January 9, 2016

Mid-blog, some program decided it needed to restart my computer. I didn't lose much, but I think I'll cut things short just to be safe. On with the list:

Haunted Summer
Unexpected and poetic. It takes quite a spook to haunt anything as bright and shiny as summer.

The Pro & the Con
So many meanings in so few letters/syllables! I'm also happy when I get to promote a guitar-drums duo, since that's where I live.

Prom Queen
In a rare occurrence, I heard this band before picking them for the blog. The name perfectly fits what the group is about: they have a wonderful retro look to go with their vintage sound and instruments. If you like to slow-dance in the living room, this is what you need.

Secret Cat
I'm picturing a cat going undercover in a dog household to steal the plans for a canine takeover of the world, blowing that plot wide open and then taking a nap. (And hey, they're on a bill with Square Pig faves Power Skeleton!)

Tan Sedan 
The least flashy conveyance out there. Belongs in the same category as Car Seat Headrest for celebration of mundanity and evocation of '70s cars.

March 7, 2015

 Square Pig faves Acapulco Lips, Pouch, and Power Skeleton are all playing tonight (not together, but wouldn't that be a killer lineup?) but I'm missing it all for the opera. All I can say is, Handel better be worth it. Meanwhile, here's five new favorites:

Field Mouse
I am reminded of my mom. House mice freaked her out, but she thought the outdoor variety (she called them meadow mice) were cute. There was even a poster of one on the fridge. But if a cat brought one indoors, forget it.

Flyleaf
Literary in a literal and very particular way.

Little Fixtures
Maybe it's my diminutive size, but I'm drawn to names with "little" in them. I like how in this case, it's paired with something solid and permanent. There's also the added attraction of a neat little off-rhyme.

The Shaken Growlers
I can easily believe this name grew out of an unfortunate incident bringing beer home from the bottle shop. Promises an exuberant, messy time.

Toyboat Toyboat Toyboat
I have to respect a band that chose a name most people can't say fast, even sober. (These guys actually are on the same bill with Power Skeleton tonight.)

My fiction and blogging projects collide in "St. Rage,"  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."

I play drums in a band called Your Mother Should Know. Our album Rocks and Glass is available now on Bandcamp.

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.

March 15, 2014

Wow, I might actually get out to a show today -- not one but two favorite bands, Acapulco Lips and Red Ribbon, are playing an in-store at Everyday Music! 6:00 p.m. is my kind of start time. As names go, it's hard to beat Acapulco Lips, but here are some close seconds:

Endorphins Lost
What goes up must come down, alas.


Raptor Tractor
I had a tractor phobia when I was a small child (and it has already been pointed out that Tractorphobia would be a good band name). Now I'm picturing fierce dinosaurs on John Deeres. Extra credit for being on a bill with past honorees Power Skeleton and Skunk Rider.


Silent Land Time Machine
Anything with "time machine" in the name is almost guaranteed to catch my eye. What I like about this, aside from the length, is that it can be read as three modifiers with one noun; one modifier with three nouns; or two nouns with one modifier each. Mix and match!

Space Cretins
There's no stopping the cretins from launching . . .


Stranger on Mars
I imagine it will be a long time before this is not true, by definition, of anyone who gets there. But it can also be read as a comparative: "This music is strange enough on Earth, but it's ever stranger on Mars." 

October 19, 2013

I identify as both writer and musician, but writer first, though I've probably made a little more money as a musician. I figured the blogosphere did not need another blog about writing, so I was pleased to find a different kind of word-based creative expression to ponder. When I started this project almost three years ago, I didn't imagine the supply of band names would last this long. Apparently, this well has no bottom.

Minot
I am never surprised to meet someone from Minot, ND. It is a town people are from. (My mother grew up near Minot and worked there for a time before her marriage to my dad.) I don't think I've ever met anyone who was moving there, but maybe that's because Seattle is a place people move to.

Power Skeleton
I have it on good authority that October is Skeleton Awareness Month. I have a sore hip, so I'm quite aware of my own personal skeleton. When I eventually have my hips and/or knees replaced, I want them to put in a sound chip to make noise like a servo motor.

Skunk Rider
Whether hero or villain, this character must have very short legs and no sense of smell. Probably not afraid to use chemical weapons.

Where My Bones Rest Easy
More Skeleton Awareness! Let them rest when their work is through.

The Wiled
Fun with spelling! It sounds like what rock music is, and describes those who have succumbed to its charms.