October 25, 2014

About a year ago, I saw a sign on a self-storage place with a burned-out O, and began to write a story about an all-girl teenage garage band named St. Rage, which also ends up being the superhero name of the protagonist. To my surprise and delight, I learned this week that the story will be published in January as the first release in the 2015 Pankhearst Singles Club. So now I know -- when I say such-and-such would be a great name for a band, maybe I should write a story about them.

These bands are not fictional:

Boy & Bear
My first thought is of Christopher Robin and Pooh. My second thought is of Moose and Squirrel. I like the simplicity of the monosyllables related by alliteration, and the innocence of the image.

Brick + Mortar
Here we have another simple this-and-that pairing, this time with a functional use. A nice irony that their record is available online rather than (or maybe as well as) in a brick & mortar store.

For All Those Sleeping
Some Kind of Nightmare
A Taste of Daylight
I also respect the wordier band name, which these three represent. Taken together, they create a compelling little narrative about sleep, dreams, and waking. If by chance one could fall asleep to the music, one might indeed have vivid dreams -- perhaps some kind of nightmare -- and wake grateful for even the small taste of daylight we enjoy this time of year.

October 18, 2014

We've somehow managed to clump all our late nights and early mornings at the end of vacation, thus undoing the good derived from the time off. Still not sorry we got out to the Power Skeleton CD release show last night. It makes me happy that a band with such a great name is also so creative and strange. And, it being October, that the stage was decorated with skeletons!

I'm done going out for a while, but I won't let that stop me from perusing the listings for excellent names:

6 Demon Bag
This sounds like something from a role-playing game, an item that allows you to collect the demons you defeat and use their powers. (Which shows that I live with huge nerds -- I guessed that without knowing it was an actual thing in World of Warcraft). Upgrade to the 12 Demon Bag for just one gold piece more!

Brides of the Lizard God
This one has that campy, B-movie vibe I love so much. A bride is an image of ceremony and anticipation of sex. Brides, plural, adds a more salacious note. But -- brides of a deity, so is it a religious thing? But the deity is a lizard, which turns it into a monster movie or possibly dinosaur porn. What a poster this would have!

Cannabidroids
The robot uprising has been cancelled because all the robots are stoned.

The Loveless Building
We haven't had a winner in the Local Flavor category in some time, so this was a happy find. I've eaten in at least one of the restaurants to occupy this Capitol Hill landmark and remarked on the accidental forlorness of the name.

The Preatures 
I love English spelling, which gives us words like "creature" and "preacher" that rhyme without looking like they should. Now we know who performs the Lizard God's wedding.

October 12, 2014

Our endless summer is finally loosening its grip, but October is so beautiful around here, I really can't complain. I'm a day late blogging because yesterday, our 28th wedding anniversary, we eschewed the grubby rock clubs of last weekend for glitzy theater and fine dining. Possibly we'll be back in the bars later in the week because we're on vacation! I'm tempted by a show next Friday: Power Skeleton album release show, with Sun Giants and perennial favorites Ancient Warlocks, at Darrell's Tavern in Shoreline. I've listened to part 1, A-M, of Power Skeleton's 26 Songs about the Natural World. How can you not like improvs with names like "Ants (with Aphids)", "Hagfish," or "Motorcycle Helmet"? How often is metal this endearing?
https://www.facebook.com/events/527488070717779/?sid_reminder=8407279549980606464

Even more great band names:

Astro Tan
I'm always taken with how much can be done with the change of one letter -- from multi-passenger conveyance to the ultimate in safe tanning. I suspect you can get away with a low protection factor while working on your star tan.

Jungle, Empress of
OK, this is two bands on one bill, but I want to see the resume that includes this past work experience.

Metaphoria
Ecstasy for English majors.


The Owl Parliament
I love that "parliament" really is the correct term for a group of owls. For that matter, a group of humans is, yes, a band. So where's the band called Toad Knot?

Wreckless Freeks 
Creative spelling gives us one word that sounds like its opposite and one that looks a little freakish.

October 4, 2014

It's not too late to head out to the Macefield Music Festival in Ballard and discover or get reacquainted with a wide variety of local music. If last night is any indication, the rest of the festival is not to be missed. We were sorry to have to skip Tom Price Desert Classic -- 6:00 p.m. was too early for us to get all the way to Ballard after work. But we were there in time to enjoy the surf sounds of Boss Martians, proto-punk rock from the Sonics (an intergenerational love fest), one beautiful a capella duet by Inly, and a great set of raw, rocking, heartbreaker blues (and jokes about sad songs) from Star Anna. And, hey! The Sunset is in the middle of converting from a bar with a stage into a music venue with a bar. Best wishes for a happy end to the project.

And there's a whole week of other, non-festival shows after this! Here are some names to consider:

Being as an Ocean
I'm taken with the philosophical/literary affect here. Every being is vast and complex, loud and wild. (And as it turns out, they set wordy, poetic lyrics to loud, thrashing music. It all fits!)

Circus Sized Peanuts
I like this for the goofy nostalgia hit. A Google search brings up the band's Facebook page first, followed by images of the orange, giant-peanut-shaped marshmallow candy, which was the first thing I thought of when I saw the name. I'm nostalgic mostly for the shape and texture; the taste, not so much.
 
Deadly Poets
I knew I distrusted poetry for some reason . . .

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats
Classic X and the Y structure, with a psychedelic twist and a neat double meaning in the band's name.

Under the Puddle
I like that I get to begin and end with bodies of water, as different as they can be. This implies greater depth than a puddle usually contains. What other worlds exist just below the surface? (I've just finished Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which must be informing my sense of things).