Now that this year's City Arts Fest is over, I can take a step back and realize that I have been blown away by four solid days of an amazing array of (mostly) local bands, all giving Seattle some truly amazing sets. Each night showcased what the Pacific Northwest had to offer, and it was difficult to decide what venues to hit and who to see. Packing in as much as I could, I witnessed an incredible display of music spanning from pop to country to rock, and of course, took tons of photos.

The David Byrne / St. Vincent show was housed in the most perfect venue, that being the 5th Avenue Theater. The performance was brilliantly theatrical, with a choreographed horn section and Byrne and Clark's synchronized dancing (!!!) it really was entertainment of the highest caliber. It was almost overwhelmingly unreal. Love This Giant is one of my favorite albums that's come out this year and live, and I'm happy to report that the songs are even more over the top than they are on the record. What became clear about St. Vincent's songs -- especially those like "Cheerleader", "Cruel", and "Marrow" -- was how downright grand they became with the addition of an array of brass instuments. The crowd was pretty packed with David Byrne/Talking Heads fans or at least my section was; and yes, "Burnin' Down the House" was played in amazing fashion.

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This year's City Arts Fest has an incredible lineup, and like much of what goes on in this city, there's something for everyone. Killer lineups at traditional venues, experimental art-house 'secret' shows, happy hours, late night surprises -- the list goes on and on. You can head on over here to build your schedule and here to pick up some tickets for whatever floats your boat, and if you've got the means and you're primarily interested in listening to some solid music, that $55.00 wristband for all-access to (most of) the shows is absolutely the way to go.

There's tons to pick from, but if you can only do one show per evening, here's what I humbly suggest you make time for:

Wednesday: Jonathan Russell and Kevin Murphy at All Pilgrims Church

This photo was taken from a performance Jonathan Russell did at the Fremont Abbey (performing in the round with Damien Jurado) earlier this year. If it's indicative of what we'll be hearing at Wednesday's All Pilgrims Church show, you'd best get yourself there early, nab a seat up front, and don't plan on moving for the entire set. It's not simply Head and the Heart-lite -- not that a set of HatH tunes would be a bad thing, but from what we've been able to witness, Jonathan takes the time and space in his solo performances to expound on new material and creative covers (hello, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, echoing out into a high-ceilinged, hushed hall) as well as belting out some band selections we know and love. Add the rootsy, engagingly-delivered verbal prowess of Kevin Murphy (The Moondoggies) to the bill, and you've got yourself a no-brainer.

Thursday: Lemolo at the Triple Door

The Triple Door is going to be a near-perfect backdrop-slash-forum in which Lemolo can bring their particular brand of hyper-intelligent, dream-synth to the stage, with a rapt audience to take in their gorgeous, thought-provoking song-gems. To put it simply: I. Can. Not. Wait. For. This. Set. Their album was released earlier this year to much critical acclaim, they're packing venues left and right, and with every performance that emerges and every video that surfaces, Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox seem to be fine-tuning into a near-perfect version of this... thing that happens when they are together creating art in the same space. If we get there in time, all that + an order of potstickers before the show = HEAVEN.

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As you wind down from Bumbershoot weekend next week, don't forget that a mere 48 hours later (yep, we're talking about next Wednesday, folks) there is whole 'nother festival getting underway midweek: Portland's own Musicfest Northwest. Boasting an impressive lineup of both local and national headliners, it's difficult to decide who to see -- we feel like we've changed our schedules a million times already! So, pack some walking shoes and check out some of our picks to help keep the venue-hopping as easy as possible. Make sure to check out the MFNW site to get exact set times and to make your own customized schedule.

WEDNESDAY

The first night of the fest is seems decidedly easygoing: open your night with a passion-filled set of powerful vocals from LP before catching the first night of dance-heavy pop at Passion Pit's two-night stint at the Crystal Ballroom. If you are thinking you need something to do before 9pm, head to the Mission Theater and see Don't Follow Me (I'm Lost): A Film about Bobby Bare Jr. at 7pm, then catch the man himself playing the Doug Fir at 10:40pm.

7:00p :: Don't Follow Me (I'm Lost): A Film About Bobby Bare Jr., Mission Theater
9:00p :: LP, Crystal Ballroom
10:00p :: Passion Pit, Crystal Ballroom
10:40p :: Bobby Bare Jr., Doug Fir

Runners up: The Minus 5 {Doug Fir @ 9:00p}, Sloan {Doug Fir @ 11:00p}.

THURSDAY

Thusday is really the first full day of shows, and man, is it packed. If you're following our lead, we think there's really no excuse not to miss Reignwolf since he's the first show of the night -- those screaming guitar solos and blues-laden vocals are a great way to start! Stick around and hear high-energy punk from Those Darlins before heading up to Mississippi Studios, where you can check out Portland's Mbilly before you are utterly mesmerized by the dreamy pop sounds of Lemolo. That's where we'll be!

7:15p :: Reignwolf, Roseland Theater
8:00p :: Those Darlins, Roseland Theater
9:00p :: Mbilly, Mississippi Studios
10:00p :: Lemolo, Mississippi Studios

Honorable mentions: These United States {9:00p @ Aladdin Theater}, Quasi {10:00p @ Hawthorne Theater}, Old 97's {10:30p @ Roseland Theater}.

FRIDAY

The trifecta of seeing Menomena, Beirut, and The Helio Sequence in one night really can't be topped.

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Lemolo, the duo comprised of Poulsbo natives Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox, has been taking the world by storm lately, and can we just say, “We told you so?” Lemolo blew us away at the first show they ever played as a duo, and we have been singing their praises ever since. Their CD release party at Columbia City Theater on June 29 sold out so fast, they added another on June 30 – and that one sold out, too. Their self-released debut album, The Kaleidoscope, dropped on July 3 and since then life has been a whirlwind of touring and festival performances. It’s only a matter of time before Lemolo’s silken melodies wrap themselves around the collective shoulders of the music world and start haunting dreams nationwide. We were lucky enough to snag an interview with Meagan and Kendra in between gigs at Rock Camp for Girls and Doe Bay Fest. As we chat over coffee, they finish each other’s sentences, interject commentary, and generally weave their thoughts together in a way that's almost musical.

Imaginary Gemma: You came straight here from playing Rock Camp for Girls. That sounds like something awesome – can you tell me about it?

Kendra Cox: It is awesome. There’s two camps every summer, each a week long from like 9-5 every day. The girls form a band, choose a name, design a logo and play music. At the end, they get to play at a real venue. I think last week’s camp performed at the Crocodile. It’s so impressive because they’re learning life lessons at the same time.

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Is it mid-July already? Holy shit. That means that the Capitol Hill Block Party is here, and there are a couple of things that will be crucial to keep in mind as you head out this weekend to inundate yourself with sun, buddy hangs, and set after set of live music.

One, if the weather stays in our favor {right now Saturday and Sunday are looking like 74 and clear!} you'll need plenty of sunscreen -- for full coverage of your fair PNW skin, folks, it's best to put it on before you leave the house. (Wait, who let my mom in here? Ahem.) Two, if you're knocking back tons of a few drinks over the course of the day, don't forget to hydrate properly. Water = your BFF. Three, for some reason, the ATMs that are loaded up in the "festival grounds" seem to all run out of money at the same time -- so make sure you pick up cash before you head in. And four, try as you might, you can't catch every band on every stage, and that's why you should take our picks with you to make sure you don't miss the best of the fest:

Must-see #1: Lemolo {8:30pm, Vera Stage // Saturday, also at 3:30pm on the Barboza Stage for KEXP}

We can't get enough of Lemolo, and we've waxed on and on about their live shows, their video, and most recently their full-length album, The Kaleidoscope. With two back-to-back sold out shows for the album's release a few weeks ago, most of Seattle has caught the buzz about what makes this duo great -- but if you haven't yet, make sure to get yourself in front of the Vera Stage for their 8:30pm set on Saturday for a slice of their one-of-a-kind shreddy indie dreamscape bliss. Lemolo will also be playing on the Barboza stage at 3:30pm as part of KEXP's Block Party setup, similar to the secret lounge at Bumbershoot. Two shots to catch them = no excuses!

Must-see #2: Father John Misty {4pm, Main Stage // Friday}

Another performer we'd be surprised to see missing from your non-negotiable list is Father John Misty, a brilliant incarnation of everything you didn't know you needed in your new favorite band. It's a part rock, part thrust, part hip-swinging croon that manages to embody a well-read version of a great high (but maintains enough edge to keep you guessing). As if being a killer percussionist, a tremendous vocalist, and an all-around genius aren't enough, Josh Tillman is insanely hilarious -- for those of you who didn't catch it the first time around the tubes, this interview is nothing short of brilliant:

Fuck you, Joe!

Must-see #3: Alicia Amiri {as herself at 5:45pm, Cha Cha Stage // Friday, as Nightmare Fortress at 2pm, Neumos Stage // Saturday}

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If you were one of the lucky ones, you managed to get yourself some tickets to one of two sold-out shows at Columbia City Theater this past weekend to help celebrate the release of Lemolo's full-length, The Kaleidoscope. We were at the first night {Friday} kicking off the party with some friends, and our imaginary photographess extraordinaire Victoria VanBruinisse managed to snag this shot of Kendra and Meagan completely going to town two songs into the set. It was such an incredible night!

Check out more from Friday's show in our flickr pool here, and read all the words we saw fit to publish on the new album over here. And PS, the album officially drops today, so head on over to your favorite independent record store here in town and pick yourself up a copy, stat.

Happy Tuesday!

Let's jump right in: I'm torn between starting this post with "this Lemolo album is seriously haunting me" and "Lemolo could totally beat up your favorite synth-y indie dream-core band" because they're both true. In the case of the former, I find myself humming harmonies absentmindedly at varying points in my days and nights, wondering what the song is -- and then realizing it's a track off of The Kaleidoscope; and the case of the latter, the lyrics are smarter and more gripping than anything I've heard in this genre before, and the emotion-pendulum they swing on is more vast.

Whichever way you slice it, The Kaleidoscope is a keeper. It'll be your new go-to for warming up, coming down, pondering, soundtracking, arriving, leaving, making out, and everything in-between. The album as a whole is intelligent and tight, meandering over to casually shred your face off in one moment and placing it's hands directly on your heartstrings the next. There's such a big-yet-right-in-the-next-room feeling that pervades from start to finish, and it would be easy to make comparisons like 'Beach House with a better edge!' or 'Phantogram with less dance party and more smart-kid!' but we'd be doing Lemolo an injustice by saying so. Instead, I'll fine-tune it a bit and say that this album holds up to the landscape of Washed Out's "Feel It All Around" {one of my favorite dream-jam tracks} and the brilliance of a portion of the Broken Social Scene catalog {"Sweetest Kill" and "Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl come to mind}, while still standing apart with a tone and center all it's own.

Every single song has a piece in it somewhere that punches us square in the gut, in the very best of ways. "On Again, Off Again" is the big single from the album, and of course there's the "Open Air" video... it's great to finally hear tracks from shows put to waxdisc, like those two, "Who Loves" and "Whale Song" -- but "Move Me" is taking the proverbial cake at the moment. "Move Me" wraps the listener around the axle with the line that repeats I don't / want to / be away / from you / too long, and coincidentally enough, that's exactly how we feel about this album (and this band in general, PS).  I'd strongly encourage every single one of you reading this to be sure and catch Lemolo at Columbia City Theater this Friday and Saturday, but both shows are sold out. You'll just have to get yourself over to the Capitol Hill Block Party for a chance at taking in a live set.

While the Lemolo release and this next one have nothing to do with each other, they both hit my stratosphere in the same week, and so I've taken them in at the same time -- and as a result, there has definitely had a yin-and-yang effect taking place. When I'm all full-up on Lemolo's smart soundscape-y vibes, I shift my attention to my other favorite thing of the moment, the equally smart yet sonically-opposite Foreign Spells {the new Young Evils EP}. Foriegn Spells is short, to the point, and provides an excellent sampler-pack of songs that show the direction the band is headed in. While we've made no secret here in the imaginary office about how much we loves us some Enchanted Chapel, we're double-down excited about the new tunes that the Young Evils have seen fit to bestow us with, especially now that we've got "Darker Blue Bayou" in the flesh and can add it to the next mix we make. With the last release as evidence to compare and contrast against, the songs seem smarter, darker, fuller, and more concise -- the EP really shows the listener the difference between a bright idea and more of a fully-formed realization of what these stellar musicians are capable of. And while Foreign Spells is totally killer on the stereo, as is the case with many other bands, we think these lady-and-gents do their best work live -- so be sure to get yourself to the formal release party at Barboza next month, on July 13th.

There have been a handful of tracks that are making their way onto mixes of late, and a few doing repeat duty, so I thought it best to mention them as well if we're talking about what's been filling our imaginary ears and iPhones with happiness. Some are new-new, some are new-to-me, and some are just new in that they were buried at the bottom of the stack and recently found their way back up into heavy rotation.

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Who wants to see Welcome to Doe Bay this Sunday? We've got another super-quick ticket giveaway, as the fine folks at SIFF have gifted us with a pair of tickets to the Seattle premiere of this local documentary, Sunday, 6/3, 9:15pm at The Egyptian!! Directors Nesib Shamah and Dan Thornton, and Producer Sarah Crowe scheduled to attend, so you can ask them all your burning Doe Bay questions at the Q&A after the film. 

For a chance to win tix, send an email to tig {at} threeimaginarygirls {dot} com with the subject line "The PNW Rules" between now and 5pm tomorrow, 6/1. We'll pick a winner early Saturday morning and put your name on the list +1 for Sunday screening.

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It’s time once again to run down the highlights of this year’s Face the Music program for the Seattle International Film Festival!

There are a ton of great things this year, but the film I think our Imaginaries will be most excited about is the documentary Welcome to Doe Bay, which chronicles the community and camaraderie of Doe Bay Fest—a camping trip/music festival/weekend-long party at Doe Bay Resort on Orcas Island that brings Pacific Northwest music stars and fans together for a relaxing musical retreat, and apparently, some slip-n-slide action and s’mores. The trailer is packed with engaging commentary and familiar faces (Hi, Jace!) and I’m sure the music featured by Sera Cahoone, Lemolo, the Maldives, Fly Moon Royalty, Champagne Champagne, and … wait for it … The Head and the Heart will be the draw for fans of the scene. {Screens June 3, 9:15pm, The Egyptian & June 5, 9:30pm, SIFF Cinema Uptown}

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Emerald City Visions (A Hip Hop Reinterpretation of The Wiz) looks pretty radical. The description promises OC Notes, Don’t Talk to the Cops, and “some of the hottest names in hip hop” (I guess it’s a secret, but I know who I’m pulling for) will infuse the musical score of The Wiz with some fresh flavor and beats. Word. {Screens June 1, 7pm and again at 9:30pm, The Triple Door—and if you see the 7pm showing, you’ll still have plenty time to make it to our Rockstar New Wave Karaoke show!}

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Perhaps some of the biggest news in local show-goings-on last week was the fact that our dear friends Lemolo sold out their record release show for their much-anticipated first full-length, Kaliedoscope {scheduled for June 29th at Columbia City Theater} in just under eleven hours. Eleven hours! The only time in recent memory that anyone's sold out the venue faster was for last year's Fleet Foxes performance, and the most on-the-mind show where a venue in town has sold out a local band in advance of a full-length was Pickwick's night at the Neptune -- and if those comparisons leave you wondering whether or not Lemolo can hold up to the hype their new album is generating, let us assure you: they absolutely can. We can't say it better than we've already said it, so here's a few tidbits of Lemolo love from months past:

As we stated last February, for their first headlining show in town that took place at the High Dive:

"Lemolo are Meagan Grandall and Kendra Cox, and never a more powerful duo from Poulsbo will you meet. (Well, at least this not this week, anyway.) Seriously though, the energy these two produce live is a force to be reckoned with: think seamless, light-but-powerful vocals over a sometimes soothing, sometimes stabbing set of piano keyboard sounds, with seperate-but-equal levels of percussion. Neither band member backs the other, neither takes center stage for more than a moment -- what you witness on stage during their performance is a union, an absolute partnership of sound that's familiar enough to be comforting while experimental enough to keep your interest."

And again, in anticipation of their set at Bumbershoot last summer:

"Beautiful, sparse, powerful Lemolo. Two girls, a kit / guitar / synth setup, and more force coming off of a stage than a pair of peolpe should ever be able to emit. Think all-fem White Stripes without the pomp and circumstance, think School of Seven Bells minus the too-hipster quotient. The best of those two worlds with the fat removed leaves this band: smart [and] ethereal, with stop-you-in-your-tracks lyrics layered over an in-your-face sound."

All of that said: if our words aren't enough to woo you into picking up tickets this morning for the just-added night two of the album release celebration, just take a gander at this video, directed last year by James Bailey -- and then tell us honestly that you don't think their release show will be worth your hard-earned ten bucks.

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