Sporting what ranks among rock & roll’s most unfortunate monikers, the punk-tinged power-pop outfit Techno-Squid Eats Parliament secured a short-lived deal with the relaunched Ardent Records during the mid-’90s. Although a few reviewers offered positive notices, the group’s identity rested almost entirely on its self-titled 1995 debut, among the earliest CDs to include a CD-ROM portion. Public notice arose not from innovative multimedia but from a manufacturing flaw: the disc’s indexing had been assembled out of sequence, prompting ordinary CD players to access the data segment and destroy loudspeakers. After the resulting minor uproar in the music press—the sole circle that may have encountered the band—Techno-Squid Eats Parliament faded from view. Additional setbacks followed. Retail bins misplaced the album because the group’s name suggested an electronica release, landing it in the “techno” section. While touring, intruders broke into the band’s van, absconding with gear and cash and nearly driving off with the vehicle itself. In response, a benefit show took place in the musicians’ hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas, featuring Marigold, Ho-Hum, and Stink Horn. Since that episode the ensemble has maintained a low profile, performing only locally.
