It's that weird time of year when we've just had snow but it's starting to look and feel like spring; when Seattle high schoolers, two weeks into a new semester, take a week off to recover; when the year no longer feels new but I still have to think before writing the date. On the upside, a Monday holiday offers the rare opportunity to go out on a Sunday night! Make the most of it.
BowieVision
This technological marvel brought to you by Ziggy Stardust. Always in style.
(he thinks he's people)
Why do I assume this is aimed at the drummer? (I also like the parentheses. There's generally not enough punctuation in band names.)
Hoax Foot
I read this as a translation of pseudopod, a favorite term from high school biology. (In what I understand is their first outing, this duo is playing on the aforementioned Sunday night on a bill with former Square Pig honorees Pouch and Canals of Venice. Enjoyed a solo set by one of the members last summer, so I'm looking forward to it!)
Propagandhi
Excellent name pun! Politically slanted promotion of non-violent resistance -- what's not to like?
Slutever
So appropriate that they played on Valentine's Day!
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, February 15, 2014
Saturday, February 8, 2014
February 8, 2014
I've been thinking this week about Seattle's relationship to noise. We are famously polite, self-effacing, and law-abiding. Yet we're also famous for jets, rock bands, and seismic sports fans. Hmm. Perhaps because we are so polite and self-effacing . . .
Here are some noisemakers whose names caught my eye:
The Anti-Job
The pay stinks, but at least the hours are bad.
Brother Inferior
And now to St. Grunge's Monastery for a clever example of our famous loser mentality.
Can of Beans
A can of worms is what you don't want to open up; a hill of beans is what it doesn't amount to. If you open up a can of beans, you just get dinner. I don't even want to think about a hill of worms, though that would amount to a good band name.
Colonels of Truth
. . . and their nemeses, the Lieutenants of Lies! As noted previously, I'm fond of homophones that are spelled so differently that you have to read them aloud to get the pun.
Stars at Your Feet
A startling and striking image. On a personal note, I used this very phrasing in a science fiction story, in which a filmmaker on EVA is allowed to float away from the spaceship in order to get his shot.
Here are some noisemakers whose names caught my eye:
The Anti-Job
The pay stinks, but at least the hours are bad.
Brother Inferior
And now to St. Grunge's Monastery for a clever example of our famous loser mentality.
Can of Beans
A can of worms is what you don't want to open up; a hill of beans is what it doesn't amount to. If you open up a can of beans, you just get dinner. I don't even want to think about a hill of worms, though that would amount to a good band name.
Colonels of Truth
. . . and their nemeses, the Lieutenants of Lies! As noted previously, I'm fond of homophones that are spelled so differently that you have to read them aloud to get the pun.
Stars at Your Feet
A startling and striking image. On a personal note, I used this very phrasing in a science fiction story, in which a filmmaker on EVA is allowed to float away from the spaceship in order to get his shot.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
February 1, 2014
Funny -- the Times lists no rock shows on Sunday. Must be something else going on . . . The rest of the week makes up for it, and these bands rose to the top:
Basic Vacation
Like garage rock -- no frills, maybe even in your own home, but refreshing and restoring.
Boomstick
Although I am a drummer myself, I'm willing to allow this to mean a loud electric guitar.
Clear Plastic Masks
I like the idea of masks that don't obscure anything, somehow hiding behind transparency.
Dawn of Midi
It seems like a long time ago now, but at the time, it felt like the present.
The Wild Snohomians
The surprise here is that in 4+ years of blogging, I haven't included this outfit. I'm sure they've made the short list at least once, so here they are at last. This would seem to be a marriage of wild and mild. However, the trip to Snohomish is always enough longer than we think it should be to qualify the place as wilderness.
(Oh, all right. Go Hawks!)
Basic Vacation
Like garage rock -- no frills, maybe even in your own home, but refreshing and restoring.
Boomstick
Although I am a drummer myself, I'm willing to allow this to mean a loud electric guitar.
Clear Plastic Masks
I like the idea of masks that don't obscure anything, somehow hiding behind transparency.
Dawn of Midi
It seems like a long time ago now, but at the time, it felt like the present.
The Wild Snohomians
The surprise here is that in 4+ years of blogging, I haven't included this outfit. I'm sure they've made the short list at least once, so here they are at last. This would seem to be a marriage of wild and mild. However, the trip to Snohomish is always enough longer than we think it should be to qualify the place as wilderness.
(Oh, all right. Go Hawks!)
Saturday, January 25, 2014
January 25, 2014
The pint of blood I just donated must have contained all my witty banter, because I have nothing to say about anything except these five fine band names:
Futurebirds
They have jetpacks and laser eyes. (Or else this is just another term for eggs).
The Pop Cycle
Here's another play on that beloved quiescently frozen confection! This one, you can ride.
Tessitura
I love it when technical terms from art music infiltrate the pop world. Where does this group sit in your range? This also has the sentimental attachment of being the name of my musician friends' kitten, longer ago than I care to think about.
Weregoat
I like this recent fad for shapeshifting into animals other than wolves. This one's practical, too: wait for the full moon and take care of those pesky blackberries yourself.
Yuck
I've always been amused by the school of naming your band for something offputting. This one goes straight to my favorite term of disgust. No matter how long you stretch it out, it always ends with a crack.
PS: If you wish to donate blood and witty banter, please call Puget Sound Blood Center at 800-398-7888 or make an appointment online!
Futurebirds
They have jetpacks and laser eyes. (Or else this is just another term for eggs).
The Pop Cycle
Here's another play on that beloved quiescently frozen confection! This one, you can ride.
Tessitura
I love it when technical terms from art music infiltrate the pop world. Where does this group sit in your range? This also has the sentimental attachment of being the name of my musician friends' kitten, longer ago than I care to think about.
Weregoat
I like this recent fad for shapeshifting into animals other than wolves. This one's practical, too: wait for the full moon and take care of those pesky blackberries yourself.
Yuck
I've always been amused by the school of naming your band for something offputting. This one goes straight to my favorite term of disgust. No matter how long you stretch it out, it always ends with a crack.
PS: If you wish to donate blood and witty banter, please call Puget Sound Blood Center at 800-398-7888 or make an appointment online!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
January 18, 2014
This is how old I am: I remember seeing Los Lobos back in the day at the University of Puget Sound Fieldhouse for $4. Now I see they're playing three sold-out shows at the Triple Door this weekend (good for them, by the way) and tickets went for $65-$80. Venue, artists and ticket price pretty much guarantees a -- ahem -- mature audience. In other words, people my age, but with more money.
Who else is playing this week?
Crooks on Tape
Nixon jokes never get old.
Gangrene Gang
A repeated syllable that brings together the nasty and the jaunty.
Manatee Commune
General consensus that nothing would get done, and everybody would be OK with that. Like a household of stoners.
Psydcar
Gotta love homophones that don't look anything alike.
Shark Toys
Because, y'know, they're so playful, and they only bite because they're curious. That inflatable seal won't last long, though.
Who else is playing this week?
Crooks on Tape
Nixon jokes never get old.
Gangrene Gang
A repeated syllable that brings together the nasty and the jaunty.
Manatee Commune
General consensus that nothing would get done, and everybody would be OK with that. Like a household of stoners.
Psydcar
Gotta love homophones that don't look anything alike.
Shark Toys
Because, y'know, they're so playful, and they only bite because they're curious. That inflatable seal won't last long, though.
Saturday, January 11, 2014
January 11, 2014
Although I'm not a football fan, I'm aware that there's some kind of big game in Seattle today. I'm rooting for the weather. Rain, wind, hail, lightning, sun breaks -- all that's missing is snow. Now I'm happy we built an open stadium. I'm even happier that rock & roll is an indoor sport. This week's favorites:
Barefoot Barnacle
These words in proximity provoke a wince from anyone who's spent time on Northwest beaches. But in this case, it's the barnacle that's barefoot. (My resident science adviser points out that all barnacles are barefoot: they plant their heads and wave their feet around to collect food. And anyway, how would you get the little shoes on?)
Genghis Con Artist
I love a good homophonic twist (the latest dance craze). Mongol hordes, scamming their way across Asia.
Pop Sickle
The quiescently frozen confection that kills it every time.
Spontaneous Rex
An unplanned dinosaur or a freewheeling monarch? I'd love to see this outfit on a bill with Tyrannosaurus Grace.
Surfer Blood
Beach Blanket Death Metal.
Barefoot Barnacle
These words in proximity provoke a wince from anyone who's spent time on Northwest beaches. But in this case, it's the barnacle that's barefoot. (My resident science adviser points out that all barnacles are barefoot: they plant their heads and wave their feet around to collect food. And anyway, how would you get the little shoes on?)
Genghis Con Artist
I love a good homophonic twist (the latest dance craze). Mongol hordes, scamming their way across Asia.
Pop Sickle
The quiescently frozen confection that kills it every time.
Spontaneous Rex
An unplanned dinosaur or a freewheeling monarch? I'd love to see this outfit on a bill with Tyrannosaurus Grace.
Surfer Blood
Beach Blanket Death Metal.
Saturday, January 4, 2014
January 4, 2014
It's a shiny new year, just begging to be scribbled on! Here's a fresh batch of band names to start things off right:
Cracker Factory
This could get in solely on the crisp rhyme in the first syllables. On top of that, in our household idiom, "crackers" refers to anyone cute enough that you'd let then eat crackers in your bed. On a good night, many of the clubs I've been to could be termed a cracker factory.
Devour the Day
Not enough to just seize it. Consume it messily and entire.
Dumps
When we're down in them, we sing the blues to lift us out of them.
Liars Start Fires
. . . with their pants. (Also, more fun rhymes!)
Wounded Giant
There's a whole epic contained in these two words.
Cracker Factory
This could get in solely on the crisp rhyme in the first syllables. On top of that, in our household idiom, "crackers" refers to anyone cute enough that you'd let then eat crackers in your bed. On a good night, many of the clubs I've been to could be termed a cracker factory.
Devour the Day
Not enough to just seize it. Consume it messily and entire.
Dumps
When we're down in them, we sing the blues to lift us out of them.
Liars Start Fires
. . . with their pants. (Also, more fun rhymes!)
Wounded Giant
There's a whole epic contained in these two words.
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