I’ve been doing a better job this year than I ever have catching all the films generating “Oscar buzz” — (thank YOU, local theaters!) before the actual awards air, and starting this weekend, SIFF Cinema is making it super easy for me with period pieces galore.

Their Awards Buzz Benefit Screenings package starts on Sunday, 11/22 at 2pm with A Single Man. This early 60s drama about a gay man (Colin Firth) who loses his lover in a car crash and contemplates suicide is already gathering talk about Firth taking Best Actor, and about its attention to period detail. All I know is: Colin Firth AND Julianne Moore AND 60s clothes? I am. so. there.

Next up, Me and Orson Welles on Wednesday, 12/2 at 7pm. I’m not quite sure about this one, as “coming-of-age comedy” doesn’t usually resonate with me and I don’t consider Zac Effron to have mad acting skillz, but hey, at least he’s not the one playing Welles (supposedly impressive newcomer Christian McKay is). The plot focuses on Welles’ directing days at the Mercury Theater and a young actor (Effron) in his 1937 adaptation of Julius Caesar.

And last, The Young Victoria, Sunday, 12/13 at 3:30 pm. Emily Blunt is gathering praise all over the place for her portrayal of the famous lady who ascended to the throne almost overnight. Supposedly as non-Hollywood as you can get with a costume drama, the ensemble cast packs a (British) punch with Miranda Richardson, Paul Bettany and Jim Broadbent — and let’s be honest, I’ll be there just for the costumes.

Films are $10 each or you can grab a series pass to all 3 for a discounted $25, with all proceeds going to benefit SIFF — so you can support your Oscar habit and local cinema at the same time, people.

In anticipation of Martin and Baldwin hosting,
Amie Simon
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high iPod rotation:
The Swell Season
Flight of the Conchords
Magnetic Fields

Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.

Built To Spill @ Capitol Hill Block Party (photo by Hilary Harris)

All jokes about Axl Rose’s awful cornrows aside, it’s wet. It’s cold. The desire to hole up, not unlike many of our small rodenty friends of the animal kingdom (except with books / TV, and hot toddies) is overwhelming, but fight it for one more week! You know where you can find warmth and heat, besides under your camouflage Snuggie? That’s right! A rock show! We here at Three Imaginary Girls have a few suggestions that may make you want to poke your heads out of your burrows one last time before Groundhog’s day! Scurry out in your scarves and rain gear and gather up bits of indie rock, classic rock, punk, rap, and soul before Old Man Winter sets in. Stuff your metaphoric cheeks with the likes of these tasty kernels:

11/13/09 - Darren Hanlon / Rose Melberg / The Special Places @ Fremont Abbey: Darren Hanlon comes from the land down under, where indie pop flows and amps thunder…Well, he may not offer you a Vegemite sandwich, but he will offer you clever lyrics, sweet vocals, and charm from the land of plenty. Rose Melburg (Tiger Trap, the Softies, solo work) and The Special Places join him to make a twee parfait that will make you feel warm and snuggly on a cold fall evening.

11/14/09 - Gin Betty/Spanish For 100/The Fuzz @ The Comet: If the rain is making you feel a bit low, Gin Betty might just reflect how you’re feeling right back at you. Whiskey drenched and soulful, the music of Gin Betty has a dreamy quality to it that will guarantee an audience of swayers with the same sleepy glaze of enjoyment smeared all over their faces.

11/15/09 - KISS @ Key Arena: Pledge your allegiance to the state of Rock and Roll with KISS! They are coming to Seattle Rock City! You gotta lose your minds to the classic sounds of the Star Child, the Catman, the Demon, and the Spaceman. The KISS Army wants you! Interesting KISS trivia: Gene Simmon’s real name is Chaim Witz and he was born in Israel. Admit it; your mind is blown too, isn’t it?

11/16/09 - Raphael Saadiq @ Showbox SoDo: Singer, songwriter, actor, video game developer, label owner, producer, is there nothing this smooth, handsome brother can’t do? Back to finish stoking the fire he started in many hearts at Bumbershoot, he will be filling the Showbox SoDo with his velvety voice and his old school R&B slow jams. Hopefully, everyone will be able to hear him over all the lovesick sighs…

11/17/09 - Girls @ Neumo’s: If Elvis Costello and the Cramps made a glittery lo-fi baby and gave it to the Jesus and Mary Chain to raise, Girls might be that baby. They’re a little bit country, a little bit rock and roll, and thankfully not at all like an Osmond.

11/18/09 - The Fiery Furnaces/Cryptacize/Dent May @ Chop Suey: The Fiery Furnaces are like that cool artsy kid that everyone knew and liked in high school. They talked to everyone, but didn’t belong to any one particular group. They were cool enough to not get trashcanned or beaten up for lunch money, but “too weird” to be prom queen or class president. The Fiery Furnaces are clever, blippy, fun, and a little all over the map. Makes you wonder- do they smoke clove cigarettes in oversized black cardigans behind the gym?

11/19/09 - Built To Spill/Disco Doom/Finn Riggins @ Showbox: Trying to encapsulate anything about this well-loved, highly respected band in this limited space seems an exercise in futility. Just imagine how cool you’ll sound to co-workers and friends when you say “I saw Built to Spill last night” instead of “Hey, that episode of the Office was really funny, huh?”

11/20/09 - “Girls Rock Benefit-Goodness/The Redwood Plan/Eighteen Individual Eyes/Alicia Dara @ High Dive: According to their mission statement, “Girls Rock! Seattle is a non-profit organization dedicated to building positive self-esteem in girls and encouraging creative expression through music.” Nuff said. Embrace your inner Ginger Spice and be all about Girl Power! I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want is for this show to sell out and these young ladies to be able to continue to find their inner Joan Jett (what I imagine the polar opposite of zig-ah-zig-ah-ing is). Viva la chica!

Later skaters — I’m gonna go wail on my axe out in front of a church, or maybe dive through a wedding cake.
Mary Kwatkosky-Lawlor (Imaginary Mimi)
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high i-pod rotation
Flight of the Conchords
The Feelies
Low Anthem

(Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

I’m not sure what triggers other people’s memories, but mine are strongly linked to my olfactory glands. And songs. What with all the damp green of November in Seattle, it’s been easy to get stuck in a rut of listening to the albums that I attached to this time last year. It’s all well and good, sinking into this semi-induced, semi-unavoidable reverie but it’s really not helping my inclination towards seasonal depression. So I’ve started attaching new songs to the new moments of my new year in Seattle.

When this posts, it will be two days from my yearlong anniversary living in the emerald city. One year later and I’m just as unemployed as when I first moved here and I’m still living with a stranger, except now they sublet from me. Reflecting on this, I’ve allowed myself an indulgent amount of time to dust off the first albums I bought when I moved. However, I realized, being bombarded with the scents of leaf-plastered sidewalks makes it the perfect time to create some new memories in this city I now call home. Here are some upcoming releases that enhance the magnitude of sitting on a park bench in a dense fog or perfectly accompany puzzle time in front of the fireplace.

Capgun Coup - Maudlin
Out on the 3rd on Team Love, the whole album was recorded live in Omaha’s Hotel Frank to capture the feel of their performances. Sometimes droning or folky, sometimes youthfully aggressive, their album is an amalgam of widely ranging songs — the ideal playlist for too many days spent indoors. Cure/encourage your cabin fever with some whiskey and “Ari Are We” off Capgun Coup’s sophomore album.

Lissie - Why You Running
This is an album for those of us who haven’t found anyone to shack up with on the cold nights to come. A haunting heartbreak that is subtly powerful and empowering, the five songs on this EP feature Lissie Maurus’ vocals teetering between the blue soulfulness of her hometown by the mighty Mississippi and the playfulness of her brief stint living in L.A. Throughout the album breathy moans and sustained warbles stand against the bleak backgrounds of woeful slide guitar and echoing handclaps. I dedicate the cover of Hank Williams’ “Wedding Bells” to my sister.

Papercuts - “White Are the Waves” 7″ single
A new song by fuzz loving Jason Quever graces us November 10th. With reverb-ridden bass drum, you can almost hear Quevers dreamy voice lulling and charming the heavy percussion with its sweet melody. The B-side features a Neighbors (Vetiver’s Andy Cabic and producer Thom Monahan) remix of “A Dictators Lament” that isn’t what you may expect. Highlighting the symbol crashes and cleaning them up, the organ that dominates this song off You Can Have What You Want is subsumed by a dancey back beat. This is a release to play in your car when driving to the corner store for beer because it’s too cold to walk the two blocks.

David Bazan - “HAPPY XMAS (War is Over)” (Saturday, November 7 at Neumos)
I’m sure by now we’ve all heard David Bazan’s impressive new record or maybe you own one of the other five installments of his Christmas series. I feel like I don’t have to hype how good this year’s issue, with covers of John and Yoko’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over)” and Wayne Coyne’s “Say It Isn’t Greensleeves (A Change At Christmas),” will be. Pertinent to atheists who still like presents and God-lovers alike, this limited release of 1,000 copies in blue w/ white haze (200 copies), gold (400copies) and clear (400 copies) vinyl came out on November 3rd. Hurry to get your copy if you’re one of those people who counts down the days between Halloween and Christ’s birthday.

Tape Deck Mountain - Ghost
This, the San Franciscan’s debut LP, comes out on November 17th bringing with it a handful of songs at once sweet, dark, and shoegazey. From song to song they switch from the lo-fi sounds of a Mount Eerie album and the sweeping high production of one of their cited influences, The Smashing Pumpkins. As heavy and hazey as My Bloody Valentine, I recommend “80/20″ as a song that is every bit as dense as the air inside a bus whose windows are covered in condensation.

See you in your raincoat,
Chelsea Werner

*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high ipod rotation:
Nirvana
The Fresh and Onlys
Capgun Coup

Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

I Heart Rummage

Not only does this monthly event (almost every Sunday) at Chop Suey feature a bazillion NW indie designers and crafters and their goods, of which you can peruse and drool over, but they ALSO have a live DJ and admission is free. This glorious event runs from noon to 4pm this Sunday, November 1st at Chop Suey in Capital Hill. Unusual gifts, elaborate crafts and handmade wares can be found here.. and you can be sure you’ll meet a handful of pretty amazing folks as well.

William Elliott Whitmore at the Tractor

William Elliott Whitmore is southern medicine for the Yankee soul. Born and bred on the banks of the ole Mississipp’ in middle America, his sound is all Delta Blues, rambling country-folk with a pinch of punk rock. His deep grassy voice is a comfort, like hot tea and honey on a rainy day, and he can belt out emotive songs about hell-fire and damnation that will knock your socks off. He sings acapella , often only accompanied by his guitar or banjo, and his voice, tattered by smoke and whiskey, will carry you back to the early 1900s moon-shine days. In rainy dark times, like we’re likely to see in the near future here in the northwest, William Elliott Whitmore’s rural-folk sound may just be the sunshine we’re looking for. Don’t miss him at the Tractor Tavern on Sunday, November 1st.

John Cleese at the Moore Theatre

Whether you’re a Monty Python fan, love his work in animated films like Charlotte’s Web and Shrek 2, or really SUPER love A Fish Called Wanda (I’m in that category!) then you really can’t afford to miss John Cleese at the Moore Theatre on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Dirty Projectors at Neumos

I’ve been a fan of Brooklyn experimental rockers Dirty Projectors for years now, before they caught hold in the indie music community with their most recent (and definitely most accessible) album, Bitte Orca. Bitte Orca took their strange angular approach to lo-fi and mixed it up with SUPER catchy melodic hooks and a disjointed dance-feel, which really propelled them into the indie spotlight. Dirty Projectors brand of wiry rock punctuated with puzzling shifts in song structure is complete addictive, gorgeous and promises to pack a good punch. Don’t miss their haunting live show at Neumos on Wednesday, November 4th.

Shrie L. Spangler
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high i-pod rotation:
Grizzly Bear
Spiral Stairs
Kid Sister

(Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

Although October is mainly horror flick month for me, I do occasionally branch out and see, you know, other types of film. This weekend, there’s tons of good stuff to choose from.

Over at the Northwest Film Forum, they’re showing the live REM concert film This is Not a Show, a compilation of concert and backstage footage from July 2007 over 5 nights. Amping up the anticipation is the fact that at that time, they were testing new songs from 2008’s Accelerate on packed houses of tried-and-true fans. YIKES. Sounds terrifying, and interesting — and I’m not even an REM fangirl (although I will probably never forget “Everybody Hurts” because Brenda played it on 90210 like 10x per episode after Dylan dumped her, but um. I guess that’s my problem).

Switching from Music to… Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden (and Seattle!), SIFF Cinema is hosting the Nordic Lights Film Festival. The festival opens Friday, 10/23 with the period romance Everlasting Moments (Maria Larssons eviga ogonblick), which apparently swept the Swedish Film Awards, AKA the Guldbagge Awards, by winning Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor — and includes a slew of other features, shorts, and a family film called Mystery of the Wolf that looks to be pretty squee-inducing (baby! wolf! cubs!).

And finally, the Egyptian has picked 80s goth teen favorite, The Hunger, for this weekend’s midnight screenings. This cult classic stars the always chic & gorgeous Catherine Deneuve as Miriam, a vampire with extreme loneliness issues, smokin’ hot Susan Sarandon as a young woman who gets *ahem* drawn into her web, and glam god David Bowie as the 3rd in a totally bizarre love triangle. It’s probably as famous for playing “Bela Lugosi’s Dead” during the opening sequence as it is for showing Deneuve & Sarandon gettin’ it on (believe it not guys, girl-on-girl action was not that common in movies circa 1983), but regardless of its goth rock shtick, this movie holds up. It’s creepy, strange, sad, and beautiful all at the same time. Tony Scott at his best, for sure.

The bats have left the bell tower,
Amie Simon
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high iPod rotation:
Devo
Spiral Stairs
Bright Eyes

Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

photo by Ron Henry

Cheerio, lads and luves! We here at Three Imaginary Girls suggest you enjoy a hearty dish of fish and chips (beans optional), put your bracers on, hop in your lorry (but continue to drive on the correct side of the road for your own safety) and come out for what will be a bang on array of music from across the pond. This will be a week of indie-pendance for all! In the spirit of diplomacy, there’s a little something out there for everyone this week- some well-loved favorites of classic rock, the romantic and droney, and the blippy and electric, all presented to you in the Queen’s English.

10/10/09: Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3/Young Fresh Fellows @ Crocodile: English oddity Robyn Hitchcock had his finger in about every pie of the fine art bakery. As a painter, a writer, a comic strip artist, an actor and a musician, he brings whimsy and surrealism with him to every project. Come and witness a strange man in a strange land doing what he does best.

10/11/09: Passion Pit/E-603 @ Showbox: British beatmakers Passion Pit bring flavors of Of Montreal, Arcade Fire, and a little Postal Service for dipping from across the pond. Lead singer Michael Angelakos claims to want to be the next Randy Newman. Can you hear the collective confused “blink blink?” of the eyes of Passion Pit fans everywhere? Yeah, we don’t get it either, but we like it!

10/12/09: Metronomy/Fool’s Gold @ Nectar: With glowing attached to their chest, they may look like skinny, paler, taller versions of ET, but that’s not the only thing that makes these electronica artists so unique. Be prepared for a wild night of dancing, light shows, and synchronized routines. Fellow countryman Roger Daltrey will performing at the Showbox SoDo, if you prefer your rock and roll a bit more like a good bottle of wine.

10/13/09: Butthole Surfers @ Showbox: This will be a night of nostalgia for anyone who had the misfortune of being in high school in the 90s (I don’t think I’ll ever forget the lyrics to “Pepper” for as long as I live!). Gibby Haynes and his band of long tall Texans are back and ready to rock. Though they’re not English, they have punk sensibilities. They’re loud, brash, and occasionally vulgar, just like the good ol US of A!

10/14/09: Why?/Mt. Eerie/No Kids @ Vera: Anticon label hip-hop act Why? are touring on their recently released 4th album Eskimo Snow. Lead MC Yoni Wolf and company aren’t the average hip-hop act. They bring elements of indie-rock and folk (?!) to their flow and the result is surprisingly refreshing. Don’t miss the chance to see some of the coolest hip hop from down Oakland way since Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Too Short.

10/15/09: Monsters of Folk @ Paramount Theater: Coming together like a beardy Voltron, Jim James, Connor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis form Monsters of Folk. These guys put the super in super group. When these fellows hit the stage, the entire audience might just keel over from the collective vapors. Smelling salts may be in order.

10/16/09: Hey Marseilles/Fences/Mason Lindahl @ Vera: The collective love for this band here at Three Imaginary Girls is well documented. This group is the cat’s pajamas, the bee’s knees, the tastiest taco on the platter… you get the notion. They would be on Top of the Pops, were it still on the air in Merry Ole England. They’re at the top of our pops, anyways, so go show some love!

See you out in about, drinking tea with my pinky up!

Pip-pip
Mary Kwatkosky-Lawlor (Imaginary Mimi)
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high i-pod rotation:
Crayon Angel
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
These United States

(Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

It’s no secret that I am a BIG fan of the horror. The gorier, the better. Funny, scary, gruesome, or just downright strange — I. Love. Splatter. Lucky for me, someone came up with the brilliant idea of gathering Indie films across a few genres that don’t usually get much love in bigger festivals (animation, fantasy, horror, sci-fi), and put them together in a neat package for The First Annual Maelstrom International Fantastic Film Festival (MIFFF), and even luckier, it’s coming to SIFF Cinema this weekend!

That’s right, it’s MIFFF at SIFF. Blood-soaked, splatterific, scary-as-hell features and shorts that showcase everything from a giant pig (Pig Hunt, reportedly one of the goriest films ever) to Zombies cruising around in a ‘79 Camaro (The Revenant) to a documentary about the history of Norwegian Black Metal (Until the Light Takes Us).

Sounds awesome, RIGHT?

MIFF kicks off Friday night, 9/18 at 8:30pm with The Revenant, runs through Saturday, 9/19 and ends Sunday night, 9/20 with Strigoi at 8:30pm. Click here to see the full schedule. $65 gets you a full series pass, or you can pay $10 to see each film/shorts package individually.

The saw is family,
Amie Simon
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high iPod rotation:
Girl Talk
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
David Cross

Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

September is here and fall is in the air. As those of us who went to Bumbershoot nurse our inevitable colds, we are reminded that September means something else: back to school. Whether you are sending your progeny out to get uppity with their book learnin’, you’re lookin’ to get uppity with your own, or whether you wish you still had book learnin’ to get uppity about, we recommend the following shows to school your ears. Grab a number two pencil and get all this down!

9/12/09- Def Leppard/Poison, White River Amphitheatre: If you’re feeling perverse, nostalgic, or just really wanna know what is under Bret Michael’s bandana, this show might just the (nothin but a) good time you’re looking for. Experience the magic of “Talk Dirty to Me” under the stars. Marvel at the talents (no really, it’s impressive) of Def Lep’s one armed drummer. It will be a night to reminisce, to reacquaint, and to regurgitate (because you will probably be drinking heavily).

9/13/09- American Aquarium/Lindsay Fuller & The Cheap Dates/Barton Carroll, High Dive: These southern-fried indie rockers sound like what would happen if you made a rock and roll gumbo with Van Morrison, Jackson Browne, Springsteen, and Son Volt. The result is a smooth and smoky, easy going sound to help bring you into your week real easy-like.

9/14/09- Super Happy Story Time Land/Deathmocracy/Aemaeth, Rendezvous: Prepare yourself for face-melting hardcore. Bring a mop.

9/15/09- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart/The Depreciation Guild/Cymbals Eat Guitars, Neumo’s: Precious and more indie than you can shake a self-crocheted PBR cozie at, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart hail from New York City and bring a sound that feels like what would happen if The Postal Service listened to more My Bloody Valentine or Jesus and Mary Chain.

9/16/09- Coldnote/Sunshine Junkies/Gifted Program, High Dive: This is some babymakin’ music, y’all. You can feel Coldnote’s music from the tips of your eyelashes down to your toenails. Lead singer Caine brings vocal elements of Robert Cray, Al Green, and Cee Lo to a tight, funky soul group with phenomenal instrumentation. This will be an unforgettable night of blues.

9/17/09- John Vanderslice/Pink Mountaintops, Crocodile: Playing music he himself has described as “sloppy hi-fi,” Vanderslice has collaborated with just about every indie darling in the industry, including Spoon. the Mountain Goats, and Okkervil River. His music is melodic, with a slight electric chill, perfect for the arrival of fall.

9/18/09- Girl Talk/Brother Reade/Junk Culture, Showbox SoDo: Have you ever wondered what would happen if Jay-Z and Radiohead made a weird, awesome baby? Have you ever wondered what it sounds like when you make an Elvis-y sandwich with Ludacris and Chicago? The answer- something far more interesting than Peter Cetera’s solo career. Prepare to get your mind blown by a man who can mix 300 songs you love and love to hate to make a bone breaking, ass shaking, sweaty frenzy.

In the eternal words of MC Hammer “Ring the bells, school’s in, sucka!”

“No, Mr. Gorgonchuk, I will NOT stop rocking in your classroom!”
Mary Kwatkosky-Lawlor (Imaginary Mimi)
*Three Imaginary Girls*

In high i-pod rotation:
Grand Archives
The Purrs
Mount Eerie

(Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)

photo by Brittney Bush Bollay

Every Monday through Friday, we deliver a different song as part our Song of the Day podcast subscription. This podcast features exclusive KEXP in-studio performances, unreleased songs, and recordings from independent artists that our DJs think you should hear. Today’s featured selection, chosen by Midday Show host Cheryl Waters, is “Black River Killer” by Blitzen Trapper from their 2009 Black River Killer EP on Sub Pop.

Blitzen Trapper has seen a torrent of publicity since the release of Furr late last year with songs featured on major network shows and appearances on the late night talk show circuit. Taking a track from that release, the band looks to turn more attention to the often overlooked song Black River Killer by giving it a titular EP this year.

Following the exploits of a serial murderer who just can’t be kept captive, Blitzen Trapper’s Black River Killer is a sober tale of the wrongfully accused turned into everything the system fears. Channeling the six strings of Neil and the lyrical twang of Bobby, lead singer Eric Earley tells of a deranged man that could very well be an alternate reality Gary Ridgeway as a lone keyboard whines and whistles a melody in the refrain. Equal parts sin and regret, Black River Killer is just as haunting as it is toe-tapping.

Blitzen Trapper continues to tour across the UK and parts of Europe through mid-September. On September 25th they will land at the McDonald Theatre in Eugene to kick off an exhaustingly thorough United States tour that will take them down the coast, through the south, up the Atlantic and across the heartland back to their stomping grounds with a show at Neumo’s on October 25th. Check their MySpace page for more dates. For now, you can watch their official video for the song as well as their rendition of the song during the Concerts at the Mural series last month:

It’s Bumbershoot weekend, as you surely know. By managing TIG’s extensive coverage this year, it’s taken over a significant chunk of my life. Now, it’ll monopolize my Labor Day weekend. It’ll be a relief once it’s over, but I’m sure it’ll a fantastic thrill while it lasts.

I love Bumbershoot for countless reasons, but mostly it’s because it is such a great opportunity for people to get exposed to great art and music that they might not otherwise experience. There’ll be tens of thousands of people that make it to Seattle Center this weekend and they will have stories where they say that they went to Bumbershoot to see Katy Perry or Black Eyed Peas and had an hour to kill and caught Vivian Girls and were blown away. That same knife cuts both ways as I remember last year having a friend who could be said that they live in a strict bubble of indie rock (which I don’t believe is a virtue) and really enjoyed what they heard of shopping mall punks Paramore.

I’m not going to offer any Bumbershoot recommendations here and instead focus on a few events that will be around the periphery of Bumbershoot.

Ear Candy’s (F)unofficial Bumbershoot Kick Off Party at the High Dive, Friday, September 4
The excellent local music website Ear Candy (run by journalist and my friend, Travis Hay) has booked a hell of a party to kick off Bumbershoot, with two rock bands and two hip hop acts. The full lineup includes The Redwood Plan, Born Anchors, Grynch and the mysterious Victor Shade. Victor Shade is a new collaboration between Common Market’s RA Scion and producer MTK. This will mark the duo’s first show, so you’ll not want to miss that.

Bumbershots at Solo Bar on Saturday, September 5 & Sunday, September 6
This is an event TIG is co-sponsoring, which will feature DJ sets from members of Visqueen on Saturday and Sleepy Eyes of Death on Sunday night. All of this will take place around 10pm each night and will be at the cozy and comfortable Solo Bar on Lower Queen Anne, which is located on Roy Street, walking distance from Bumbershoot.

USE’s Bumbershoot after-party, video premiere, west coast tour kick-off, etc… at Havana on Sunday, September 6
Our friends from USE are set to release their long-awaited sophomore album L O V E W O R L D on Tuesday and are going to tour the west coast this week to promote it. But first they are playing Bumbershoot on Sunday and then when return to Capitol Hill for a special party at Havana. They will premiere the new video for the single “KISSING” and members of USE (and other local bands like The Lashes) will be DJing throughout the night. Even better, your $5 cover will get you a card for a digital download to get the new (and really great) USE album early and free.

Official Bumbershoot Afterparty at Neumo’s on Sunday, September 6
This event is free but requires an advance RSVP and has DJ sets by members of The Faint as well as a “secret Bumbershoot headliner”. Bumbershoot’s contract and rules prohibit Neumo’s or the band playing to announce who is playing the show, but I signed no such agreement and am under no such confidentiality agreement and can therefore say that the secret headliner is Holy Fuck.

More than a toe-tagged generation full of regrets,
Chris Burlingame
Three Imaginary Girls

High iPod rotation:
Anomie Belle

Hotels

The Not-Its

(Three Imaginary Girls is a Seattle-based website that showcases the great music of the Northwest and beyond to music lovers worldwide. We post a Seattle live show calendar to help you fill your day-planner with loads of great shows, as well as record reviews, live show reviews, and an imagi-blog to entertain you throughout the day.)