April 11, 2015

Time to go into the vault and revisit some favorites from Square Pig's third year! As before, I'm picking from the categories "Hands-Down Brilliant" and "Have Been on a Bill with Your Mother Should Know." Instead of limiting myself to five, I'm picking one per month; they're in chronological rather than alphabetical order.

Hands-Down Brilliant

(From 11/10/12)
Two Cow Garage
We already have backyard chickens and goats in Seattle. This is the next logical step.

(From 12/22/12)
Chin Up Rocky
Hokey-smoke! A Bullwinkle reference!

(From 1/20/13)
Lo' There Do I See My Brother
Formal and old-fashioned and too many words -- everything I love in a band name.

(From 2/2/13)
Acapulco Lips
I was sorry to miss Red Ribbon's show at the Rendezvous last week, moreso when I learned the name of the opening act. On the page, it looks like silly nonsense, but has to be read aloud to really sink in. On top of the wordplay (for me, at least), it brings to mind Walt Kelly's Pogo strip, in which "Octawocktapockers done got Albert!"


(From 3/16/13)
Something in the Trees
I love the mystery here. Is it a good something or a bad something? Is it among the trees, or actually in them? Who will go check? (Also, I have it on good authority that this group includes some fraction of The Tailenders, a past Square Pig favorite).

(From 4/13/13)
Inkiest Eels
I try not to play favorites, but this week, this is my favorite. This bizarre word pairing sounds like the title of some weird children's book that I would love to get my hands on. The assonance of all those long-e sounds also makes it a delight to say.

(From 5/11/13)
Western Red Penguins 
This goes off in a completely unexpected direction but still sounds for a moment like a real thing. A composer friend has invented birds, complete with names and calls. Wonder what she'd do with this one.

(From 6/29/13)

Swamp Meat 

I couldn't believe I hadn't done this name already. It has the obvious sludgy, undead association, but then you say it out loud and it sounds like something completely different. They keep being on bills with friends of YMSK, so I'm bound to hear them before long.

(From 7/6/13)
Special Explosion District
Anywhere on July 4?

(from 8/10/13)
L'orchestre D'incroyable
'nuff said. The Rhine floods, Valhalla burns, but the orchestra always has the last word.

(From 9/28/13)
Bugs
Magpies
Tacos
I'm a big fan of really long band names, but I also have a soft spot for the one-word type. I like these three plural nouns without the definite article. One of these things is not like the others, but I suppose somebody somewhere would make a taco out of bugs and/or magpies.

(From 10/19/13)
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.


Been on a Bill with Your Mother Should Know

(From 10/12/13)

Dead Bars
I'm surprised I haven't included this one already, though I have referenced them a couple times. I actually know the story behind the name, which grew out of drinking in bars where there was no energy or excitement, nothing going on but drinking and thinking. If these guys are playing, the venue is automatically not a dead bar anymore.



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 demos, "Huge Guy in the Mosh Pit" and "Half a Bus Closer to Home."

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

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.