Out of probably hundreds of great shows we could have gone to last night, we chose . . . to stay home. The last week of the month is like that. Very sorry to miss Shelby Earl at the Columbia City Theatre and hope to catch her next time around. (Your Mother Should Know included this tribute to Shelby on our new album, Rocks and Glass.)
I probably won't make it to any of these bands' shows, either, but that doesn't mean I can't celebrate their names:
Boom City
So many reasons to love this as a specifically Seattle band name: our history with supersonic jets; that long-lived fireworks stand; our growing reputation as the capital of LOUD. Appropriately, they are playing tomorrow, Super Bowl Sunday, and will, we hope, be celebrating the actions of our beloved Legion of Boom.
Cat Bomb
Always happy to celebrate a cat-related name. Rather than cats carrying explosives, I prefer of think of this as a stealth weapon that goes off and suddenly everybody everywhere has a cat on their lap and cat rock in their earbuds.
Pig Snout
Always happy to give a shout-out from one pig to another! Pig things make me happy, and there's something arresting about putting the spotlight on just one part, as in the folk song, "The Sow Took the Measles" (as performed by Train Case). Then I find out this band is young kids, and the little sister is the drummer!!! And she sings, too. It's like Your Mother Should Know if we'd started several decades earlier.
Radioactive Vomit
This seems really metal; or maybe, as my resident science adviser put it, it's what happens when you eat too many bananas, which are apparently mildly radioactive due to potassium ions. Learn something new every day.
Splatinum
I love the combination of a sloppy sound effect with a precious metal, achieved with the addition of only one letter.
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club.
This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is
short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please
like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo, "Huge Guy in the Mosh Pit."
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, January 31, 2015
Saturday, January 24, 2015
January 24, 2015
If you weren't at last night's Your Mother Should Know album release at the Highline, you missed an amazing show! What an honor to share a bill with Tom Price Desert Classic, Can You Imagine?, and Dead Bars. Everybody brought their A game, and we even sold a few records. And for once, the majority of the performers skewed older than me!
I'm a little dazed from keeping rock & roll hours, but these band names aren't going to blog about themselves.
DJ Vitamin D
The promise of aural sunshine. This is so Seattle -- somebody knows what we can't get enough of in these dark days of winter.
GodFish
I like how this manages to use multiple forms of wordplay in just two syllables. Starting with two different fish, you arrive by different routes at the same aquatic deity. I leave it to you to discern any deeper theological significance.
Knee High Fox
Another example of the power of a single letter. One swap transforms humble hosiery to the diminutive object of admiration.
Saliva Giant
Disgusting on a hilariously grand scale. Have to respect that. Do not get in a spitting contest with this one.
The Toasters
There's something optimistic and cheerful about a toaster, humble household appliance that it is. Perhaps it's the breakfast connection. (Brought to you by the Toast Marketing Board. Eat more toast).
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
I'm a little dazed from keeping rock & roll hours, but these band names aren't going to blog about themselves.
DJ Vitamin D
The promise of aural sunshine. This is so Seattle -- somebody knows what we can't get enough of in these dark days of winter.
GodFish
I like how this manages to use multiple forms of wordplay in just two syllables. Starting with two different fish, you arrive by different routes at the same aquatic deity. I leave it to you to discern any deeper theological significance.
Knee High Fox
Another example of the power of a single letter. One swap transforms humble hosiery to the diminutive object of admiration.
Saliva Giant
Disgusting on a hilariously grand scale. Have to respect that. Do not get in a spitting contest with this one.
The Toasters
There's something optimistic and cheerful about a toaster, humble household appliance that it is. Perhaps it's the breakfast connection. (Brought to you by the Toast Marketing Board. Eat more toast).
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
January 17, 2015
I had hoped to make an announcement of a fun fictional band-name contest, but it has been delayed a little bit. Watch this space!
Meanwhile, these non-fictional band names caught my eye:
Earth Control
I like plays on words that sound similar but are spelled nothing alike. This also gives off a science-fictiony vibe, which has perennial appeal for me.
Gigantor
Insect Man
I'm grouping these two together, not only because they're on the same bill, but because they sound like a great B-movie double feature.
Singer Sargent
Here's someone named Sargent taking advantage of a happy intersection of art, music, and language. Whether or not he is the singer, I applaud the choice.
The Sky Is a Suitcase
The sky is the bag the Earth is packed in. Is it the Earth control alluded to above? Or maybe they started with the phrase, "A door is ajar" and swapped in other nouns until it sounded just right.
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
UPCOMING: Your Mother Should Know album release show, with Tom Price Desert Classic, Can You Imagine?, and Dead Bars Friday, January 23 at the Highline Bar. I'd want to go to this show even if I wasn't playing! https://www.facebook.com/events/374070109426331/
Get the record: https://yourmothershouldknow2.bandcamp.com/album/rocks-and-glass
Saturday, January 10, 2015
January 10, 2015
I'm having a really good year so far; I don't know what the rest of the months are going to do to follow January! The hard work of 2014 pays off now, with the release of Rocks and Glass, the first album by Your Mother Should Know. See below for details on our epic album release show on January 23!
Meanwhile, the bar bands keep providing abundant blog fodder. This week's picks:
420 Blackbirds
I picked this one because it looked like a weed joke being actually a little bit subtle and clever, with a serendipitous literary reference. Seeing that the official name is 4&20 Blackbirds, I'm not sure that's what they meant, but it got my attention.
Car Seat Headrest
Naming a band for a prosaic, unsexy object shines a spotlight on the mundane and brings it some glory. I'm also old enough to remember when car seats didn't have headrests, so there's a little nostalgia factor. I also like how this one thing has a name that's a list of three nouns (four, if you break up "head" and "rest").
Knife Pleats
The seamstress in me picked this one. The most brutal fashion detail!
Snow Day
I think I like this partly because snow days are so rare in Seattle, and therefore even more beloved (by schoolkids if not their parents). This winter doesn't look promising so far, but it's a long way from over.
Three Chord Killer
So that's why they call it an axe . . .
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
UPCOMING: Your Mother Should Know album release show, with Tom Price Desert Classic, Can You Imagine?, and Dead Bars Friday, January 23 at the Highline Bar. I'd want to go to this show even if I wasn't playing! https://www.facebook.com/events/374070109426331/
Get the record: https://yourmothershouldknow2.bandcamp.com/album/rocks-and-glass
Meanwhile, the bar bands keep providing abundant blog fodder. This week's picks:
420 Blackbirds
I picked this one because it looked like a weed joke being actually a little bit subtle and clever, with a serendipitous literary reference. Seeing that the official name is 4&20 Blackbirds, I'm not sure that's what they meant, but it got my attention.
Car Seat Headrest
Naming a band for a prosaic, unsexy object shines a spotlight on the mundane and brings it some glory. I'm also old enough to remember when car seats didn't have headrests, so there's a little nostalgia factor. I also like how this one thing has a name that's a list of three nouns (four, if you break up "head" and "rest").
Knife Pleats
The seamstress in me picked this one. The most brutal fashion detail!
Snow Day
I think I like this partly because snow days are so rare in Seattle, and therefore even more beloved (by schoolkids if not their parents). This winter doesn't look promising so far, but it's a long way from over.
Three Chord Killer
So that's why they call it an axe . . .
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
UPCOMING: Your Mother Should Know album release show, with Tom Price Desert Classic, Can You Imagine?, and Dead Bars Friday, January 23 at the Highline Bar. I'd want to go to this show even if I wasn't playing! https://www.facebook.com/events/374070109426331/
Get the record: https://yourmothershouldknow2.bandcamp.com/album/rocks-and-glass
Saturday, January 3, 2015
January 3, 2015
The club listings this week are slim and also full of past winners, so what a good time for another retrospective! We'll take a look back at favorites from Square Pig's second year, in two categories: Names that are still Hands-Down Brilliant and Bands that have Been on a Bill with Your Mother Should Know. I'm too lazy to limit it to just five or put them alphabetical order, so we'll go with chronological. Here's what I had to say way back when:
Hands-Down Brilliant
The Peculiar Pretzelmen
[October 29, 2011] This is either an obscure Victorian science fiction title or one of my kid's Blood Bowl teams. I like it either way. How could pretzelmen be anything but peculiar?
We Were Promised Jetpacks
[November 12, 2011] I have an enduring soft spot for the past's vision of the future. We have near-instanteous global communication that some use to complain that we don't have jetpacks and flying cars. Meanwhile, I have at least 10 household lasers and I'm typing on a tiny yet powerful computer connected wirelessly to every other computer in the house and to the Internet. I admit it -- it's the future. [N.B. Especially now that it's 2015].
The Aimlows
[December 10, 2011] This one has great slacker cred. I like the celebration of low expectations.
The Outer Space Heaters
[March 24, 2012] I've always thought "space heater" was an awfully cool name for a pretty mundane object. Now I see why.
Future Rainbow Lazer
[May 19, 2012] The best hippie/sci-fi baby name ever.
White Orange
[June 9, 2012] A rare color in the really large crayon box? A mutant citrus? The latest flavor of Altoids? I plan to go hear these guys tonight at the Funhouse, along with Square Pig favorites Ancient Warlocks and Pouch, plus Antique Scream. Should be a great time! [N.B. It was. Deafening, but great.]
Author and Punisher
[September 1, 2012] One of the least pleasant parts of writing fiction is being cruel to your characters. Then again, sometimes they deserve it.
Trampled By Turtles
[September 8, 2012] I love this image, because of the slow speed. Anything heavy enough to do any damage, you could just roll out of the way. I picture some poor dude, passed out and engulfed by turtles. [N.B. Since this post, I have invented a fictional band called Plague of Turtles, no doubt inspired by this image.]
Icky Blossoms
[September 15, 2012] I like the word "icky." Then there's the apparent disconnect with "blossoms," typically a nice, non-icky concept. Are they poisonous? Stinky? Rotting and slimy? Or a gift from a loathed one? I'm intrigued.
Boys Like Girls
[October 28, 2012] This could have at least two meanings, both equally likely.
Been on a Bill with Your Mother Should Know
Black Plastic Clouds
[November 5, 2011] As if black clouds weren't threatening enough! Any mention of black plastic reminds me of the ultimately ineffective weed barrier the previous owner of our house used in the front yard. We were digging pieces of black plastic out of the ground for years.
The Tailenders
[February 25, 2012] This name implies a kind of loser pride, not ashamed to bring up the rear, hang off the back, sweep up the leavings -- and maybe kick off the after-party, when the real fun happens.
Youth Rescue Mission
[February 25, 2012] Sing it with me: "My life was saved by rock and roll."
The Belmont Whips
[June 28, 2012] This one gets in because I recognized the Castlevania reference all by myself.
The Ancients
[August 11, 2012] I probably wouldn't pick this name out of the listings, but it fits perfectly the band's wildly theatrical Adventure Metal genre. These guys would be right at home with a tiny Stonehenge on stage.
Tyrannosaurus Grace
[August 11, 2012]This is one of those names that just sounds right. I don't know what it is -- some kind of Wesleyan dinosaur, I guess -- but I like it.
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
UPCOMING: Your Mother Should Know album release show, with Tom Price Desert Classic, Can You Imagine?, and Dead Bars Friday, January 23 at the Highline Bar. I'd want to go to this show even if I wasn't playing! https://www.facebook.com/events/374070109426331/
Hands-Down Brilliant
The Peculiar Pretzelmen
[October 29, 2011] This is either an obscure Victorian science fiction title or one of my kid's Blood Bowl teams. I like it either way. How could pretzelmen be anything but peculiar?
We Were Promised Jetpacks
[November 12, 2011] I have an enduring soft spot for the past's vision of the future. We have near-instanteous global communication that some use to complain that we don't have jetpacks and flying cars. Meanwhile, I have at least 10 household lasers and I'm typing on a tiny yet powerful computer connected wirelessly to every other computer in the house and to the Internet. I admit it -- it's the future. [N.B. Especially now that it's 2015].
The Aimlows
[December 10, 2011] This one has great slacker cred. I like the celebration of low expectations.
The Outer Space Heaters
[March 24, 2012] I've always thought "space heater" was an awfully cool name for a pretty mundane object. Now I see why.
Future Rainbow Lazer
[May 19, 2012] The best hippie/sci-fi baby name ever.
White Orange
[June 9, 2012] A rare color in the really large crayon box? A mutant citrus? The latest flavor of Altoids? I plan to go hear these guys tonight at the Funhouse, along with Square Pig favorites Ancient Warlocks and Pouch, plus Antique Scream. Should be a great time! [N.B. It was. Deafening, but great.]
Author and Punisher
[September 1, 2012] One of the least pleasant parts of writing fiction is being cruel to your characters. Then again, sometimes they deserve it.
Trampled By Turtles
[September 8, 2012] I love this image, because of the slow speed. Anything heavy enough to do any damage, you could just roll out of the way. I picture some poor dude, passed out and engulfed by turtles. [N.B. Since this post, I have invented a fictional band called Plague of Turtles, no doubt inspired by this image.]
Icky Blossoms
[September 15, 2012] I like the word "icky." Then there's the apparent disconnect with "blossoms," typically a nice, non-icky concept. Are they poisonous? Stinky? Rotting and slimy? Or a gift from a loathed one? I'm intrigued.
Boys Like Girls
[October 28, 2012] This could have at least two meanings, both equally likely.
Been on a Bill with Your Mother Should Know
Black Plastic Clouds
[November 5, 2011] As if black clouds weren't threatening enough! Any mention of black plastic reminds me of the ultimately ineffective weed barrier the previous owner of our house used in the front yard. We were digging pieces of black plastic out of the ground for years.
The Tailenders
[February 25, 2012] This name implies a kind of loser pride, not ashamed to bring up the rear, hang off the back, sweep up the leavings -- and maybe kick off the after-party, when the real fun happens.
Youth Rescue Mission
[February 25, 2012] Sing it with me: "My life was saved by rock and roll."
The Belmont Whips
[June 28, 2012] This one gets in because I recognized the Castlevania reference all by myself.
The Ancients
[August 11, 2012] I probably wouldn't pick this name out of the listings, but it fits perfectly the band's wildly theatrical Adventure Metal genre. These guys would be right at home with a tiny Stonehenge on stage.
Tyrannosaurus Grace
[August 11, 2012]This is one of those names that just sounds right. I don't know what it is -- some kind of Wesleyan dinosaur, I guess -- but I like it.
My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage," now available as the 13th release in the Pankhearst Singles Club. This story of an all-girl teenage garage band with superpowers is short, it's funny, and it's only $ .99. If you like "St. Rage," please like St. Rage on Facebook and go listen to their first demo.
UPCOMING: Your Mother Should Know album release show, with Tom Price Desert Classic, Can You Imagine?, and Dead Bars Friday, January 23 at the Highline Bar. I'd want to go to this show even if I wasn't playing! https://www.facebook.com/events/374070109426331/
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