Local Cut » Band Name of the Week

Band Name of the Week: Kin Keezy

Amy McCullough — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 23:35:55 +0000

There have been some real winners when it comes to Band Name of the Week responses. But, let me tell you, last week’s BNotW crownee, Portland’s own electro-industrial outfit Digustitron, came back with one of my all-time faves. It started with an email from Digustitron’s David Ian LiaBraaten with the subject line, “disgustitron love local cut : local cut love disgustitron.” I was intrigued. I continued forth to find this lovely little gem nestled in my inbox:

Inside you feel Disgustitron… drum and bass rock and roll baby… like fecal mist the transmissions lay a mind cake of thick digital mold like rock and roll mind control!!

Treble is the new bass.

In a basement in Southeast Portland… Disgustitron is born…

There’s just not much more to say, is there? I would, however, like to congratulate Disgustitron on posting two more songs to its MySpace since my razzing it last week for only having one offering named “Kitty” (why is that so funny?). Well, they went ahead and showed me, didn’t they? Not just with an awesomely weird, cryptic response, but with li’l tidbits of love and, most impressively, brand new material. Way to go, Disgustitron!

Now, onto this week’s winner: Kin Keezy! This nomadic hip-hop outfit—which is pretty freakin’ cool but offers virtually no info about itself online—lists a number of locales amongst its MySpace homes, one of which is none other than Stumptown.

Appropriate, considering Kin Keezy’s assumed namesake is one of our state’s creative icons, Mr. Ken Kesey. I’m not sure if Kin Keezy is claiming some relation (get it? Kin Keezy), but there’s gotta be a story behind this here name—and LocalCut aims to get the lowdown. Tune in next week to see if the ol’ Keez gets back to us.

Links:
Kin Keezy’Space
Ken Kesey on Wikipedia

Image: taken from the band’s MySpace.

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Band Name of the Week: Disgustitron

Amy McCullough — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 18:07:58 +0000

At long last, Band Name of the Week returns! My sincere apologies for the few-week hiatus (you missed our little BNotW column, didn’t you? Well, at least “Don,” of recent comments fame missed it). So, without further adieu, the rumored-to-have-AC/DC connections Business Suit Guy (the last recipient of the title) explains its name—and the sad story of its goofy duds:

Business Suit Guy was born out of the ashes of 5/12. Why 5/12??? Well, let’s just say it was a really bad day for the stock market and one Paul Panula (who just so happens to be Angus Young’s Finnish cousin—perhaps a great in for a rocker but not so much for a stock broker who now considers himself a “Rock Broker”). On that fateful day (5/12) the dot com stocks which Panula had so diligently pushed came tumbling down along with his credibility (in the stock world).

Panula went almost overnight from wearing fine Armani suits to the clashing suits he now dons on stage. The only other training Paul Panula had ever undergone was from his cousins (Angus and of course Malcolm Young of AC/DC), so when Panula found himself jobless the transition was a natural one. Since brainstorming this beast (BSG, The Suit Guy) Panula has found himself faithfully backed by Troy Stutzman (a.k.a. Buttman, BHS, or P2) on drums who has worked w/ numerous Portland bands (including the Venarays, the Six Foot Underground, the Plastic Age, the Wild Dogs and King Black Acid), but he’s had the worst luck w/ bass players (none of em’ will really “quit,” and none will “commit” to the band) so we find ourselves w/ 3 of em’…

Patrick Young (formerly of Black n Blue, currently w/ the Boys Next Door), Erin Bartley (who coincidentally played concert bass along side Patrick at Lake Oswego High School and who currently plays for the Strange) & Alejandro Bassman (currently w/ Brush). The music is a poppy punk, buttrock, comedic blend that always keeps audiences on the edge—(of what???) doesn’t really matter they’re on the edge…

Business Suit Guy has been around in one form or another for years and has played every where from the Bitter End, the Ratskellar and Lanora’s Ghost to Outlaw’s, La Luna and Satyricon… “Have Dough??? Will travel” seems to be the motto. Keep your eyes peeled for the upcoming full length CD release to be entitled Screaming for Rogaine (insert Judas Priest’s screaming for vengeance w/ Paul’s head). [answer courtesy drummer Troy Stutzman]

There you have it: a little bit press release-y, and a little bit biographical and, yes, a tad bit funny. But most of all, this Vancouver, Wash. outfit answered the burning AC/DC question that’s plagued LocalCut readers for weeks now. Thanks, BSG!

Now, onto this week’s BNotW title-winners: Portland’s own Disgustitron! Guess I’m just a sucker for band names that combine the grossness and robotics. This local trio’s music, appropriately, does feature some electro-noises, but they’re more of the Reznor-inspired industrial sort than the, say, Grandaddy school of blip. Add some static noise and deep, thumping bass and drums—not to mention the fantasy-esque, Maynard James Keenanlike vocals—and you’ve got yourself an electro-industrial dance trio (think the Faint but darker and more, well, amateur-ish).

Not necessarily my bag (as you may have guessed), but I’m sure the Hot Topic kids will love Disgustitron once it records more than one song (the one track on the band’s ‘Space is called…wait for it…”Kitty”). And doesn’t the Hot Topic comment just make sense when you really take it all in: Those dudes kinda look like rock-ishly costumed versions of regular dudes, right? I mean, where’d they get those garage rocker threads, reefer madness dreads and purple-tinted hippie shades (respectively)? We’ll go ahead and leave that one open-ended. Let’s just hope Disgustitron doesn’t take my words to heart and, instead, reveals the secrets of its kinda bad/kinda awesome moniker next week!

From Disgustitron’s MySpace, what I presume to be the muse itself:

Links:
DisgustiSpace

Disgustitron plays Tuesday, Nov. 20, with Bumtech and Fade 13 at Mississippi Pizza. 8:30 pm. $4. All ages. Images: courtesy of the band’s MySpace.

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Band Name of the Week: Business Suit Guy

Amy McCullough — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:42:01 +0000

Looks like last week’s recipient of the Band Name of the Week title, San Fran jam/funk/rock outfit Hippie Grenade, has proven me un-hip in the land of pot-smoker lingo. See for yourself in the following (and, I might add, quite diplomatic in the ways of fan-winning) band-name explanation, courtesy of Hippie Grenade bassist Theo Winston:

Our name has created a bit of confusion and intrigue. People either think that we blow up hippies or they think that we’re a grenade made out of hippies that when detonated creates a mushroom cloud of pot smoke and patchouli-stank. We often use this ambiguity to our advantage. When we’re talking to people that don’t particularly like hippies, we tell them the former, and when we’re talking to hippies (and their sympathizers) we tell them the latter.

However, the name did not originate with this catchy dichotomy or semi-brilliant PR move as it’s intent. It’s actually a silly pot-smoking reference. A “hippie grenade”, at least in Saint Louis where our guitarist is from, is when you suck the embers through the pipe and it burns the back of your throat. In the beginning we tried brainstorming for other names, but we couldn’t come up with anything better. The name just stuck.

Ouch. Though I clearly wasn’t familiar with the term before receiving Theo’s message, I’m guessing many of us have been there. Feel the burn–or, rather (and preferably), don’t!

Now onto this week’s lucky BNotW title-winner, Vancouver, Washington’s Business Suit Guy. I’ve actually thought to myself on a few previous occasions that someone ought to at least write a song called “Business Suit Guy,” but this metal-ish, self-described punk/comedy group went ahead and upped the ante by choosing the phrase as its moniker proper.

I kind of assumed that BSG would be the antithesis of an actual Business Suit Guy–and its ridiculous, juvenile riff-rock certainly is–but the trio appears to be made up of guys who may well be business suit guys by day (perhaps the irony lies therein). If not, they at least play the part by night: The band’s three constant members don, you guessed it, suits as part of their act. But the suits–and silly songs like “Drunk Guy” (with a chorus of “drunk guy in the parking lot!”) and “Yo’ Mama Smokin’ Crack”–are intentionally obnoxious and over-the-top. Hopefully we’ll learn more about Business Suit Guy’s band-name inspiration next week. Hang tight.

For your amusement, here’s a photo from the band’s MySpace entitled “Here I Am, Rock You With A Chucraphone…”

and the three Business Suit Guys in their bad office-wear:

Links:
BSG’Space

Business Suit Guy plays Friday, Oct. 19, with the Mello Outs and 3rd Grade Crush at the Bitter End. Images: top, courtesy of a Google image search; bottom two, from the band’s MySpace.

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Band Name of the Week: Hippie Grenade

Amy McCullough — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 18:16:20 +0000

So, I made some mention in the last edition of Band Name of the Week–which congratulated Abracadaver on its magically morbid name–that the band in question sounds a lot like Cursive. Apparently, that kinda pissed Abracadaver off. In fact, it seems like much of what I said pissed ‘em off. At the very least, there’s a defensive tone (but they also thanked me for the thoughts and exposure). See for yourself: Here’s what the Turner, Ore. band had to say regarding last week’s post and its band name:

First off, yes, we do like to drink Busch during practice. So shoot us. Now that that’s straightened out, we can get down to business. Abracadaver has been around for awhile now, Derek Vaslev and Brian Briles have been making music since 2001. Cadaver finally took off early ‘07 when we found Andrew Rasmussen. Two months later, we recorded “Track 1″ and “Sleeping in Sin.” A lot has changed since then, though. We now have a new drummer, and have decided to get a full-time bassist because both of us wanted to play guitar instead of having to switch instruments, due to us being a 3-piece band. We are now in the process of recording a new album as a 4-piece. The sound is still very much “Abracadaver” but with a sort of Horror rock twist…just wait you’ll see. And as for us sounding like Cursive or Derek ripping of Isaac Brock’s style of singing, what can we say.

We have sounded like this for quite some time, this is our style of music, and we very much enjoy it. It’s not like we run around trying to steal the sounds of some bands we like and throw them together and hope for the best, so kill me for being influenced.

P.S. As for the band name, it’s a damn band name. We don’t do magic or hang out with dead bodies, it’s just a name… There may be other bands out there named Abracadaver, but that’s no reason to change it. That’s who we are. We sure as hell wouldn’t change it to neon hunk, that’s for sure.

Now, let us delve head first into the five-headed funk-rock beast that is San Francisco’s Hippie Grenade. When I first saw this band’s name, I thought it was most likely a hippie-hating reference, as in a grenade intended to harm hippies. Now, after listening to the eclectic, self-proclaimed “uncomparable” band’s music, I’m confused on a number of levels:

One, I can’t decide whether they’re kinda rad or pretty buttrockin’ bad (my guess is somewhere in-between, though it’s clear the band is skilled at what it’s doing; my issue of one of taste). Two, I can’t decide if I like frontman Bhi Bhiman’s vocals, which range from Thin Lizzy-esque to Black Sabbath-y to something else altogether, or not. Three, I no longer have any idea what the name is supposed to evoke. The band lists Parliament Funkadelic, Sly Stone, Soundgarden and the Dead among its influences, which hints at a decidedly hippie-friendly groove (okay, maybe not the Soundgarden part, but the rest fits).

Still, Hippie Grenade verges into metal territory and a dozen other styles, as well, so it’s just hard to say what the name’s intent is. Perhaps it’s supposed to indicate the sonic effect of putting a bunch of hippie-leaning genres together and blowing ‘em up with the ever-powerful, naturally explosive rawk. Hopefully we’ll see when the band gets back to BNotW next week!

Links:
Hippie Grenade’Space
Hippie Grenade on the web

Hippie Grenade plays Saturday, Oct. 6, with Drunk On Power and Grenadiers of Doom (another excellent band name) at the Red Room. 9 pm. Free. 21+. Hippie Grenade also plays Sunday, Oct. 7, with Fate or Fortune and City Druid (jeez, another good one) at the Tonic Lounge. 9:30 pm. Cover. 21+. Image: a somewhat Green Day-esque love grenade of sorts, compliments of a Google image search.

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Band Name of the Week: Abracadaver

Amy McCullough — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:43:23 +0000

Well, well, well, Band Name of the Week went ahead and found itself a little Cursive ripoff band in Turner, Oregon, of all places. And it’s got a noteworthy (if not horrible) band name: Abracadaver! I’m not sure if that cat’s gonna pull a deceased human body out of its hat next, but I can tell you that Turner is that town with the exit off I-5 between Eugene and Portland that claims to have a gas station even though there is nothing resembling civilization anywhere near the exit (and it will certainly leave you stranded if you’re really running low on the ol’ petrol, ’cause the station is at least five miles down the road from the actual exit, as the exit appearance portends).

Abracadaver sounds a lot like many of my ex-boyfriends’ bands and/or high school guys ripping off Cursive (hey, you could idolize a lot worse) or pretty much any band you may have sat in a practice space drinking something like Busch and tapping your foot to. And, I’ve gotta hand it to bassist/frontman Brian Briles, ’cause he’s nailed down darn near every Tim Kasher-ish vocal inflection I can think of. Now that’s what I call a student of music–very, very specific music. But, I mean, what the hell else does a kid from Turner have to do with his time besides get all angsty and listen to Saddle Creek bands? Not much, I’d imagine. But more on that later. Here’s what last week’s BNotW title-winner, Sprinkles (pronounced Thprinkles) had to say for itself:

The tragic story of SPRINKLES: BeefJake and I were dinking around playing together at his other band (Pure Country Gold)’s practice space trying to come up with a name for our new band when I slipped and fell down on my face. As I lay there bleeding about the nose, neck, breasts and shoulders, my swollen eyes focused on the cause of my calamity: a sprinkles-covered, half-eaten donut. I yelled out “Sprinkles!” but it sounded like “Thprinkles!” Jake fell off his drum stool laughing and began text messaging all his new friends our new band name.

We received responses such as “You guys are fucking idiots!” “What the fuck were you thinking?!” “What kind of stupid asshole names their band after light rain with a chance of showers?!” “I will personally come to your home and beat you half dead if you name your band Sprinkles!” “Your family is dead to me!” “Jake, I will personally destroy your power base!” “My god, it’s full of sprinkles!” And someone who received the text message on accident that was not part of Jake’s “Hot Friends 2007 List” said, “Oh, I love thprinkles!”

We went with the last answer.

We have now lost all our friends, our family has disowned us, and we have been fired from our jobs all due to the name Sprinkles. But it’s worth it to play once a month in front of 30 people that chant “Thprinkles” and wear hooded robes while sacrificing sprinkles-covered stray cats in our honor.
-Jason

P.S.- We play at Slabtown on Friday October 19th!
P.S.S.- Also, the idea of opening for tough guy bands and seeing flyers that say “Metal Church with Sprinkles!” was too good to resist.

There you have it. Tragic indeed, but (I must agree) totally worth it. Way to take your punishment like men, Thprinkles.
[Please allow me to indulge in a tiny editorial pet peeve for a moment, though: P.S. stands for "post script," so a second P.S. would actually denote a "post, post script," thus P.P.S., not P.S.S. Sorry, that always bugs me.]

Now, here’s a look at this week’s recipient of the BNotW title:

Hopefully they’ll get back to us and confirm my Cursive-worshiping suspicions–and explain their morbid ‘n’ magical name! Seriously, that Cursive business is so uncanny it’s worth a trip to the band’s CadaverSpace just to check it out. That second track, “Sleeping In Sin,” is pretty darn Isaac Brocky at the beginning, but you just wait: The Kasher comes at exactly 42 seconds in. For the record, I love Cursive. I would probably do the same thing if I was a Turner-residing teen (or young man, not sure on their ages). Just sayin’. Oh, and I’d like to nominate Abracadaver as the official band of the OMSI installment of Body Worlds–only three weeks left!

Images: Magician cat courtesy of a Google image search; Abracadaver photo taken from the band’s MySpace.

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