Star Anna & Three Imaginary Girls at Chop Suey!

Check out the sparkling review of Star Anna at Three Imaginary Girls Anniversary/Liz Phair Tribute!

Liz Phair's musical legacy packed Chop Suey last night, as Seattle's indie rock scene turned out to wish Three Imaginary Girls a happy sixth birthday, and Phair's Exile in Guyville a happy fifteenth. In truth, the affair had an insider-ish feel, with a large number of people we recognize from the local music industry, due both to TIG's status as the local Pitchfork and to Exile's status as a cult album.

The six bands/artists who took the stage to play three songs each from Exile delivered a mixed show. Some of the covers felt a bit rough (to be expected), but more irritating was the fact that the bands were stage mixing, since mic-ing the gear would have made the downtime between sets too long; understandable, but it wound up sapping the energy from some of the more animated bands. That said, TIG definitely chose their artists well: Star Anna can blow you away on the strength of her voice alone; the Tea Cozies delivered a strong rock set and probably did the best to recreate the album's original vibe; but the stand-out was definitely Team Gina, the experimental retro hip-hop duo, whose version of "Flower" more or less sent the crowd into convulsions.

Thank you to Three Imaginary Girls, Chop Suey, and Easy Street Records!