Lucky, lucky us! In the midst of an incredibly well-timed trip to the east coast, we found ourselves front and center for a slice of CMJ at the Ace Hotel in New York City last week. Our fine friends over at KEXP had lined up a great few days of performances, with in-studios from bands like Widowspeak (above), Givers, WATERS, Dum Dum Girls, We Are Augustines, Zola Jesus, and so many more. The daytime performances were undoubtedly the best of the fest, and we're so happy and grateful we got to help out and contribute some time, love, and photography skills to some of the best seventy-two hours Rocktober has ever seen:

John in the Morning and Zola Jesus, day one:

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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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My love for the Moondoggies is rooted in an accident, by way of KEXP: it was the one-two punch tracks that made it onto my radar a while back of "Save My Soul" > "Changing" that got me onto their brand of junk. And I say 'accident' there because I wasn't seeking out any new alt.beardrock, and while I loved those songs, I wasn't aching in the soles of my workboots for more Moondoggies music as a result of that listen. But inherent in those songs was some kind of catch, something that couldn't be denied -- it seemed like no matter how many times I heard that combo, I just couldn't get sick of it. The lines translated, every single time. The music lifted me up and sat me gently back down in my seat, every single time. And just as that started to fade out, my recent obsession with the video for "Empress of the North" -- so lovingly illustrated by Drew Christie -- faded in, coupled with the pinch of fame generated by Lynn Shelton's $5 Cover. And all of a sudden, this band was taking up a legitimate percentage of my bandwidth.

Suffice it to say, the Moondoggies are what's good, and I'm hooked. Their presence on the scene is increasing these days, and with good cause -- they've got an earnest brand of indie.Northwest.lumbercore going, varying in sounds-like influences from The Band to Band of Horses depending on the track, the weather, and the day of the week. And everything I hear makes me pay more attention, every new track makes me want to listen to one more, and everything they've done lately takes them one step further from separating themselves from the Great Beard Movement of the last few years.

It's quite an accomplishment to transcend a pigeonholed state like lumbercore / beard rock, and these guys have done it. They're taking everything that's good about that kind of sound and pulling it across the land of post-hippie jam bands, closer to the other side of that wide road into a more genre-less territory -- where things are still all heartache-y-breaky but lean a little more toward anthematic, and bands like the Avett Brothers hold seat at the top of the hill. Case in point, the Moondoggies have released a track off the new album Tidelands, that's been on heavy rotation since the end of last week at our imaginary desks. It's called "What Took So Long" and you can go 'n get your repeat on over at the band's Soundcloud page here.

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It's sort of embarrassing to think about what I was listening to before I had the epiphany that I hadn't yet posted anything on KEXP's brand new metal show that premieres Saturday night (tomorrow) at midnight.

The show is called Seek and Destroy and it'll be making ears bleed on Saturday nights/Sunday mornings between the hours of midnight and 2am. It'll be co-hosted by Hannah Levin, host of the local music show Audioasis (Saturdays, 6pm-9pm) and great friend to TIG, and metal expert Tanner Ellison.

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A very necessary, but no less sincere happy birthday should be extended to Hannah Levin, author of the must-read "Rocket Queen" column in the Seattle Weekly every week, co-owner of Gainsbourg and host of KEXP's Audioasis program - and all-told, she was my favorite music writer in Seattle long before we ever met several years ago and, of course, still is. Tonight, Levin is celebrating her birthday with a kick-ass show at the Sunset. Rock writers' birthday shows are always a great time (see here and, uhh, here) and this one is certainly no exception. Levin has booked a great night that promises to be "ear-bruising" with loud rock bands Helms Alee, The Ruby Doe and The Keeper. My favorite local hip hop group Dyme Def was recently added to the lineup as well, which makes perfect sense because they always know where the party's at.

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Ideally summertime is all about getting sweaty and silly at free outdoor music shows. And guess who sticks to their ideals? Our provider of independent, new music, KEXP. Their summer concert series at the Mural Amphitheater in Seattle Center is running over the next few weeks to bring you a plethora of pitch-perfect bands for free. This Saturday, the 8th happens to be their annual BBQ from 2-9 pm and you know it’s going to rock your socks off.

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Touring for their debut album, Rotting Slowly, released on K records this May; The Curious Mystery blends a multitude of textures. Some of their songs reveal a velvet lining, but most of the time they offer up a coarse belly for you to scratch. And much like a poorly groomed pup, their sound is at once alluring and yet full of fleas. Go ahead, get bit and get the itch.

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