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!
It’s Groundhog’s Eve! If you’re looking for something to do, Banned Rehearsal (a band with one of my favorite names of all time and of which I am a member) has a rare public performance tonight at Gallery 1412. This free-improv group has been around since 1984 and records every session. Tonight we will play and record sessions 999 and 1000. Details here. I like these band names, too:
That heartstopping moment when you can’t remember how to get out of the haunted mausoleum.
When the situation demands that you up your swearing game.
Probably a duo, but could be a solo act or even an empty stage. Humorously enough, there are at least three bands using this name. I think I found the right one … and it’s a four-piece.
The days are getting longer, but it seems darker. The miles-thick cloud layer probably has something to do with that.
The bright half of the year seems fictional at this point. We gotta believe.
Shameless self-promotion: More important than a football game or Groundhog Day, February 2 is the release day for SHOUT: An Anthology of Resistance Poetry and Short Fiction. Twenty-five writers (including me) on the theme of resisting fascism/authoritarianism/nationalism. My story “Emma’s Knives” uses recipes as vehicles for coded messages of encouragement and instruction from grandmother to granddaughter in oppressed circumstances. Read my advance review here.
One last thing before you go: I share highlights from this blog in my quarterly author newsletter, The Storypunk Report, as well as news of what I’m writing and reading, upcoming events, and other goodies, including “Wizard in the Mosh Pit,” an exclusive short story just for subscribers. Click the link to check out the first five issues and subscribe here for future issues. (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)
Karen Eisenbrey 