This is the second part of the first installment of Portrait of an Artist.  D. Crane will interview musicians and artists who blow his mind.  Read along and see him sharpen his interview skills to that of a slightly sharp pencil.  Fred Schneider was the inspiration for the song “(do the) Magic Centipede,” off of BOAT’s  Setting the Paces LP.  His new band is called the Superions.  They make the most ridiculous surreal/silly dance music around. Read part 1 here.

Fred,  here is my attempt to ask you some clever/wacky/personal questions.  The level of cleverness/wackiness/personal-ness seems more minute now that I know that you appeared on Howard Stern, last week!  But here I go anyway!

Assuming you go to Totally Nude Island, what piece of clothing would you miss the most?

My wallet!  To buy all the fabulous things at the gift shop!

Are you vegetarian?  How long?

Since ’72.  A friend talked me into it after I dropped out of college.  I never liked fish anyway!

Where should I eat when I visit Athens for the Popfest?

In Athens there is a great vegetarian restaurant called the Grit, and a lot of other places that are really vegetarian friendly.

What happened with the ham in the video?

We bought the ham and were gonna donate it, but it fell on the floor during the video.

Do you like the song "Monster Mash"?  It’s maybe my favorite song of all time.

Yes!  I love everything Halloween.  I love old school Halloween.

What is Sprechstimme?

Talk singing.  When I started I am just singing as I go along.  If you listen closely there is hesitancy.  It is not for dramatic effect.  I’m trying to think of what to say next.

more...

(Photo of Kay Kay and His Weather in 2009 by Andy Aupperlee / Explosion 5000 from the TIG Flickr pool)

The weekend is upon us... and boy have we earned it. Even though the festivities in Austin have stolen some of our local hotties, there's still plenty of music  (and sunshine in the forecast) to be had.

One of the many things going on tonight is BirthDIYfest at the Vera Project. The all ages show will feature BOAT, Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground, Feral Children, Kids and Animals, and the Nextdoor Neighbors and the venue will be filled with booths for local DIY organizations, artists, venues, record labels, and the like. A full roster of whosies with links is on the BirthDIYfest MySpace page. Also, rumor has it that there actually will be some actual birthdays celebrated there, another reason the space will be full of sweetness.

more...

Adam Green has recently released his sixth solo album, Minor Love, and he's coming to town. Newly signed to Fat Possum Records the new album is at once haunting and playful. The lilt in his sparse vocals, reminiscent of Lou Reed, on the first half of the album is accompanied by finely place organ, guitar and bass, the drums skittering around in the background. The second half of the album takes on more of a Leonard Cohen feel, growing a bit darker and unfolding a seriousness that flatters the singer/songwriters skills while expanding his scope.

I can only imagine how the slight kitsch of a song like “Goblin” and the video game sound clips on the lo-fi “Oh Shucks” will translate to stage. Find out by emailing us for these tickets!

Send an e-mail to tig@threeimaginarygirls.com by Monday, March 26 with "AdamGreenWonder" in the subject line. If you win these tickets, I'll see you there and together we can wonder whether or not Greg Rogove of Megapuss is going to be playing on this leg of Adam Green's tour.

more...

Or:  How I Got to Interview Fred Schneider for 25 Minutes---SPONTANEOUS—BASIL LOVER—HERO OF THE SILLY AND ABSURD

This is the first part of the first installment of Portrait of an Artist. D. Crane will interview musicians and artists who blow his mind.  Read along and see him sharpen his interview skills to that of a slightly sharp pencil. Fred Schneider was the inspiration for the song “(do the) Magic Centipede,” off of BOAT’s Setting the Paces LP. His new band is called the Superions, and they have a brand new self-titled EP/LP on Athens, GA's Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records. They make the most ridiculous surreal/silly dance music around. Stay tuned for the second part later this week.

How did you get in touch with Mike from Happy Happy Birthday to Me Records (HHBTM)?

I am a record nut and he runs a record store, so naturally we hit it off. I heard that he runs a label with two of my favorite acts, Cars Can Be Blue and the Lolligags. I knew he was an honest guy and a hard worker, so  I suggested to the Superions, “Hey, let’s put this out on a small label.” Originally, it was going to be a single, but there were some remixes that I thought turned out great, and I couldn’t be happier.

How long ago did the Superions start?

We started about 5 years ago as the Del Morons.  The first song we did was a song called “Totally Nude Island.”  Dan and Noah came up with the music and I just went in the bathroom and came up with the words off the top of my head.  We thought it was fun.  People said they liked it and told us to put it on Itunes, and that they’d buy it. Most of the HHBTM recordings were recorded soon after.

more...

It's that time of year again... SXSW is upon us! I wasn't able to gather the necessary resources to head down there myself, so I'm looking forward to spending the next four days living vicariously through all of you headed Austin-ways.  I know that your hands (and days) will likely be full of free stuff (beer) and running into your band heros, but keep the twitters and flickr feeds full with your adventures!

I must admit, to protect myself from getting too depressed about missing this year's fest, I haven't kept extremely close tabs on who is playing where and when and what gift bags will be circulating. But, I have found two things that I'm particularly sad to miss this year.  If anyone hits these events, definitely report back (heck, whatever you see, feel free to report in!):

• 1. The world premiere screening of the film Strange Powers – Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields
• 2. The undeniable indie-pop fest going on at Waterloo Bicycles (so many bands I've wanted to see in one place!)
• 3. The special guest duets that sneak up on you... one in particular I've heard a rumor about is the teaming up of a Fratelli and Colin of Mull Historial Society. Billy Bragg is there this year and I *know* he's going to join someone on stage. I just know it!

May the YouTube powers be with everyone down there!

Needless to say, you SXSW-ers are going to have a great time. I guess I'll make up for all that I'll miss by looking back and trying to relive some of my favorite adventures of SXSWs past:

• 1. Matt & Kim interview, with legos and a dorky interviewer
• 2. Los Campesinos! interview, in a hot tub with an interviewer who shouldn't have worn a hoodie
• 3. Chasing down Running into Owen Wilson
• 4. The time Dana chased down ran into Amy Winehouse
• 5. Everything else I've seen / done at SXSW, especially the hootenanny

What are your favorite SXSW memories?

We're all at SXSW in our hearts!

more...

They're from Vermont and they're playing SXSW at the Galaxy Room on Thursday, March 18 in the Sub Pop/Hardly Art showcase. So what does that have to do with you and me? Well, I nominate the song above, "Subliminal Message" as my first beloved Song Of The Summer.

I know it's barely even technically spring yet, but the gob-stopper gnawing candy pop thrill of Kyle Thomas from the gritty King Tuff swapping musical spit with Chris Weisman and Ruth Garbus is yum yum. "Subliminal Message" may not have a real video yet, but it's been making my iPod hum for two weeks now.

Sub Pop is so happy with this latest signing they're streaming Happy Birthday's self-titled full length.

Garbus is a musician and artist who for HB takes on the task of the drummer; four track experimenter and inverted tuning instrument playing Weisman handles the bass; and now is the time to start following whatever Kyle Thomas, Top 40 and comic book fan and singer-songwriter for the group, does.

Happy Birthday started off as a one-off night at a now-gone punk club to have some fun. Last summer he released a collaboration with members of Witch and Feathers titled King Tuff Was Dead, recommended to me by Seattle tastemaker Travis Ritter when he worked at Sonic Boom. He saved a copy for me as I was just heading to the Capital Hill Block Party, and it became my favorite new vinyl last summer. And now I have Happy Birthday! It's going to be a great summer.

more...

Wonderful World: This one played at SIFF last year, and I totally missed it. Matthew Broderick plays pessimist Ben Singer; divorced, jobless, and completely hopeless. When his roommate gets sick, hot sister Khadi arrives and shakes up Ben’s world. Sounds pretty formulaic, I know, but I’m interested.

more...

I think everyone's ears might still ringing from Saturday's The Big Pink and A Place To Bury Strangers show at Neumo's... in the best way possible. I love how jandrew33 captured the mesmerizing A Place To Bury Strangers set with this shot. Big thanks to him for adding to the TIG Flickr Photo Pool.

Have you recovered from the show and ready to head out this week? There are a bunch of options... my favorite being tonight's White Stripes film showing (FREE!!!) at the Crocodile. Other options over the next couple days include:

more...

As with most weekends around SXSW time, the clubs were packed with music this weekend. What shows did you see?

Each night had a bunch of choices from Rocky Votolato, Laura Veirs, Mike Watt, The Big Pink, a Wooden Birds instore at Sonic Boom, and some Hollow Earth Radio fest action with Sir Richard Bishop... just to name a handful of the many options.

On Friday night, I found myself at Goldie's where some friends did a killer karaoke version of "Empire State of Mind" (totally YouTube-worthy) and on Saturday at the grand opening fun at Jigsaw Records (photos and recap coming soon) with performances by Math and Physics Club and D. Crane from BOAT.

And you? Add your photos to the TIG Flickr Photo Pool and tell us all about it!

(Rocky Votolato photo courtesy of Kirk Stauffer Photography)

more...

You know how some records are just impossible to find in stores, due to small distribution and tiny awesome labels? Well, Chris Mac does too. And that's why he decided to open Jigsaw Records (5459 Leary Ave NW, 2nd floor, right above Resolution Audio). "We deal directly with bands and labels around the world (many of which have little or no distribution) to help them get more exposure", says Mac, also the creator of the wonderful indie pop haven Indiepages.

Mac's got the tiny store (14x14) stuffed to the gills with only the highest quality indie pop and rock records, cds, and tapes, and with his encyclopedic knowledge of indie pop is the type of guy who loves making suggestions, even to the point of putting descriptor stickers on every new release he carries (you know, so if you're looking for twee pop, you don't accidentally buy a pop punk album).

Not only is he supporting DIY music, but the shop itself follows a strict DIY aesthetic, with wonderful hand-built shelves, made with love, carrying your new favorite records.

The shop opens this Saturday, March 13th with the greatest possible opening party imaginable, featuring the first Math and Physics Club show in 2 years! Also appearing will be the fabulous D. Crane of BOAT. The show starts at 7 and is all ages and free! Come browse records and walk away with a new favorite band or five.

more...