at Fremont Abbey Arts Center

I'm almost not quite sure how to begin recounting last night's show at the Fremont Abbey {Round #83, with Damien Jurado, The Head and the Heart's Jonathan Russell, and members of Pretty Broken things, two painters, and a poet} in a way that conveys it with proper justice. So far as layperson's terms go, it was just a show: two forty-five minute sets on a stage, three lead singers trading off turns, with active art creation on the side and yes, even the poetry was good. But when you take two powerful frontmen and put them in such an intimate setting -- you're bound to win big. And I think I can speak for the entire sold-out room when I say that everybody won last night.

Between getting to see Damien Jurado's work showcased at such a tangible, stripped-away scale {both through selections from Maraqopa and long-standing favorites like "Sheets"} and Jonathan Russell's raw-yet-polished abandon {several new-to-me songs, a Bill Withers cover, and an incredible closing number about getting postcards you don't want that's been rattling in my brain since The Head and the Heart's Easy Street set last year}, we were taken on a collective journey through the soundscape that engaged both the audience and the other members on stage in a way you just don't see at a one-band-at-a-time rehearsed show. Such is the beauty of seeing performers in the round.

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It all starts with one thing: words.

Your favorite songwriters are all, well, writers in some way, shape, or form: whether they pick up pens and pencils, scribble furiously in notebooks, tap away at keyboards or typewriters, borrow phrases that they repurpose, or speak into a tape recorder -- they're wordsmiths. All (well, most) of them. And therefore, we find it fitting that we help get the word out about two benefits going on this weekend to help the next generation of writers and songster-ers of the Bent Writing Institute here in Seattle. There's two events you can choose from, depending on your speed -- a night of spoken word at the Fremont Abbey on Friday, and a full-force Big Gay Dance Party at Chop Suey on Saturday. Here's some more details on both:

Friday night, the Fremont Abbey will be host to a night of true performance, with acclaimed poet and activist Andrea Gibson {along with Tara Hardy and members of Youth Speaks Seattle}. Hold on to your sighs, folks: this isn't just some kind of wannabe coffeshop redux full of mediocre poets with exaggerated inflection. Andrea Gibson is the Real Deal: she's touring behind her fifth album and second book, her work has been featured on the BBC, Air America, C-SPAN, and Free Speech TV; and in 2010 a piece of her work was read by a state representative in lieu of morning prayer at the Utah State Legislature. Short version: if you're going to hitch your wagon to a spoken word artist in your lifetime, she's the one. Tickets here, Facebook event page here.

Then, we've got Saturday's event, which'll be much less heavy on the heartstrings but just as fun to attend: LICK!, a monthly-ish dance party at Chop Suey, will be hosting a benefit for BENT, with real-live DJs, dancing, a holigay photobooth, and all kinds of fun stuff! Dress to impress, and don't forget some ca$h money for the tip jar! Proceeds from the night will be going right to the BENT folks. (And ps, if you get there while they last, a rad new 'zine is being released too!) More info at the Facebook event page here.

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Here at TIG, we firmly believe that good content trumps mediocre video quality. Hopefully you do too. Because that's Sean Nelson above, doing his acapella rendition of "Brown Sugar" at BARE last month, a night at the Fremont Abbey full of nothing but some of our favorite local artists and their booming vocal cords. Below, our friends Goldfinch do an excellent version of "Jolene," and Kaylee Cole gives us both a stir and a laugh during "Smile."

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The first two weeks of 2011 have set the bar pretty high for shows: Lovesick Empire killing the stage at a real-life $5 cover night at Neumos, Damien Jurado selling out Columbia City Theater, and back-to-back nights with The Head and the Heart (an impromptu night at Porterhouse in West Seattle last Thursday, and Friday's packed house at Neumos). Suffice it to say that what we're about to see this week is no exception.

On Friday night, the Great Hall of the Fremont Abbey will be filled to the brim with nothing more than the voices of some of our favorite artists -- The Maldives, Sean Nelson, Grand Hallway, Goldfinch, Drew Victor, Shenandoah Davis, Pablo Trucker, and a half-dozen other talented local folk will be hosting an entirely acapella evening, and we're already counting down the minutes to the show. It's the second annual installment of a show called BARE, where we'll be spending the evening sans instruments, electronics, or any kind of amplification -- just the audience, the voices, and the rafters of the hall.

***UPDATE: We've got two tickets to give away to the show, and we want to send you and a friend! Send an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls.com by 5pm on Thursday, January 20th with the subject line BareItAllAtTheAbbey, and tell us why we should choose you to attend the show.

We totally get it if you don't want to run the risk of the show selling out, so click here to pick your tickets up while you still can -- the event is all ages, and prices are only $12-$15 depending on where you'd like to sit your seat.

We'll see you at the show!

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{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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Hey Marseilles is my new favorite band. Sallie Ford is my new favorite awkwardly gorgeous young songstress. And Evan & Virginia Easthope are a force to be reckoned with. If any of them are playing anywhere, any time, go see the set. Period. End rant. I've heard of Hey Marseilles, of course, and I've also heard a lot about them. I've given the album a drive-by and I've paid attention to the reports that came back from Doe Bay, the Capitol Hill Block Party, and Bumbershoot. In fact, I've even had occasion to meet various members of the band, and I've seen video performances on the internets. But before last night, I had yet to physically see and hear a live Hey Marseilles show. And I can't believe I waited so long to soak up the amazingness of witnessing this band perform in the flesh.

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Chelsea blogged about a then-forthcoming Tiny Vipers record called Life on Earth not too long ago, which was just released less than two weeks ago on Sub Pop to critical acclaim.

After touring the east coast, Jesi Fortino brings her Tiny Vipers alias, voice and guitar to the Fremont Abbey Arts Center for her CD release show Saturday night. It's all ages, tickets can be obtained here and the Fremont Abbey is located at 4272 Fremont Ave., N.

{Photo by Sea-Tattle from TIG's Flickr Pool}

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