Band Name of the Week: Disgustitron

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.