I hope you're ready for this, because we're about to take your Tuesday from good to grrrrrrrreat!

On top of it not being Monday (woo!) as well as the designated day to go-get-the-latest-and-greatest at the record store, this Tuesday we've got a pair of tickets to give away to two rad upcoming shows -- Dave Rawlings Machine down at the Showbox on Valentine's Day, and Sarah Bettens over at the Triple Door on Thursday. Seriously!

Touring on the heels of this past fall's release, A Friend of a Friend, Dave Rawlings Machine (aka Dave Rawlings and the ever-lovely Gillian Welch, alongside Belmont Tench of the Heartbreakers, Karl Himmel, and Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes) is bringing their beautiful sound that's "built on the same careful spine that Welch's songs are" to the Showbox this upcoming Sunday. Want to get in on the goodness? Just email tig [at] threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "FriendOfAValentine" before 9am this Friday (February 12th). Extra points for your pitch on why you should be the one we pick to attend the show!

And on a slightly lower key but just as lovely note, Sarah Bettens (formerly of K's Choice -- a quick Googling will refresh you on their smash hit, "Not An Addict") will be swinging through town this Thursday to headline the Triple Door for our listening pleasure. Her lush, thoughtful songwriting coupled with her dynamic, earnest performance style has had audiences flocking to her shows for over a decade -- most recently to celebrate the her latest releases, Never Say Goodbye and Shine. If you want to be part of the action, email tig [at] threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "Who'sBettens, Who'sBest" before 9am this Thursday (February 11th). Act fast -- that's only two days away!

Good luck, and we'll see you out at the shows!

{Nana Grizol photo by Jon Manning}

Update! Looks like we found another pair of tickets! Folks who've already entered are still eligible! Details after the jump!

There are some bands that we could go on for hours about how much we love. Athens, GA's Nana Grizol are no exception. I've personally taken to describing them as a combination of the Thermals and the Weakerthans with a horn section, but that barely even scratches the surface of their sometimes 8-infinity piece band awesomeness (complete with floppy hair-ed jumping up and down). Their songs are so heartwrenchingly beautiful and meaningful, complete with lyrics that make you rethink your entire attitude towards life (ex: "Cynicism isn't wisdom/it's just a lazy way to say that you've been burned" from their new album Ruth).

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There are few things in this world that make me laugh as hard or as regularly as the HBO show "Curb Your Enthusiasm", so it should surprise exactly no one that I'm really looking forward to seeing one of the stars, Jeff Garlin, next weekend (Janary 16) at the Paramount as part of former KMTT morning show host Marty Riemer's "Funny Fest" (which also features the very funny comedians Kyle Cease, Brian Burr and Nick Thune).

For our first ticket giveaway of 2010, we are thrilled to give away a pair of tickets to the show to one of our lucky TIG readers and their guest. It's simple, just send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com sometime between now and 9am next Monday morning (January 11) with "FunnyFest" in the subject line and we'll draw a winner's name at random and notify you shortly thereafter.

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This not a test. I repeat: this is not a test. This is an actual ticket giveaway. (It's so good, I almost thought that we were kidding.)

The Swell Season will be stopping by the Paramount this Sunday, touring in support of Strict Joy which hit the shelves a few weeks ago at record stores across the States. The lucky winner will not only receive a pair of 14th row floor seats (!!!), but they'll also get a print of this limited edition tour poster made just for the Seattle date of the tour. Email tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "StrictJoyInSeattle" to get in the running!

For anyone out-of-town that can't catch a Swell Season date on their relentless upcoming tour schedule, here's the link to Glen and Marketa's recent visit to NPR. (Click "Listen Now" at the top of the page for the full twelve minute interview on "All Things Considered".) I often will quip that performances like these are pull-the-car-over-and-stop kind of amazing, and that's exactly what this performance caused me to do. If you have the time, it's well worth the watch for both the sings and the interview. Enjoy!

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One of the last times the Pitchfork-approved, London-based noise-experimentalists Fuck Buttons came through town, I thoroughly enjoyed their set (which was opening for Mogwai) and wrote:

For a little over 40 minutes, Fuck Buttons held the rapt attention of the audience, who seemed mesmerized by the two men up front; that could be, though that it was too loud to have much of a conversation. They used laptops, synths, a drum machine (and a drum pad) and a vocoder with their microphone. When Benjamin John Power or Andrew Hung would sing, their vocals were drowned out by the sounds around them; rather than pay attention to the lyrics Fuck Buttons force you to respond to the sounds they are creating.

Now they're coming back with a highly-regarded new album called Tarot Sport and playing at Chop Suey on Sunday night (November 15). If you want to go but aren't into the whole "paying to get in" sort of thing, send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Thursday (November 12) with "TarotSport" in the subject line and one lucky person and guest will be able to say to their friends "I'm going to see Fuck Buttons for free". The show is 21+, so you and your guest will need to have that taken care of before Sunday.

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Our friends from Friday Mile are celebrating the release of their brand new album Good Luck Studio this Friday (November 13, but don't let superstition keep you from checking out a great show) at the Tractor. Earlier in the year, they rocked the hell out of my birthday show at Chop Suey in January and in the spring they unexpectedly happened to be in the same city on their west coast tour as I was for my vacation (San Diego) and made for a great surprise.

Like the good, caring friends they are, the band asked if they could send a TIG reader (and guest) into the show for free. Of course we couldn't say no because the show will likely sell out and you know how the economy is and all that. If you want to be said TIG reader who gets to go to the Friday Mile CD release show for free, please just send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Thursday, November 12 with "GoodLuck" in the subject line. The show is 21+, so please enter and choose your +1 accordingly. The Dimes, The Banyans and Indian Valley Line round out the solid lineup.

{photo from Darren's press kit}

It is my pleasure to announce that Australia's unbelievably talented and charming pinball champion/songsmith Darren Hanlon will be joining us in our fair city on Friday, November 13th at the Fremont Abbey! You may have caught Darren when he opened up for the Magnetic Fields on the i tour in 2004 (which happened to be where I fell in love with his songs myself). His songs are beautifullly penned stories, sometimes sad, sometimes silly, and often feature a "punchline", just as you're about to succumb to weeping on the floor. Here's a video of one of my favorites of his, "The Unmade Bed" from 2004's Little Chills.

And, to top it all off, we have a pair of tickets to give away! E-mail tig@threeimaginarygirls.com by Thursday at 9am with the subject line "WeOnlyTouchedElbows" (all one word please), and please include your full name, especially if your e-mail address is something like darrenrules@iwishthatiwerebeautifulforyou.com.au. See you at the Fremont Abbey!

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Fact: everyone loves Mission of Burma. Amiright?

Proof: if you happened to be in Boston on October 4, less than a month ago, you were in Boston on Mission of Burma Day. Even more convincing, even Wikipedia loves MOB:

Mission of Burma's efforts are largely concerned with extending punk's original vocabulary without losing its essential rebellious spirit. Using rapid shifts in dynamics, unconventional time signatures and chord progressions along with tape effects, Mission of Burma challenges the prevailing idioms of punk while attempting to retain its power and immediacy.

The converse of which is that the exact opposite of the percentage of people who love Mission of Burma is equal to the same percentage of people who like paying for stuff. So, we want to send one of our readers (and a guest) to share in the love of MOB live at the Crocodile on Wednesday, November 11. Just e-mail us by Monday, November 9 at 9am with "BurmaIsNowMyanmar" in the subject line. One name will be drawn at random and it'll appear on MOB's guestlist  +1 on Wednesday night.

{Photo by Kelly Davidson}

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Athens, GA-based garage rockers The Whigs recently finished their third album In the Dark (ATO Records) and are scheduled to release it in early 2010. Their heading out on the road on an ambitious tour across North America that will include a stop at the Tractor on Saturday, November 14.

TIG was asked if we knew of anyone that would like to see The Whigs for free and, surely, we said we had a reader that would love to go. If you want to go but don't want to pay to get in, send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Wednesday, November 11 with "WhiggedOut" in the subject line. One lucky winner will get a spot on The Whigs' guestlist for the night and provided they're 21 or older, will get in and get to rock out with The Whigs.

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The staff at TIG doesn't agree on many bands, but the closest we ever come to reaching consensus seems to be on Art Brut. Whether it's singer Eddie Argos' unique style of singing (which is neither irony, nor rock and roll) and hilarious lyrics or the kick-ass rock band behind him, most of us here seem to love Art Brut.

Even better: Art Brut is coming back to Seattle to once again rock Neumos next Monday night (November 2) - and we get to send a lucky TIG reader to rock out with both us and Art Brut. If you want to be said lucky reader, just e-mail us at tig@threeimaginarygirls.com before 9am on Friday, October 30 with "AlcoholicsUnanimous" in the subject line (also, please be 21 or older) and we'll draw someone's name at random and notify them shortly thereafter.

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