I love the idea of the Seattle Rock Lottery: 25 musicians, randomly assigned this morning to 5 bands, spend the day writing and rehearsing songs to be performed tonight (past my bedtime, so I'll have to hear about it tomorrow). Aside from the good cause of raising funds for music education, I think my favorite part is that, of course, these bands need names and because of the ad hoc nature of the project, the names don't have to be good enough to sell records -- the nuttier, the better!
Meanwhile, these:
Major Miner
Nice -- a music joke disguised by spelling as a VIP (Very Important Prospector).
Mammoth Salmon
A regional icon! I love it when words that share phonemes can be put together and actually make sense. Even better if the same sound is spelled two different ways.
Man made moons.
That's not a moon. It's a space station.
The Raven and the Writing Desk
Classic X and the Y structure meets literary reference! The English majors go wild.
Teepee Creeper
Like Mammoth Salmon, the two words have the same sounds and make a silly kind of sense. The only thing better than the repeated long e sound is the repeated "eep" sound. Bonus: they're on the same bill as Mammoth Salmon.
Naming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are listed alphabetically. Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won't know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Saturday, April 19, 2014
April 19, 2014
We've been fasting from alcohol for Lent, and I don't really drink pop anymore, so when we went out to the Victory Lounge on Good Friday, I ended up standing around with a water glass in my hand most of the night. It was an intoxicating evening, anyway, thanks to Kleine, Hoax Foot, Lion Pincher, and Pouch!
This week's picks:
Gloomsday
AKA three-fourths of March - June in Seattle. Turn up the music. (I also appreciate the Joyce reference.)
Lion Pincher
It takes a lot of nerve (or stupidity) to pinch a lion. As I understand it, one member of this duo is a Leo and the other is a Cancer. Given the opportunity, a crab probably would pinch a lion -- that's what crabs do. Lion Pincher is also the band at the intersection of past honorees Hoax Foot and Pouch. These three bands would make for a very compact show to take on the road.
Moon Hooch
The repeated oo sound is fun. Is this another name for moonshine, or is this another level of illegal: bootleg moonshine?
Parzival
Couldn't be more perfect for a show on Good Friday.
A Yawn Worth Yelling
The repeated y sound is not only fun to say, but conducive to yawning. This is secretly an effective vocal exercise.
This week's picks:
Gloomsday
AKA three-fourths of March - June in Seattle. Turn up the music. (I also appreciate the Joyce reference.)
Lion Pincher
It takes a lot of nerve (or stupidity) to pinch a lion. As I understand it, one member of this duo is a Leo and the other is a Cancer. Given the opportunity, a crab probably would pinch a lion -- that's what crabs do. Lion Pincher is also the band at the intersection of past honorees Hoax Foot and Pouch. These three bands would make for a very compact show to take on the road.
Moon Hooch
The repeated oo sound is fun. Is this another name for moonshine, or is this another level of illegal: bootleg moonshine?
Parzival
Couldn't be more perfect for a show on Good Friday.
A Yawn Worth Yelling
The repeated y sound is not only fun to say, but conducive to yawning. This is secretly an effective vocal exercise.
Saturday, April 12, 2014
April 12, 2014
I wish I could have been there on that historic evening (last week) when Neerdowells met Dead Bars. I wish even more that I could see these two bands on the same bill. I wish most of all to be part of that show myself (not outside the realm of possibility). Here's to generation-spanning shows at The VERA Project!
Bombus
Because who doesn't love bumblebees, at least as something to say if not encounter? (I don't mind meeting them. They're generally pretty chill, just bumbling about their business). I love that the genus name is nearly the same as the common name, but sounds much more hardcore.
Infected Mushroom
Does it get more fungal than this?
Oi Polloi
Greek for "Hey! People!" I like that I can appreciate a pun in a language I studied for one semester over 30 years ago.
Spear & Magic Helmet
Classic X and Y naming structure, and a Wagner reference (how Seattle!) by way of Looney Toons? It's like they know me.
Stuporhero
How have I not already done this one? Wonderful play on words that sound similar but mean very different things (super, stupor) and also similar things (stupor, stupid) to transform a stereotypically competent character type into a lame bumbler who, I hope, keeps getting up and eventually wins the day, with a little help from the rest of the band.
Bombus
Because who doesn't love bumblebees, at least as something to say if not encounter? (I don't mind meeting them. They're generally pretty chill, just bumbling about their business). I love that the genus name is nearly the same as the common name, but sounds much more hardcore.
Infected Mushroom
Does it get more fungal than this?
Oi Polloi
Greek for "Hey! People!" I like that I can appreciate a pun in a language I studied for one semester over 30 years ago.
Spear & Magic Helmet
Classic X and Y naming structure, and a Wagner reference (how Seattle!) by way of Looney Toons? It's like they know me.
Stuporhero
How have I not already done this one? Wonderful play on words that sound similar but mean very different things (super, stupor) and also similar things (stupor, stupid) to transform a stereotypically competent character type into a lame bumbler who, I hope, keeps getting up and eventually wins the day, with a little help from the rest of the band.
Saturday, April 5, 2014
April 5, 2014
If last night's Music Night Out @Nova is any indication, the future of Seattle music is in good hands. Classical guitar, baroque recorder trio, singer-songwriters, punk rock, jazz, hip-hop -- we had a little of everything from the engaged and talented students (and some parents and staff) of our amazing public alternative school. Go Dead Rats!
And the band names just keep coming:
Baby and the Nobodies
Two of my favorite things: the classic X and the Y structure, with our characteristic Northwest loser pride.
Emergency Volcano Evacuation Route
For readers elsewhere, we see these signs along certain roads near Mt. Rainier, one of our local volcanoes. Although I'm a big fan of wordplay, I also love it when existing text from out in the world can be lifted unchanged into a band name.
Largemouth Bastards
One syllable, a surprising twist, and it still makes sense!
Neerdowells
This is one of the Nova bands from last night. Rock will never be dead as long as young teens have the opportunity to plug in a guitar and turn it up. And, no small thing, the opportunity to name the project! Again with the Seattle loser pride. I also like the way it's all run together, even though that risks being read as Near Dowells (what we call the Oneder Effect.)
The Phenomenauts
They sail the strange and unusual, and live to sing the tale.
And the band names just keep coming:
Baby and the Nobodies
Two of my favorite things: the classic X and the Y structure, with our characteristic Northwest loser pride.
Emergency Volcano Evacuation Route
For readers elsewhere, we see these signs along certain roads near Mt. Rainier, one of our local volcanoes. Although I'm a big fan of wordplay, I also love it when existing text from out in the world can be lifted unchanged into a band name.
Largemouth Bastards
One syllable, a surprising twist, and it still makes sense!
Neerdowells
This is one of the Nova bands from last night. Rock will never be dead as long as young teens have the opportunity to plug in a guitar and turn it up. And, no small thing, the opportunity to name the project! Again with the Seattle loser pride. I also like the way it's all run together, even though that risks being read as Near Dowells (what we call the Oneder Effect.)
The Phenomenauts
They sail the strange and unusual, and live to sing the tale.
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