Techno-Squid Eats Parliament

Sporting one of the worst band names in the history of rock & roll, Techno-Squid Eats Parliament was a punk-tinged power-pop band that was briefly signed to the revived Ardent Records in the mid-'90s. Though a handful of critics praised the band, they were primarily known for their eponymous 1995 debut album, which was one of the first CDs to boast a CD-ROM section. The attention didn't arrive because the multi-media content was ground-breaking -- it was because it was faulty and damaging. The indexing on the disc was ill-sequenced, causing the CD player to read the CD-ROM section and blow out the speakers. Following a minor controversy in the music press, who were the only people to have (maybe) heard of the band anyway, Techno-Squid Eats Parliament disappeared. But that wasn't the end of their troubles. Not only was their album lost in the stores, since the group's name was misleading and caused it to be filed under "techno," but while they were on tour, the band's van was broken into. The thieves stole all of the equipment and money from the van, and tried to take the vehicle itself. A charity concert for Techno-Squid Eats Parliament was held in their hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, where bands like Marigold, Ho-Hum and Stink Horn attempted to raise money for the group. Since that incident, the band has been quiet, just playing local venues.