U is for The Urge

I own a lot of movie soundtracks. Many times they evoke the visual impact of the flicks and The Urge title “It’s My Time to Fly” is a perfect example. That “Titan AE” soundtrack got me through a lot of groggy, discontented mornings at my previous day job. A Wikipedia search on The Urge pulled up an article listing people from Missouri. Criminal. Perhaps it's time I search for more tunes.


Anyway, the current craze over the undead returning to life inspired today’s mock band Union of Zombies. I like to imagine them playing toe tapping tunes with dark messages much like my beloved The Bravery, whom I discovered by luck when they opened for Incubus one summer.

* Notice: I anticipate restricted Internet access for several days at least as the challenge comes toward a close. So please excuse me if I do not reply to your comment anytime soon. My online activity is currently restricted to reading and commenting on others’ blogs. Thank you for expressing interest in my frivolous entries!
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T is for Tangerine Dream

Tangerine Dream’s purely instrumental contribution to the eighties flick “Risky Business” is a big reason I bought that soundtrack. But I learned that this is just the tip of the iceberg, if you will. Thanks to Wikipedia, I learned that these German artists have produced over a hundred albums! Time to check out one or two, eh?


Troubled Puppets is my mock group for the letter T. I haven’t decided what type of music they play, but I’m picturing those so-called fabricated Americans from the 2002 sitcom “Greg the Bunny”. Seth Green acting with puppets is a joy to behold. Too bad the network mishandled things and it only lasted one year.

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S is for Seeed

I found this talented gang thanks to my partner discovering German solo artist Peter Fox. This dynamo sings lead on a lot of Seeed’s songs. And no, the extra E is not a typo, by the way. Their offbeat material is a real treat and makes for a great workout play-list. I hope other club members don't mind me dancing a little. ~grin~ Expect irreverent lyrics and a great reggae beat. Yes. German reggae. Sung in English. Amazing stuff.


My mock group bears the name Papercut, though their music is not nearly so annoying. I’ve decided they have a female drummer who could hold her own with Godsmack’s talented guy Shannon Larkin. I guess his unlikely first name inspired me to imagine this drummer female.

Um... I'm a goofball. Thank you, Liz A. for pointing out that I somehow used the letter P for my phony group. How about Shannon's Papercut? ~grin~ Guess I was daydreaming when I posted this.

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R is for Rollins Band

Front man Henry Rollins is perhaps better known for his television and movie appearances than his music. I appreciate his take on both, though I only have two Rollins Band songs thanks to still more movie soundtracks (1994's "The Crow" is a particularly favorite film with awesome music all around). If you get the chance, I advise seeing his live talk shows. The man is a notable writer and speaker.


Today, as well, please enjoy the musical stylings of my mock band Robot Monkeys. Finger Eleven inspired this by their original name, The Rainbow Butt Monkeys. That still cracks up the juvenile boy in me. And Finger Eleven is a fun live act. But there I go, cheating again. I didn’t mean to do a double post.

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Q is for Q Lazzarus & Garvey

Honestly I planned to write about Queens of the Stone Age. Yet I found myself drawn to Q Lazzarus & Garvey for the tune “Goodbye, Horses” that I enjoy from the “Clerks II” movie soundtrack. Ironically, my only two Queens of the Stone Age songs are also on yet two more soundtracks. I hope this post doesn’t seem like cheating. ~grin~ Both are worth a listen, though very different in sound.


For my mock band, let’s hear from Question Authority. I like to think they would be appropriate as openers for Stone Sour. Corey Taylor's penchant for on-stage political rhetoric fits with the moniker, for sure.

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P is for Podunk

A decade or so ago I attended a show with some friends when these Texas natives opened the venue. I cannot recall who we went to see, though Alabama is the name that comes to mind. Anyway, I bought Podunk’s self titled album right away as well as subsequent recordings. They have uplifting yet bittersweet music much like the great band Tesla.


Today’s made up band goes by the stingingly rude moniker Pepper Spray. They won’t make you tear up, though, unless you perhaps get injured thrashing around in the mosh pit in front of their hard rocking stage. I’m thinking of the real group Mindless Self Indulgence here. MSI's James Euringer (AKA Jimmy Urine) is entertainingly rude to his own audience. It’s a hoot, and The Birthday Massacre (see the letter B) opened for them, my initial introduction to that group. ~grin~ I can't help bringing up some of these fun bands more than once.

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O is for Otep

Otep is a wonderful addition to my relatively small collection of female singers' albums. Songstress Otep Shamaya will raise the hair on the back of your neck with lyrics spotlighting survivors of domestic violence. And she can scream and growl as wonderfully well as Avenged Sevenfold’s M. Shadows’ early recordings showcase. I own Otep's entire catalog.


Origin Story is my fake band. I want to front this one and tell the world all about how to be yourself just like Marilyn Manson with his confrontational yet inspiring (if you really listen) lyrics. Go MM! ~snicker~ Sorry. Just had to work them into this...

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N is for the New York Dolls

If you want to discuss glam rock you can’t ignore the New York Dolls. Their proto-punk sound is a little too fast paced for me, but I am still glad I own the debut album that Wikipedia describes as one of the most popular cult records in rock. Amusingly, front man David Johansen portrayed the ghost of Christmas past in 1988’s “Scrooged” with Bill Murray.


By contrast, I made up the band name Nerve for the letter N. Imagine with me a band displaying Trent Reznor’s Nine Inch Nails “Downward Spiral” sensibility with a slightly less industrial sound but similar moodiness. Would you check them out?

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