origins

when did astron begin?
astron was formed on the night of a lunar eclipse, which coincided with the appearance of the comet hayakutake [image | info | bad poetry], also known as the comet big loud fun. this was taken by the not-quite-yet-members-of-astron as an omen from the demonic rock gods of the universe.
why did astron happen?

the founding was orchestrated by charger and chris, who having recently experienced the demise of their previous band, permagrin, were bored off their asses. then, sitting in the backyard of charger's house on the edge of the western united states, watching hayakutake carve a great slice from the night sky, both boys heard a distinct voice, which said, "incorporate the pigs." charger and chris both took this to mean that their next venture should incorporate the stringed-instrument members of the whistle pigs, another fine santa cruz band that was currently in a state of flux.

the whistle pigs consisted of danny, ryan, and paulie, and they were heavy and funky, powered by monster riffs, detuned guitars, and danny's distinctive voice. ex-permagrin and ex-whistle pigs met in a dark practice space for the first time, and the music flowed like the seas around the cape of good hope.
how did astron get that name?
at first, the band was called mammoth. after a few weeks, it was determined that this name was too prevalent in common terminology. searching the dictionary, soon-to-be-but-not-quite-yet astron members discovered the dictionary's use of astron. as an abbreviation to describe an astronomical term. and thus was astron named, and there was much rejoicing.
a quasi-scientific description of the astron process

the music from astron enters the ear canal and continues on to vibrate the eardrum. from there it transmits these vibrations to the three small bones of the middle ear: the malleus, the incus, and the stapes. then it travels through the nervous system to reach the outer cerebellum and to the innermost core of the brain. (true fans will note that all astron nervous system communications occur at light speed.) here the music from astron finds the little gnome. it then makes friends with the gnome, bathes and grooms it, prepares a nice supper for it, and eats it.