I have thought a lot about band names this week. I think it was brought on by Lana Gay, having done a show about choosing a name with Laura Smith, who is trying to some up with a name for her new project. I have passed listening to many a band because of their name. I have often regretted this and have thought about the judgments I make about theses names. When a name sounds deliberately chosen I can be quite harsh and it all has to do with the connotative meaning of the words, individually and together. This takes me right back to my high school IB English class where analyzing poetry was a staple of the curriculum. Every words meaning was considered from the meaning in evoked and I got really into it. Now I think I go a little too far with this when it comes to band names. Like You Say Party! We Say Die! I envisioned heavy death metal that was depressing. Though I’m not sure I thought I would understand the lyrics. The meaning I assigned was so very different from the witty sarcastic meaning to the name I have come to understand after listening to their music. Any really, XXXX – I totally thought it was derogatory… but when I figured it out after my first listen to the record I was kicking myself. In the case of band names, thinking about it too much is over rated. I there for have a new mantra, like ‘don’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a band by their name.” That said, the word wassabi makes me think of the crazy hot sinus pain that occurs when I eat too much of it, up it’s a rush that I enjoy and is a bit addictive. Wassabi Collective’s name was intriguing to me, a quality in a name I respond to, and their music does the same. Take a listen and don’t miss the opportunity see them play Feb. 19, 2010 at Habitat.