You can get with this, or you can get with that -- but whatever you pick, you've got a heck of a time ahead of you this Thursday.

First off, you can get your hangtime on out at the Tractor, where Sallie Ford and the Sound Outside, Pancake Breakfast, and Joshua Morrison will be taking the stage around 9pm. (Not all at once, of course.) Sallie & Company are out on the road fresh behind their newest release, Dirty Radio, which hit the shelves last week. Get ready for more big jangly guitars, more of Sallie's distinct modern-yet-throwback-y vocal sound, and more of all those things they do that we love.

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{{{UPDATE}}} We've got another pair of tickets to give away today for tomorrow night's show! Details have been updated below.

Rex Manning Day is almost upon us! Jessica Lea Mayfield and Nathaniel Rateliff are coming to the Tractor next Tuesday night (that's May 3rd, for anyone who's checking for a Fleet Foxes conflict), and believe us when we tell you, we'd bring them their respective lunches any day. Between Mayfield's golden pipes and Rateliff's consistent eleven on the ache-o-meter, you can bet we'll be there the minute doors open to secure our spots front and center.

And... we want you to be there with us! So we've arranged to give away another pair of tickets to the show. Simply email us at tig {at} threeimaginarygirls dot com today with the subject line "IMissYouEverySingleDay" for a chance to win -- just be sure and get your entry in before 3p. We'll choose a winner tonight before 5p and notify you by email that you're on the list +1 for tomorrow's show.

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Thinking back to MusicFest Northwest's performances, the Builders and the Butchers set is hands-down in the top ten "things we won't forget about the 'fest, ever" list, for sure. In the middle of the day on Saturday, TBATB stunned a crowd of KEXP fans and friends into silence, with nothing but recording mics on hand to capture the moments of absolutely staggering sound. And if that mini-set at the Woods is any indication of how they do on a real stage, fans that will be seeing them up close and personal at the Tractor this weekend are in for a hell of a show.

The Builders and the Butchers will be playing second of three at the Tractor next Wednesday {February 16th} opening up for Murder by Death, and lucky for you, we've got a pair of tickets to give away! Just write a lil' love note to us at tig {at} threeimaginarygirls dot com by 5pm on Monday, February 14th and tell us why we should send you to the show. Be sure to use the subject line "BuildAndButcher" so that we know it's you!

Good luck, everyone! Don't forget, the Tractor is 21+, so make sure you're packing proper ID before you enter the giveaway.

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Oh man is tonight going to be a good one! Get thee to the Tractor tonight for a very, very special night, as everyone sings "It's Your Birthday" to two Seattle pop legendaries - Lulu and Kurt of the Fastbacks. The evening starts off promptly at 8:30 with a heavy dose of Seattle royalty - the Young Fresh Fellows. Then, as if that wasn't enough, a bunch of other, a bunch of Seattle pop royalty, like PUSA, the Tripwires, Thee Sgt. Major III, and tons more will join the stage to sing a bunch of Fastbacks covers. And then, Seattle's favorite Fastbacks cover band, The K-Streets (hint - it's basically just the Fastbacks) will perform all the hits and classics. To top it all off, the night is only $5. I can't possibly think of a better way to spend a fiver.
In honor of this wonderfulness, we at TIG decided to re-run this beautiful piece of Fastbacks nerdery, origially posted by a Dear Mr. Oswald a few months ago for the last K-Streets show at the Sunset.

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Remember that one time? You know. Before we knew about The Head and the Heart and all their full-frontal amazingness?

Right. Us neither.

If you've yet to experience the sorta-indie-roots-ish, not-quite-americana vibe that these kittens have been putting out all over the PNW recently, you're in for a treat. You have not one, but two chances to get your swoon on with The Head and The Heart this weekend, and both times in the company of some stellar headliners.

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If you know and love Clem Snide the way we do, you've had this Wednesday's show at the Tractor carved out with a heart-shape on your calendar for at least a month now. He's coming through town to sweeten the stage of one our favorite imaginary venues, and we're just beside ourselves at the mere thought of it!

But if you haven't been formally introduced, and our sheer love and compelling adjective of all things Eef Barzelay isn't enough to convince you, may we suggest you pull up a chair for a moment and dig on this two-part in-store performance Clem did back in 2003 -- courtesy of the one and only Laura Musselman. (If you squint, you might be able to see her sitting somewhere in the front row on one of the clips.)

Although the tour is in support of the most excellent new release, The Meat of Life,, this almost-forever-ago set still lends itself to giving new fans a great snapshot of everything that's perfect about Clem Snide. A few quick warnings: One, the videos are impossibly lo-fi, but the sound shifts to pure magic after the first song on Part I. (Promise.) Two, you'll probably want to make sure you have some plastic ready, for when you go running off to get tickets for the show the minute you're finished. It's not sold out yet, but we're expecting it will be by showtime tomorrow.

Enjoy!

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Last night I was fortunate enough to catch indie pop royalty, Mr. Jonathan Richman in the first night of a two night stand at the Tractor. After a seemingly brief hour plus set, he bid the crowd adieu and my plus one and I walked out with pretty much the same thought "Wow, Jonathan Richman is like the pure version of Calvin Johnson."

Yes, we both realize Jonathan pre-dates Calvin quite a bit, but when you see Jonathan's dance moves, you'll realize that you've probably seen it on this side of the coast by one Mr. Johnson. While the two definietly share similar qualities, Jonathan is the pure, almost childlike version to Calvin's instinctual, sometimes sexual roar.

It was such a pleasure to see Jonathan perform, even if it's never the hits or the classics that I want to hear (though he does still do a pretty great "I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar" - the ultimate sing along!). Everything he does is the most charming thing ever, never too precious or understated. Catch him tonight at the Tractor and you'll see what I mean. Doors are at 8 and the show starts at 9pm SHARP! There is no opener, so don't miss a second of what will be a magical night.

Here's a little preview of what you might see.

at The Tractor

I've written up this review several times, abandoned a half-dozen drafts, and have decided that it's best to just give it to you straight:

The Tripwires and the Young Fresh Fellows rocked our fucking faces off on Friday night.

There, I said it. And pardon my choice of adjective, but there's really no other way to explain how good this show was. The bands were unbelievably tight, the choice of venue was perfect (The Tractor, obvs) and the sound was absolutely stellar. I mean, I actively sought out and purchased a poster. A poster. Do you remember the last time you did that? I do. It was when the Wrens and Okkervil River played two nights at Neumo's for the KEXP Yule Benefit a few years back. (Talk about getting your face rocked off!) And that's the kind of night this was, only on a smaller scale -- a well-matched bill, perfectly executed, with the three of us ambling down the sidewalk afterward, all reeling and sweaty and shouting over our ringing ears.

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Canadian songstress Julie Doiron (ex Eric's Trip) returns to Seattle tonight for what I'm sure will be a wonderful performance at the Tractor tonight! Her newest album, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, has been kicking my ass lately, especially the fabulous song "Consolation Prize" (thanks, Stereogum for the MP3!), featuring members of Eric's Trip playing on a song about how weird it is when someone who broke up with you tells you what a great couple you had been. There's something kind of chilling about this pop song (plus the weird noise/glass breaking/oh no! screaming bridge).

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at The Tractor

As I mentioned before, I've been a Lemonheads fan for about 17 years, and had never seen them live. I was bursting with joy entering the Tractor on Friday night, not realizing that I'd end up nearly in tears by the end of the night.

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