Christmas has carols and Easter has hymnals, yet Thanksgiving, our tastiest holiday, has always been a conspicuously tuneless time of the year. So just in time for Turkey Day, here’s North by Northwestern’s list of musicians with some of the most mouthwatering monikers out there, so that you can dance as you dine on everything from potatoes to pumpkin pie.
Gravy Train!!!!
Give thanks with the snack and sex-obsessed Gravy Train!!!!, who will undoubtedly bring some dirty, dirty dancing to your dining table with hits like “You Made Me Gay” and “Hella Nervous.” Composed of members Chunx, Hunx, Funx and Junx, this gluttonous, glam electro-trash group, with their gutter butters and burger babies, will get you in the spirit of Thanksgiving, since “everything I eat is fried” and they’re just “starving motherfuckers who want much bigger thighs.”
The Cranberries
The undisputable star of the side-dishes, the Cranberries are a 90s staple filled with lots of angst and anger à la Alanis Morissette in her Jagged Little Pill days. However, these Irish imports have some of definitive alt-rock classics like “Zombie” and “Linger” in their repertoire and a damn tasty name to boot. Our advice? Start spinning “Salvation,” have a swig of some strong scotch and snarf down the rest of that scrumptious sweet potato pie.
Gobble Gobble
Now known by the much blander name of Born Gold, these glitchy Canadian electro-rockers still have some great releases under their former “nom” de plume that almost makes you think that they’re making pop from another planet. Spazzy, spurtive and somewhat surreal, Gobble Gobble puts out some of the catchiest, most chaotic futurepop out there, so trade your stuffing for synths and get ready to headbob along over your green beans and gravy.
Heavy Vegetable
The original project of Pinback co-founder Rob Crow, Heavy Vegetable features some of the most original and creative musical arrangements of the 90s prog rock scene. With a sound that could be described as math rock with a mohawk, this prog-punk band takes cues from the likes of Archers of Loaf and Captain Beefheart (two other tasty-sounding bands) to serve up some of the most rhythmically complex riffs you’ll encounter over your Thanksgiving roast.
The Smashing Pumpkins
Finally, save some room for Chicago hometown heroes, The Smashing Pumpkins - known best for their grunge-infused sound, hits like “1979” and “Tonight, Tonight” and for being one of Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s favorite bands. One of the most prolific alt-rock bands of the last two decades, expect plenty of Billy Corgan and bummed out vibes to accompany your biscuits and cornbread if you include them on your Thanksgiving playlist.