Having survived Beepocalypse 2015, we head into a weekend that looks like a foretaste of May. Best wishes to the surviving bees, their heroic keepers, and the blueberries to be pollinated. If you see a bee at your barbecue, keep calm and think of produce. Then go inside and hear some music. There's no shortage, even if most of the outstanding names came up last night.
420 and the Shroomers
Almost too easy, but sometimes that's why I like 'em. This is an appropriate nom de gig for an early celebration of 4/20, AKA Weed Day.
BitchSchool
Remedial lessons for those of us who don't come by it naturally.
Bubblegum Octopus
Goofy sweet weirdness.
Harvard of the South
I was drawn to this as an alumna of the University of Puget Sound, the so-called "Harvard of the West." I never really understood the Ivy League envy, but as a band name, it has a grandiose splendor. Also, the video for their song "Miracle" is clever and lovely, and includes toy trains and horses: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRmrVjOYs4E
Kind of Like Spitting
Either mild affection for, or modest similarity to, expectoration. Immature either way, and I have to respect that.
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.
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, April 18, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
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)
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.
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)
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.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
April 4, 2015
The Seattle music scene continues as a hotbed of creativity, even in the face of gentrification and venue closures. Last weekend, we witnessed examples of this DIY spirit as not one but two bands, Canals of Venice and Bicycle Face, presented mini-musicals. You don't need a big theater or a rich producer if you have a friendly venue, a few costumes and props, yourself as the pit band, and the will to pull it off. Kudos to all concerned!
And it goes without saying that creativity spills over into the band names:
Bicycle Face
The initial appeal was the sheer silly awkwardness, even before I learned this was an actual Victorian medical diagnosis. Supposedly the faces of female cyclists were in danger of sticking in a pop-eyed grimace. (No coincidence that Bicycle Face's mini-musical "Pants!" concerns the scandal of cycling in bloomers.)
Comedy of Terrors
The simple addition of one letter takes you from Shakespearean farce to B-movie horror; so bad it's funny.
Hello Nowhere
This belongs with one of my favorite lines in children's literature, "Good night, nobody," found on an unillustrated page in the classic Good Night, Moon. Or else it's what you say when you stare into the abyss and invite it to stare back.
Insuburban Avenue
This play on a street name (I assume Interurban Ave.) suggests rock & roll rebellion (insubordination) and escape from the suburbs.
The Pro-nouns
Is this name standing in for the actual name of this band? The hyphen suggests nouns that have given up their amateur status. (This also reminds me of two siblings who swapped genders; I suggested they start a band called Pronoun Trouble. They have yet to take me up on it.)
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.
And it goes without saying that creativity spills over into the band names:
Bicycle Face
The initial appeal was the sheer silly awkwardness, even before I learned this was an actual Victorian medical diagnosis. Supposedly the faces of female cyclists were in danger of sticking in a pop-eyed grimace. (No coincidence that Bicycle Face's mini-musical "Pants!" concerns the scandal of cycling in bloomers.)
Comedy of Terrors
The simple addition of one letter takes you from Shakespearean farce to B-movie horror; so bad it's funny.
Hello Nowhere
This belongs with one of my favorite lines in children's literature, "Good night, nobody," found on an unillustrated page in the classic Good Night, Moon. Or else it's what you say when you stare into the abyss and invite it to stare back.
Insuburban Avenue
This play on a street name (I assume Interurban Ave.) suggests rock & roll rebellion (insubordination) and escape from the suburbs.
The Pro-nouns
Is this name standing in for the actual name of this band? The hyphen suggests nouns that have given up their amateur status. (This also reminds me of two siblings who swapped genders; I suggested they start a band called Pronoun Trouble. They have yet to take me up on it.)
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.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
March 28, 2015
How cool is it that The Sonics got written up in The New Yorker? And they're playing next Thursday with Mudhoney at the Moore -- killer lineup of killer lineups! That's only one of many great shows I'm likely to miss this week, though I hope to get out Sunday for Canals of Venice's mini-musical, Martha Jane.
Meanwhile, these names stood out from the crowd:
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
A sound effect spelled with punctuation is already pretty great, but including the translation is a nice courtesy. "Chk chk chk" is exactly the processed hi-hat sound used in dance music since the disco era.
Butterflies of Death
You've no doubt heard that a butterfly flapping its wings can lead to a hurricane on the other side of the world. Specifically, these butterflies.
Craft Spells
Artisanal magic from hipster witches.
Hippo Campus
I have long imagined a Sandra Boynton cartoon of a college for hippos. Now they have a band to play for their house parties.
The Velvet Teen
Once seen, it seems so obvious, but somehow I never noticed that "velveteen" has the word "teen" embedded in it. Will this kid become Real as the fuzz gets loved off?
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.
Meanwhile, these names stood out from the crowd:
!!! (Chk Chk Chk)
A sound effect spelled with punctuation is already pretty great, but including the translation is a nice courtesy. "Chk chk chk" is exactly the processed hi-hat sound used in dance music since the disco era.
Butterflies of Death
You've no doubt heard that a butterfly flapping its wings can lead to a hurricane on the other side of the world. Specifically, these butterflies.
Craft Spells
Artisanal magic from hipster witches.
Hippo Campus
I have long imagined a Sandra Boynton cartoon of a college for hippos. Now they have a band to play for their house parties.
The Velvet Teen
Once seen, it seems so obvious, but somehow I never noticed that "velveteen" has the word "teen" embedded in it. Will this kid become Real as the fuzz gets loved off?
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.
Saturday, March 21, 2015
March 21, 2015
Because Seattle cleverly outsourced our winter to the East Coast this year, it's been springlike for weeks, but now it's spring for real. This calls for celebration! Get out there and bring some joy to a bar band at a club near you!
Dog Party
Around this house, we love and revere P. D. Eastman's Go Dog Go, a limited-vocabulary guide to how to pick up girls. It concludes in an epic dog party in a tree. I like that party hat! I like that band name!
Millhous
Stranger than Nixon
It's not every week I see two band names with a Nixon connection, so I'm grouping these two together. "Stranger than Nixon" looks moderately amusing on paper, but its genius is revealed when spoken aloud (along with an implication that Nixon might be a little bit fictional.) As a little kid who knew next to nothing about politics, I thought his middle name was pretty strange, although that turns about to be the least weird thing about him.
Nowhere Near Nashville
I have to celebrate this much alliteration, as well as the literal truth about this outfit from a different -ville: Marysville, WA. Music of any genre can come from anywhere.
Problem with Dragons
I love the offhand way this diminishes terrifying and destructive creatures to the level of rodents or a leaky roof. Even so, with this kind of infestation, you'd better hope your pest control outfit has a wizard on staff.
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.
Dog Party
Around this house, we love and revere P. D. Eastman's Go Dog Go, a limited-vocabulary guide to how to pick up girls. It concludes in an epic dog party in a tree. I like that party hat! I like that band name!
Millhous
Stranger than Nixon
It's not every week I see two band names with a Nixon connection, so I'm grouping these two together. "Stranger than Nixon" looks moderately amusing on paper, but its genius is revealed when spoken aloud (along with an implication that Nixon might be a little bit fictional.) As a little kid who knew next to nothing about politics, I thought his middle name was pretty strange, although that turns about to be the least weird thing about him.
Nowhere Near Nashville
I have to celebrate this much alliteration, as well as the literal truth about this outfit from a different -ville: Marysville, WA. Music of any genre can come from anywhere.
Problem with Dragons
I love the offhand way this diminishes terrifying and destructive creatures to the level of rodents or a leaky roof. Even so, with this kind of infestation, you'd better hope your pest control outfit has a wizard on staff.
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.
Saturday, March 14, 2015
March 14, 2015
Kap'n Crunch & the Cereal Killers
They really had fun with this one: classic X and the Y structure, breakfast-time nostalgia, a pun, and the initialism -- KCCK -- is a palindrome!
Kool Keith
I like this name for personal reasons: I married a Keith who I think is pretty cool. It's also the second one this week to respell a C word with a K, which I approve.
Lightning Kills Eagle
This could be a Native American myth or a headline on a slow news day.
Noisepoetnobody
This one's a poem, noisy with letters run together.
Teen Cat
Teens are hip to pop culture and cats are cool, so there are lots of good rock & roll associations. On the other hand, felines mature so quickly that they barely have an adolescence. An actual cat in its teens is mature to elderly. (I was pleased to see that Teen Cat is a guitar-and-drum duo with a woman drummer, just like Your Mother Should Know!)
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.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
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.
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)