbye to our dear, dear Visqueen. The duo of Rachel Flotard and Ben Hooker (with a rotating team of equally disarming and talented friends on bass and rhythm guitar throughout the years) charmed a sold out crowd one last time. The evening couldn't have been any more sweet, or touching, or amazing. It's the night that we will all be talking about for years to come, about the last time Visqueen rocked our socks off: the final Rachel in-between song banter that made us laugh so hard we cried, and a final song that was so stunning, I weep buckets at just the mention of it.
Rachel was able to cajole Broadcast Oblivion into reforming for this special night. I'll admit, it's been a while since I've listened to my copy of Transmita Olvido to sing along to "False Starts for Blackened Hearts" (on repeat), but it was magical to enter the showroom as they were working up a sweat. Capping off their set with a drum off between Ben Hooker and Coady Willis (who you might have recognized as a Murder City Devil), they really set the tone for the rest of the night: the next few hours were going to be full of surprises, and the fun of a good ol' fashioned party among friends. Visqueen entered the stage to “I Had the Time of My Life” from Dirty Dancing, hugging and laughing and taking the edge off of the finality of it all, and cementing the fact that when it comes down to it, we're all still going to be BFFs -- nomatterwhat.
{Rachel and Ben of Visqueen at TIG's 69 Love Songs show in 2008. Photo by Laura Musselman}
Visqueen recently announced that, after more than 13 years of making us merry, they are going on an indefinite hiatus with the close of November, 2011. Although I agree It's totally fair for them to want to put down their guitars and sticks after such an amazing run, I have to admit it's really sad to think about imaginary life without the hope of ever seeing another Visqueen show (last shows listed below - get your tickets now!).
This got me reminiscing about all the amazing moments Three Imaginary Girls has had with them since our beginning nearly 10 years ago. It's a natural fit that as Visqueen shot to the forefront of the Seattle music scene, we were there in the front row basking in their glow. All that superfandom has resulted in about 80 Visqueen posts over the years and more than a few "most memorable moments of my life" and, of course, a Top 5 Imaginary Visqueen Moments list!
1. OUR FIRST EVER VISQUEEN SHOW
About a month after we launched Three Imaginary Girls, we posted this review of the July 3, 2002 Visqueen show that pretty much set the tone for the website. We {gush} talk about Kim Warnick, they cover a Tom Petty song, and Kim gives away a pair of tickets to see the Who that weekend{/gush}. We should have mentioned it more pointedly, but huge thanks to Pete Hilgendorf for telling us about Visqueen in the first place.
Well, I wish them well in the future. They will seriously be missed by all of their fans. Who knows what the future will bring. They will most likely do more shows in the future at some point.
Autumn is upon us, and once again, we've found ourselves happily submerged in a sea of grey mornings at the local cafe with headphones on, poring through new releases and marking our calendars for upcoming shows. And in case you're in one of those spots where you had to put New Release Tuesday on the back burner for a bit, we'd love to help you catch up! Part one of two, this post features stuff we heart to the maxx that also has a live show coming up in November -- and PS, we've got tickets to give away for almost everything featured here! Read on:
Who: tUnE-yArDs, aka Merrill Garbus
What: new(ish) album from earlier this year, upcoming show, all-around awesomeness Sounds Like: super-melodic, experimental freak-out tribal chanting over sweet beats + some very catchy sing-a-long-y vibes More info at:http://tune-yards.com/ Playing: The Neptune on Sunday, November 20th
Short version? One of the stand-out small-stage acts at Sasquatch! 2010, plays huge venues now, not to be missed. Long version: tUnE-yArDs -- which is comprised mostly of a lady-genius named Merrill Garbus, along with some loops and accompanying musicians depending on where and when you catch her -- is not like any other band out there today. It's part crazy catchy beats, part tribal warpaint, part musical catch-and-release, and all amazing. 2009's Bird-Brains kicked our asses, and 2011's w h o k i l l took things to a whole 'nother level. Buy both albums and make sure you're front and center for her Neptune appearance later this month.
Who: We Were Promised Jetpacks
What: new album, upcoming show, mosh potential Sounds Like: straight-up indie rock, big guitars, angst, Scottishness More info at:http://wewerepromisedjetpacks.com Playing: Neumos on Tuesday, November 15th
Latest comment by: Ryan: "I have heard many songs sung by Anastacia. Heavy Rotation is one of the albums sung by her. I have tried to download it, but unable to do this. Just wants to know the site from where we can download this. Also can anyone tell me other songs by her? It will really ...
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Imaginary. You could call it that.