Naming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Square Pig in a Round Hole exists to reward five favorite band names each week. Winners are (usually) listed alphabetically.

Selection is wholly unscientific and subject to whim, with a bias toward wordplay, humor, and local flavor. In most cases, I won’t know anything about the bands at the time of selection. Thanks to the Seattle Times club listings for abundant source material!

This is the first weekend this month with no commitments on the calendar. In spite of thin listings, there are plenty of appealing shows we could go to, but staying in is the most appealing activity of all. And since I’ve managed to catch a cold for Christmas, that is what we’ll do. If you’re looking for ideas, those thin listings yielded these precious gifts:

East of Friday

From the moment I had a concept of calendar time, I have pictured weeks, months, and years as a kind of map or game board with a definite directional aspect. If you head east from Friday, do you arrive at Saturday or Thursday? I say Thursday.

Heck Yes

Emphatically positive and keepin’ it clean.

Jaws Was Real

Jaws traumatized me when I saw it in the theater at the tender age of 11. I didn’t see it again until my late 30s when I watched it on the small screen with my kid (probably also 11-ish). He was not scared and I laughed so hard at the obvious fakery.

Oh Nothing

As a response to the question “What are you thinking about?” “Oh, nothing” is as likely as not to be true.

Petty or Not

Part of the fun of starting a tribute band must be coming up with a clever name. This one is a two-fer, with both wordplay and a sly indication that this is a tribute to Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac.

One last thing before you go: Through December 31, I am participating in an authors’ “newsletter hop.” Subscribe to newsletters and answer trivia questions for a chance to win prize bundles of multiple books and stories, including my fantasy novels Daughter of Magic and Wizard Girl. If you want to play, go to my Facebook page for details.

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