Indie Anna Jones: Kisses, Misses, and Sarah Moody

Seattle's sassiest critic wades through the pop-culture jungle.

KISSES

ModCloth.com A well-kept secret of fashionable ladies who are right now cursing me in unison. This amazing online retailer chooses small lots from a variety of designers, all reverently retro in their style. Since ModCloth only features a few of each item in each individual size, the odds that another Seattle lady will get the same gem are really low. There is also a large selection of dresses priced $50 and under, making the site chock-full of affordable options.

Taco Gringos (1510 Olive Way) Simply referred to as “tiny tacos” by drunkards on the Hill, these tasty li’l treats are big on flavor. Their vegetarian options are simply divine, doing things to cauliflower you never knew existed. Even if the service can be a little . . . curt, it’s like foodie bad-boy sex: It’s so f’n good, if you’ve had them just once, no matter how bad they treat you, you’ll be coming back for more.

MISSES

Blumbered The revamped ‘Shoot is full of hits, but here’s a miss we’d like to have seen: the much-ballyhooed Deervana, aka unlikely Brooklyn hicksters Deer Tick. They so masterfully cover Nirvana that the current crop of flannel kids will think they’ve time-traveled. Desperate times call for creativity. Seattleites love nothing more than to relish the fact someone cool once lived here, and they’d gladly empty their pockets to feel like it was 1992 again.

Pigtails Indie herself is guilty of this one, but we can’t fix what we don’t acknowledge. You know what you never see in Manhattan? Thirty-five-year-old professional women rocking pigtails. These girly dos are best reserved for the under-25 set, the gym, baristas, bike messengers, and days two and three of outdoor music festivals that involve camping.

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Lemme Name Your Band!

Attention, local up-and-coming rockers! You’ve worked out some tunes, you’re ready to play out, but that one very important thing is still missing. No need to come to blows over this always-contentious issue. Let me, Indie Anna Jones, NAME YOUR BAND! Send your demo electronically (indieannajones@seattleweekly.com) or old-school (Indie Anna Jones c/o Seattle Weekly, 1008 Western Ave., Suite 300, 98104) by September 20, 2011, and I’ll pick my top faves and bestow upon you not only instant attention but a well-thought-out band name. A name, I’ll add, that promises to look amazing straining the confines of tight fitting T-shirts everywhere and sounds like poetic gold screamed by your soon-to-be adoring fans.

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Sarah Moody Is Cooler Than You

IAJ: First things first: Tell the people who you are and what you do.

I’m Sarah Moody and I’m the general manager of [Sub Pop imprint] Hardly Art Records, and I’ve had that job since 2007.

Do you mind if I ask how old you are?

No—I’m 28. 

I’d describe your style as “easy casual.” How would you describe it?

Jeans and a T-shirt; I pretty much wear this [points down] every day. 

How could your life get any better?

Well, it would be good to find an apartment. I’d like to have a label of my own someday. I’d also like to have a radio show again. 

Where did you do a radio show?

I had a show in college all four years, in Northfield, Minnesota.

Is that where you’re from?

No. So here’s the story. I grew up in Anchorage and couldn’t wait to leave. I went to college and all I ever wanted to do was something in music, so I started sending resumes and cover letters in physical mail and e-mail to, like, every record label that I liked. Our school career center wasn’t so helpful when it came to music stuff. So when Sub Pop got back to me, I took the internship, and moved back to Seattle when they offered me a job.

Any future plans?

I’d like to keep making Hardly Art better, signing lots of bands people don’t know about. I’d like to get into tour-managing.

Who’s on your Bumber-must list?

Davila 666, Thee Oh Sees, Shabazz Palaces, & Sharon Van Etten.

And we should mention that you’re single. Given your coolness, I’d imagine some gents are a little intimidated to approach you.

Oh, [laughs] I find that highly entertaining.

For all the guys out there: Tell them what qualities they need to have to roll with you?

Aside from being a quality dude, he would have to have a high tolerance for record-shopping, pho, and terrible jokes. Or, in two words, subtle shamelessness.

indieannajones@seattleweekly.com