In a year that brought so many amazing albums, Two Gallants produced one of my favorites of 2012 (The Bloom and the Blight) -- so when I found out they had a stop of their west coast tour at Barboza on January 18 {this Friday!}, I was unbelievably excited. I imagine that this duo is going to produce a night full of energy-rich rock songs that, coupled with some heartfelt acoustic ballads, will make for a magical evening. 

The Bloom and the Blight is the band's first album after a five-year hiatus, and marks quite a departure from the bands' previous sound. With the opening track, "Halcyon Days," along with "Ride Away," Two Gallants definitely make their commanding presence quite clear. But, it's songs like "Sunday Souvenirs" and "Broken Eyes" (my personal favorite) that showcase their beautiful acoustic side. Both facets explode with emotional lyrics and heavy melodies, enhanced by lead singer and guitarist Adam Stephens' raw vocals. 

Every time I listen to The Bloom and the Blight I am constantly surprised by how caught off guard I am, and I'm excited to see this reflected in their live show. You should come! Advance tickets are still available here.

{$15 adv / 21+ / 7 p / Future Twin opens.}

You've heard it here before, and we'll say it again (and undoubtedly, again sometime in the future): we sure do love The Young Evils, and if you're not already on their wagon, you are missing the f*ck out. Their brand of indie-pop went from a blast-of-sunshine sound on 2010's full-length Enchanted Chapel to deeper, darker waters -- with plenty of light still filtering through, mind you -- on Foreign Spells, the band's most recent EP.

You can listen to the albums yourself and see, of course, but we think you should get yourself over to Barboza, that rad new space underneath current-day Neumos, and check them out for yourself. The Young Evils will be celebrating the formal release of Foreign Spells there on Friday, July 13th {yep! That's this Friday!} and for a mere eight bucks, you can get your hooks into what they're cooking up live and in-person. The night opens with The Grizzled Mighty and tunes from none other than DJ Marco Collins, so it's a win-win-win all around.

PS, we've been hearing from a few Barboza frequenters that the shows tend to get started relatively soon after doors open, so make sure to shake a tailfeather and get over to Capitol Hill on time so you don't miss a beat.

{21+ / 7p doors / $8. Advance tickets available here. Photo courtesy of The Young Evils.}

(photo: Angela Dawn)

We are all kinds of nostalgic here at imaginary headquarters as we mark our 10th anniversary and look back on all the amazing bands that have held firm spots in our hearts (and on mix tapes) over the last 10 years.

One band that supplied many nights of fun in our early days (specifically between 2001-2006) is Love Hotel.  Their song, "Ahoy Supercool" was played on a repeat loop for some time and their shows were always a lot of fun.  How could they not be? Love Hotel is made up of four of Seattle's finest who have also flexed their muscles as members of Harvey Danger, The Typing Explosion, Voyager One, and Severna Park.  Members Sarah Paul Ocampo, Aaron Huffman, Mark Dibeh, and Bo Gilliland are so comfortable on stage, playing their sexy-smart pop songs that blend Rilo Kiley with early Liz Phair {and you can listen and download Love Hotel on bandcamp for free!}.

(side note: Can we start a petition to bring Typing Explosion back?!?!?)

And we feel like the luckiest imaginaries in the world, because Love Hotel have decided to get back together, for just one night, at Barboza this Saturday, June 23, 2012!  Also on the bill is a set of equally illustrious openers: Sean Nelson & Shenandoah Davis, and Tomo Nakayama (Grand Hallway).

More than just a night of looking back, this show will remind us all why the Seattle music community is second to none, as a room filled with friendly folks gets to be a part of the fun as buddies take the stage to share their superb pop songs in a cozy room.  Also reminding us, it doesn't have to be a big show to be grand and special nights like this should not be missed.

at Barboza

"Hey, people in the back, shut the fuck up!" That's how 27 year old Chicago native Willis Earl Beal started out his show at Barboza on Friday, imploring the talkative crowds in the back of the room to pay attention. He got his wish and took the opportunity to read a few lines from Bukowski before transitioning into an a cappella song, which he described as a "warm up." He explained his earlier outburst by saying "I'm not a mean guy, I just want to be listened to, just like everybody else." Fortunately for Beal, once he started singing he had no trouble getting people's attention. 

All but a handful of songs Beal performed involved him singing over recordings being played from a reel-to-reel player set up on the back of the stage. Beal has spent time as a street performer around Chicago, so he has experience as a solo performer and working with little additional instrumentation. His money maker is his other-worldy voice, and he gets every last ounce out of it. He was frequently belting out his songs, so powerful at times that the room seemed to take a step back. As he sings in "Swing on Low": "Microphone is my ticket, microphone is my tool." He also showed off his range a few times, working his way up to a pretty high falsetto for one song, then apologizing afterwards that it wasn't as high as he usually likes to go. When he wasn't sitting and strumming an electric guitar for his few slower numbers, he was gracefully dancing around the stage with his Ray-Bans on, a leather glove on one hand, a toothpick in the corner of his mouth, swinging his hips and belting out songs that left the crowd thoroughly mesmerized. For one song he took off his belt, folded it in half, and slapped it against a plastic chair to create percussion. 

Most of the songs sung came from his debut album Acousmatic Sorcery, which was released in April. While the songs on the album are frequently lo-fi, stripped-down guitar and piano songs, his live instrumentations sounds significantly different, a point that Beal acknowledged towards the end of his show. "You can buy my album in the back, but the songs on that album don't really sound like what I played tonight." His powerful voice doesn't have nearly the same effect on record either. While Acousmatic Sorcery is a solid album in it's own right, Beal might be better served releasing a live album at some point to really showcase his astonishing voice. With tons of charisma and undeniable talent, you get the sense that Beal has a bright future ahead of him.

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You know that feeling you get when you hear a band or musician, and within about 20 seconds say to yourself, "Wow, this person is going to be pretty big before too long"? That's the sense I get when I watch videos of 27 year-old Chicago musician Willis Earl Beal. 

Beal just put out his debut album Acousmatic Sorcery on Hot Charity, an imprint of XL Records, earlier this month. While the album itself has drawn a good amount of attention, Beal's backstory is equally intriguing: he gained attention around Chicago from flyers he hung up saying that he'd sing you a song if you called him, and that he'd draw you a picture if you wrote him. Seriously, you can still find his phone number and address right here on his website!

Beal wrote the songs for Acousmatic Sorcery while living in Albuquerque, NM before moving back to his native Chicago. His music is very raw, often accoustic, and dripping in soul and emotion. He often gets compared to Tom Waits, a comparison that Beal himself does not shy away from, and as he told Pitchfork in an interview in February, Waits is his favorite artist -- stating clearly that he "want[s] to be the black Tom Waits." Musical styles on the album range from slow acoustic ballads to stomp-and-clap roots numbers.

You can catch Beal this Friday, May 4th at the brand-spanking-new Barboza, which is located downstairs from Neumos. 

{7p doors / $12 adv / 21+}