August 23, 2014

Early Square Pig faves Ravenna Woods have an all-ages show at the Crocodile tonight, with Country Lips and friends-of-Your-Mother-Should-Know Mikey and Matty. $8, 8:00 p.m. Sounds like a fun show that I'm sorry to miss!!! More info here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1409996905906578/
Here's what I had to say about Ravenna Woods on December 4, 2010: I saw this band on the same bill with Curtains for You and can attest that they put on a great show. They make the list for neighborhood-level local flavor. In fact, the name implies that they're my neighbors. 

And here's what I think about this week's picks:

The Goddamn Finkelstein Shit Kids
I like the implication that they've proudly claimed as their name an elderly neighbor's oft-repeated rant.

Internal Error
Mundane frustrations are elevated when converted to band names. In the same way, we transform our own inner mistakes and regrets into art.

Jesus on the Moon
This is timely for a reason few people would get, but I hope I can influence more so they will. "Epwa," my favorite story in Mermaids (the new YA story collection the Pankhearst Writers Collective) takes place in a floating community centuries after a catastrophic flood of an entire world. Random fragments of Catholic dogma have been blended with new mythology of water, moon goddesses, and an afterlife in the undersea palaces of the Mermadden. The Pilot, who knows more history and science than anyone else and is regarded as a heretic, tells the protagonist Hannah that a long time ago, men walked on the moons. At another time, she tells about a man who walked on water. Hannah wonders if they were the same man. The Pilot doesn't know -- but she thinks so.

Snakes of Christ
Not on the same bill with Jesus on the Moon, but they should be. Snakes get a bad rap in a lot of religious imagery, but they are God's creatures, too -- devouring vermin since the beginning of agriculture.

The Ukadelics
A happy accident of a common consonant sound bring together unlikely partners in a way that is not only fun, but obvious after the fact. I wanna go to this luau!

May 26, 2012

What a beautiful weekend for Folklife! We're skipping it, but don't stay away on my account. Square Pig faves Curtains for You, Ravenna Woods, and Shelby Earl are playing the Indie Roots stage. Meanwhile, the club listings were reliably rich:

Barons of Tang
Is this like land barons or oil barons, but with powdered space-age breakfast drink?

Is/Is
This repetition is a verbal tic I associate with computer programmers. Over the years, exasperation has turned to affectionate tolerance -- at least they're attempting to communicate.

Raygun Cowboys
I'm glad someone else noticed how the sci-fi weapon sounds like the name of the cowboy-actor-turned-President.

Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra
I like names like this that don't come into their own until you say them aloud, and then suddenly there's a literary allusion smacking you in the face.

Us on Roofs
I see this one all the time and I liked it from the first, but somehow it never made the cut before. I like the communal feel of "us", and the plural of "roof" is funny for some reason. It also can be seen as a reference to "Up on the Roof," a great pop song from the past.

May 7, 2011

Four previous honorees -- Eighteen Individual Eyes, Ancient Warlocks, Ravenna Woods and Dog Shredder -- all had gigs last night, and I missed them all due to a previous engagement! I hope everybody had a rockin' night.

Less Than Equals
This one plays on words and numbers! It could describe a relationship, either personal or mathematical. And you could spell it <=. (No website, but Kurt Bloch is in it, so you know they're awesome). The mathiness makes it fit on a bill with:
 
Ocean of Algebra and Social Studies, which aren't on the same bill but should be. I hope they are more fun than 9th grade.

Rubblebucket
This one is just a joy to say. It is at once funny and heavy and gritty.

Wet Nightmare 
Speaking of 9th grade . . . This name conveys in two words all the wonder and horror of puberty.

December 4, 2010

Although I had an embarrassment of riches to choose from, I was blessed with several automatic selections of beloved names I've been eager to see again. And not one, but two bands I've actually heard! It was difficult to exclude the runners-up, but I'm sure they will have their chance another day.

Curtains for You
Full disclosure: I'd heard of this band years before I saw them at the Columbia City Theatre (which has a stage with actual curtains), and the keyboard player has visited my house. But I think I would list them even if that weren't so. I like how the name references another era and aspect of American pop culture. (I tend to pronounce it "coitains" like the gangsters in old Bugs Bunny cartoons.) 

Jefferson Death Star
This one made the whole family laugh out loud, an automatic winner. Rock music and Star Wars came into my life at around the same time, so this kind of intersection will always get my attention.


Ocelot Omelet
I like ocelots and omelets, though not necessarily together. This one is goofy and kind of gross, with the fun of both assonance between the opening Os and alliteration between the closing Ts. An unlikely pair but made for each other.


Ravenna Woods
I saw this band on the same bill with Curtains for You and can attest that they put on a great show. They make the list for neighborhood-level local flavor. In fact, the name implies that they're my neighbors.

ThorNton Creek
Likewise. I would expect to see Thornton Creek and Ravenna Woods on the same bill at Meadowbrook Pond. This is local music at its localest.