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!
There's plenty to dig into at this year's Bumbershoot Music Festival outside of the big-draw acts (Gotye, anyone?) that make the daily ticket price well worth every hard-earned dollar you're going to spend. There's an impressive comedy lineup, KEXP's always-awesome "secret" Music Lounge, endless vendors, and the sunny goodness of the Seattle Center grounds -- and it all awaits us as another Labor Day weekend looms around the corner. You can head on over to the official Bumbershoot site to go over the schedule and fine-tune a personal lineup, of course -- but here's a few of our hot picks anyway, just in case you find yourself with a case of multi-stage overwhemsion.
SATURDAY
Bumbershoot kicks off strong this year with some feel-good bands breaking us in on our first day, like JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound (fingers crossed-times-infinity that they do their killer cover of "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"), Sera Cahoone, and the Barr Brothers, still fresh in our mind from their performance at Pickathon. THEESatisfaction is sure to electro-groove our very souls before we get a good shredding from the Heartless Bastards, and later on we'll gladly close out day one with a bit of Jane's Addiction and M. Ward:
2:30p, Fisher Green Stage: JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound 3:30p, Sub Pop Stage (Fountain Lawn): Sera Cahoone 4:30p, The Promenade: Barr Brothers 5:15p, Sub Pop Stage: THEESatisfaction 5:45p, Starbucks Stage (Mural): Heartless Bastards 9:00p, The Promenade: Damien Jurado 9:30p, Mainstage (Key Arena): Jane's Addiction 9:45p, Fisher Green Stage: M. Ward
There's tons to do in that gap during the dinner hour, including the Stranger's Guide to America, grabbing actual dinner, checking out Flatstock, and seeking out one of a bazillion killer comedy acts before picking back up the tunes.
SUNDAY
Chugging along into day two, we'll gladly get take our wakeup call from Eighteen Individual Eyes (and a side of the-good-kind-of-bite from Katie Kate) before we ease into a mainstage set at Key Arena from Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings (hell yes!!). There's a run of favorites and Sub Pop all-stars through the afternoon, with blissy sets from the Young Evils, the Fruit Bats, and Mudhoney; and another day'll easily get knocked out of the park with a closing set from Wanda Jackson and those Dusty 45s:
{The following post is courtesy of our new friend and California correspondent, Imaginary Michelle. Take it away, girl!}
For my summer vacation, I didn't take a cruise or hit the beach. I didn't go camping or visit a national park. I didn't even go to the movies or visit a single amusement park. Nope, I decided to follow Shearwater on their west coast tour instead. They are my favorite band, after all, and I am nothing if not immoderate in my devotion to music in general (and this band in particular).
I had seen Shearwater play tons of shows before, some with the current line-up, many more with the former, but these were easily the best. The line-up that singer Jonathan Meiburg has brought together this year is definitely more rock than previous evolutions of the band, and they are, in a word, phenomenal. Drummer Danny Reisch, bassist Christiaan Mader, and multi-instrumentalists Mitch Billeaud and Lucas Oswald laid down such a storm of sound every night that I would've sworn I could feel it at a cellular level, maybe even a molecular one. But always at the fore was Meiburg's inexorable voice, at turns surging through and soaring above it all. Even though the setlist didn't vary much (each night Meiburg played a different song solo at the beginning of the encore), I never got tired of hearing any of the songs. Everything from Animal Joy, a handful of older tunes, and one absolutely brilliant REM cover killed me every single time. As much as I loved the etherealness of earlier Shearwater records and shows, I am utterly enamored with this more visceral incarnation. It's the difference between sitting on the shore watching the tide come in and running out into the water to feel the waves crash against your chest. In January.
And as if Shearwater weren't enough on their own, Husky and Grant Olsen (of Gold Leaves) opened almost every show and destroyed me a little bit more each night. Both Gold Leaves' The Ornament and Husky's Forever So ended up on my iPod before the week was out.
The whirlwind took me from the tour's second night in San Diego, where I braved the ComiCon crowds to catch the band at a dive-y place called the Soda Bar; to a night at the Echo -- probably the best show I've ever seen them play in Los Angeles -- to the show at Bottom of the Hill a couple of nights later (which can only be described as downright magical), where I found myself thinking, "This is it, THIS is how it's supposed to be. It's all happening!" I have never been so exultant after show, so euphoric, so in need of whiskey.
Damn, Seattle. It doesn't seem like a minute goes by when you aren't blowing our minds with a lineup, a song, or some kind of incredible creative expression, and this week is no exception. We're gearing up to head down to Pickathon this weekend, we're still reeling from Block Party, City Arts just dropped a great lineup on us, and our inboxes have been full-to-the-brim with great releases and good vibrations. And it's not showing a sign of stopping anytime soon, PS -- from what we can see so far, fall tour is gonna be a doozy this year.
So, here's a few things we've been digging on lately that we wanted to share:
Crush #1: Western Medicine's new single, "Belly of the Beast"
Easily the freshest new summer jam to throw on whatever mix or playlist you're currently in the middle of concocting, "Belly of the Beast" is our go-to track from Western Medicine's brand-spanking-new self-titled release. You'll likely recognize more than one member of the lineup: the four-piece stars Adam MacKinnon {of Ambitious Career Woman, and also current Barsuk Records warehouse manager}, Laurel Hoffman, Rudy Gajadhar {Waxwing, Gatsby's American Dream}, and David Audino {Crimewave}. Together, these folks are cultivating a terriffic sound, in our opinion best showcased on this particular track -- and per their bio, "...Gajadhar and Audino lay down a powerful rhythmic foundation, while Hoffman's melodic keys play perfect counterpoint to MacKinnon's low register leads." That takes the words right out of our mouths!
Turn it on, put it on repeat, and then get yourself to the Sunset for their record release show on August 9th. They'll be taking the stage with Hot Panda and Runt, and will likely be the best six dollars you spend all week.
Crush #2: New video for Damien Jurado's "Museum of Flight"
Hello, gorgeous! Seriously.
It's not enough that Damien Jurado put out two stand-the-test-of-time records (so far, at least) in a world of flash-in-the-pan buzz bands, but he continues to evolve, collaborate, and make beautiful soundscapes that wow us every time. We couldn't get enough of the risks and bliss on Saint Bartlett, then our minds were blown with the creative turns of Maraqopa -- and now we look up and our pal Tyler Kalberg makes an insanely beautiful video for one of Maraqopa's standout tracks, "Museum of Flight". Full of scenes from Jurado + band's most recent whirl through Europe, the visuals and seamlessness of this video are at once soothing and staggering. Did we mentioned it premiered on Spin.com a few weeks ago, ps? Killer. Check here for EU and stateside tour dates, we'll see Damien next time around locally at Bumbershoot.
Crush #3: Bowerbirds
Not just the band, per se, but this incredible track "House of Diamonds" that we featured on our Pickathon preview playlist. It's really just seventeen hundred different kinds of perfect, and we're having a hard time shutting up about it. Bowerbirds have a new album out, and will be touring behind it post-Pickathon, first for a batch of dates in Europe and then across the US in the fall. If you're digging it, on top of a stop at Pickathon this weekend they'll be at Neumos and the Doug Fir toward the end of October {full list tour dates here}.
Since I know next-to-nothing about photography and famous photographers, I had never heard of Jim Marshall before I stepped into the new The Rolling Stones 1972, Photographs by Jim Marshall exhibit. (Obviously, though, I had heard of the Stones). Luckily, guest curator Michelle Dunn Marsh was on hand to tell me all about Jim, share details of the photos, and just generally amaze me.
EMP’s Curatorial Director Jasen Emmons helped it all come together by providing a history of the band—and to compliment Marshall’s photos with a lovely centerpiece from the museum’s collection: the original artwork for Exile on Main Street, which is unbelievably awesome.
But enough about that; let’s get to the actual PHOTOS.
Monday nights can be a little hit and miss as far as shows go: crowds can often be worn out from the preceding weekend -- in this case, that weekend involved three days of Block Party goodness -- and occasionally reluctant to venture out again for yet another show on Monday. That was certainly not the case with Wye Oak and Dirty Projector’s show at the Showbox this past Monday night.
Wye Oak opened up the evening to an already fairly crowded Showbox. The duo of drummer (and occasional bassist) Andy Stack and guitarist Jenn Wasner made enough noise that you have thought you were listening to a much larger band. Maybe it was the sound capacities of the Showbox on this particular night, but even if not, Wye Oak is much, MUCH louder and heavier live than their recorded version is. Wasner’s guitar playing often created a punishing wall of sound, with her vocals just barely lifting over the top. Their moody and contemplative sound harkened back to some of the shoegaze bands of the early 90s. This was my first time seeing Wye Oak, and I was certainly impressed.
Dirty Projectors took the stage to an anxiously excited crowd, with lead singer David Longstreth high-fiving audience members in the front row upon entrance. The first twenty-five minutes of their set consisted of songs from their new album, Swing Lo Magellan. That fantastic new material punctuated their setlist, as they played the majority of the twelve songs on the album, with highlights from their 2009 album Bitte Orca interspersed throughout.
One noticeable difference between the current incarnation of Dirty Projectors and previous ones is the adjusted lineup. While most members remain the same, former drummer Brian McOmber left the band on amicable terms and was replaced by Mike Johnson. More noticeable however, is the absence of Angel Deradoorian. The trio of Deredoorian, Haley Dekle, and Amber Coffman made some of the most unique and gorgeous melodies in indie music -- however, Deredoorian left the group earlier this year to pursue other projects and was temporarily replaced by Wye Oak’s Jess Wasner, who has since been replaced by former Chairlift member Olga Bell. Considering some of the harmonies and offbeat timing involved in playing their songs live, Bell did a fantastic job and certainly held her own with the rest of the band. When the three of them harmonized together on songs like “Useful Chamber”, they didn’t just settle for singing their beautiful melodies in perfect harmony, they did so at full volume. Not only were they all perfectly on-key, they absolutely belted those notes as loud as they could, and the audience loved every second of it. I noticed several people around me turn to their friends with that "wow, that sounds fucking amazing!" look on their face.
It’s probably totally weird that I’ve never read a Harry Potter book, that I find the movies utterly forgettable, and that I just plain don’t get people’s extreme HP fandom—but, you guys. BUT.
I’ve been crushing on brothers Paul and Joe DeGeorge of Harry and the Potters since I saw them play at the UW Bookstore sometime around 2003. They are exceptionally cute, very sweet, and just all around awesome guys who play rock-n-roll about all things Harry Potter.
As if that weren’t enough, these adorable rockers put together the Harry Potter Alliance; an organization that inspires social activism based on HP themes, and the Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club: a club featuring monthly releases from wizard rock bands, with proceeds going to literary-based non-profits. To date, they’ve raised over $50,000.
This year is their 10 Year “Bandiversary”, so the boys are rockin’ their way up the West Coast with a Summer Tour, and lucky for us, they are landing in Seattle on July 31 at The Vera Project with fellow dude of awesomeness Hank Green, and The Potter Puppet Pals. Yay!
You might ask if Harry and the Potters are a kid's band, and if so, you then might ask WHY I like them. All I can say to you is that you need to experience the imaginary goodness that is H&tP yourself to truly understand. Get a taste of some “Wizard Rock” by checking out one of my personal favorites below, “Save Ginny Weasley”—and then get some tix to the Vera show, before it’s sold out!
{Harry and the Potters w/Hank Green | Tuesday, July 31 | The Vera Project | All Ages | $10 | 6pm}
You've heard it herebefore, 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 Chapelto 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.}
Latest comment by: imaginary victoria: "PS, just saw on the internet that the YEs are playing tonight {Tuesday, 7/10} at Easy Street in Queen Anne at 7p -- for free! Let's go!"
By some stroke of fortunate timing, we found ourselves at the Tashiro-Kaplan Artist Lofts in Pioneer Square this past Friday night, for a few beautiful sets of music from Eef Barzelay, Chris Otepka, and Shannon Stephens. It was one of those heard-it-through-the-grapevine "house" shows, with a few dozen folks scattered about on floor cushions, a table full of shared food and booze, and a donation jar for the musicians at the front door. For a few hours, we sat shoeless and took in the pretty vibes of Shannon Stephens + friends {most notably with our pal Andrew Rudd on the brush-and-file-folder percussion}, a quick but engaging set from Heligoats frontman Chris Otepka, and finally, a handful of mostly-new tracks from Eef himself.
Here's a few shots from the night to prove it all happened:
“Do you have Some Girls?” I asked the guy at Bop Street, fingers crossed.
“Yup! Got it right up here. Oh look, we even have the uncensored cover.”
And this is how I bought my first vinyl since the 80s.
My boyfriend and I had recently decided that we definitely needed a turntable—me, after many years of hemming and hawing about getting one, him, swayed by the release of Tomahawk’s Eponymous to Anonymous—and what better day to set out to do it than Record Store Day 2012?
But what vinyl would I buy? What would be my first purchase? I thumbed through the bins at Sonic Boom, stopping on The Cure Entreat, a collection of Morrissey records, and gazing fondly at the GIGANTIC Joy Division and Smiths sets I couldn’t possibly afford—when I found it: The Rolling Stones Some Girls. But wait—this was the reissue, and the reissue didn’t have the pull out cover with the band’s faces and the wigs that I remember so fondly from my youth.
As soon as my hands touched the copy from Bop Street, I was back in my parents' house leafing through my dad’s record collection and carefully sliding the cover back and forth, counting how many different face and wig combos I could make, gazing at Marilyn and Lucy and admiring the rainbow colors.
Latest comment by: Imaginary Amie: "Yes, Lou. I'm sure! But my audio-obsessed boyfriend is in charge of the playing equipment. I'm just in charge of rebuilding my dad's (and mine) original record collection. :) "
Calling all Posies fans (Hey, that’s me!)! !!! Mr. Jon Auer is having another one of his fantastic shows at The Volterra Drawing Room on Thursday, July 19.
{Dear} $23 gets you in the door, or if you’re feeling fancy pants, you can pay $100 for the VIP experience: a meet and greet with Jon at 7pm, hosted wine and light apps by Volterra (yum!) and—Jon will play 1 requested song for each VIP! Hooray! There are a limited number of seats (only 65), so buy your tix before this sells out. Because it will.
{Jon Auer | Volterra Drawing Room | $23 GA, $100 VIP | All Ages | Cash bar for 21+ | Doors, 7pm (VIP)/7:30pm – Showtime, 8pm}
“Do you have Some Girls?” I asked the guy at Bop Street, fingers crossed.
Recent comments
John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants
Ghetto Moon
Cassingle Revival: 10 uses for cassette tapes
Photo Essay: SIFF Opening Night! Whedonverse meets SIFFverse
SIFF 2013: Week One Highlights
Photo Essay: SIFF Opening Night! Whedonverse meets SIFFverse
Recommended SIFF + Ticket Giveaway: Mistaken for Strangers
Recommended SIFF + Ticket Giveaway: Mistaken for Strangers
Recommended SIFF + Ticket Giveaway: Mistaken for Strangers
Recommended event {and sweet things!}: Bake It In A Cake Cookbook book release party on Thursday {10/4}