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 16, 2013

Happy St. Urho's Day, everyone! Put on your purple and green and celebrate the tongue-in-cheek patron saint of Finland. Traditionalists may wait until tomorrow and drink green beer in honor of that other saint. Lots of fun band names to choose from:

The Dirty Church Ladies
I want to be one, if I'm not already! Being a church lady drummer probably puts me pretty close.

Jar of Rain
Putting rain into any kind of small container is the kind of idealistic and hopeless project I can get behind. Now I wonder -- is this Buckets of Rain minus a member or two? Or in collaboration with Jar of Flies? Both of those have made the blog in the past, so this was an easy pick.

Meniscus
One of my favorite words. Fun to say, and it sounds like it should mean something grosser than surface tension. So nerdy.

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).

The Story So Far
The writer in me is drawn to the implication of narrative.