I certainly have not been doing a very good job keeping my crush on Brooklyn's The Pains of Being Pure At Heart a secret. I've written love letters about their love letters to perfect 80's jangle pop, and once I flew out to see them in the Midwest. But now, I finally get to see them in my hometown at Neumo's this Tuesday September 15th with Cymbals Eat Guitars and the Depreciation Guild (sadly, I was out of town all summer and had to miss the Capitol Hill Block Party). And now, you can too! E-mail us at tig@threeimaginarygirls.com for the chance to win tickets for you and a friend to see The Pains of Being Pure At Heart for free! Just put "KurtCobain'sCardigan" in the subject line, and e-mail us by Monday evening at 5pm.

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at Neumo's

 

My favourite Canadian band played Neumo's on Saturday night. They were last in town for Bumbershoot last year, and don't get down to the States all that often.

One of my good friends came down from Vancouver for the show. We had seen the Weakerthans together in early May play the 2nd of two dates at the Commodore, which is a pretty large room. Getting a chance to see them play a smaller venue, like Neumo's, made for an engaging experience. It was absolutely fantastic. As an added bonus, I got to chat about cameras with JKS for a few minutes before the show.

Photos from their Seattle stop by Trickshot Photography.

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From the most lovely and talented Sarah Jurado, here's a shot of Fleet Foxes frontman Robin Pecknold, headlining last night's A Drink for the Kids Vera Project Benefit.

I've gotta admit, I didn't recognize him for a moment, what with the shorn locks. Nice new 'do, Robin! (Or at least, new to me.) And because I can't resist a tender sibling moment, check out this fantastic shot of Robin with his (likewise lovely and talented) sis, Aja, who joined him onstage to cover Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams."

The night also featured performances by local faves Grand Hallway and Throw Me the Statue. Sarah has a sweet writeup of the event over on her blog,  and more photos over at the TIG Flickr pool. Enjoy!

If I believed in "guilty pleasures", I would have no problem saying The Veronicas were a guilty pleasure.

But I don't, at least not during the eleven months of the year that Girl Scout Cookies aren't sold.

Rather, we'll just have to say The Veronicas are a fine band that I really enjoy. They're the type of band that when you read that they are touring with Kelly Clarkson (as they are this fall), you think "this makes sense and it's perfect".

They are identical twins, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, from Australia who make catchy-as-hell bubblegum pop. They are superstars in their home country but haven't quite broken here. Their sound is a little poppier and more electronic update of The Donnas. They probably fit well on iPods that make a lot of room for Clarkson, Pink and Avril Lavigne, but that shouldn't be taken as an insult (and I certainly don't mean it as one).

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A little late on the uptake, but if you're looking for something to fill your unemployed, or otherwise bored-stiff, time there a couple of really great shows happening this week!

I covered all of this over at KEXP for their weekly Three Imaginary Girls column, and while the Kid's Dance Party for Father's Day is over (and was a super success!) and White Rabbits entertained us with dual drumming last night at the Croc, there are still a couple more excellent opportunities to get your music on.

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The Helio Sequence returns to the Northwest from six weeks of touring in time to help Neumos celebrate their 5 year birthday and joining them will be The Helio Sequence, Grand Hallway, and Palmer Electric Co. The show on Thursday, June 19th is free with a purchase of a drink from MOE Bar.

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This may be a little early. And I'm definitely too excited about this. But, Beach House, The Cave Singers first mp3 for their album coming out this August, is up on Matador's website. Ever since I heard some of their new songs live at Neumos in February, I've been craving more. The songs they played live were infectious and beautiful and I was humming them without knowing what they were for days afterwards.

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We've got a pair of tickets for someone lucky and a friend to catch an awesome all ages show at Neumo's on Tuesday, June 23rd with Cursive and local kids Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band. School's out! Go rock out!

Just e-mail us at tig@threeimaginarygirls.com with the subject line "MtStCursive" by Friday, June 19th at 9am, and be sure to include your full name, especially if your e-mail address is something like schoolsoutrockout@iheartindierock.com.

Check out this video of Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band at SXSW this past year. I'm a pretty big fan of those giant poles the tambourines are stuck to!

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Hey kids, do you like sleazy little mustaches, argyle vests, and lyrics followed by exclamation points? Do you like songs about erectile dysfunction, alcoholism, and modern art? Does Eddie Argos make you want to rock out (AAAAAAAAAAGH!)?

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, come check out Art Brut as they play the Noise for the Needy Benefit this weekend.

Ready Seattle?

They're playing! At Neumo's! On 6/13! (now repeat this 4 times to yourself)

Tickets! Are! 13 dollars!

All! Ages! Bar with ID!

Miike Snow! Opening Act!

Miike Snow is tingly, electro-ey Brittish pop that sounds like what catching snowflakes on your tongue feels like. They will be an interesting compliment to the glorious racket that is Art Brut.

See you there. (I am officially exclamation point-ed out.)

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We've got a pair of tickets to give away to a lucky person and a friend to see Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars on Monday, June 15th at Neumo's. Here's a bit of history about the band. It's a very moving story.

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