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 nightlife listings for abundant source material!

(Until live music returns, I am curating retrospective posts from past material. Dates indicate when the band was originally featured.)

SQUARE PIG IN A ROUND HOLE PANDEMIC EDITION #50

 

I’ll open with a little shameless self-promotion: Death’s Midwife (Daughter of Magic Book 3) releases March 23 and is now on pre-order! You can find all the details here. This book had an unusually long gestation even for me. It benefited from the extra years, but I am thrilled to see it finally getting into the world.

On to the band names! This is the final installment in my celebration of classic X and the Y band-name structure (though I will always be on the lookout for more when live music returns). As ever, wash your hands, wear your mask, and if you are able, please buy these bands’ music and merch while we wait for a better day.

Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdad
(July 6, 2019) This one appeals to my lifelong fondness for the word “crawdad” and I’m glad it is okay. Extra points for using classic X and the Y structure for an “occasional one-man band.”

Sweet Talkin’ Jones and the Muscletones
(February 23, 2013) I try not to play favorites, but this is my favorite [that week. –ed]. It has the classic X and the Y structure, and it takes the “-tones” trope in a punning direction. And it rhymes. (Broad hint).

Supply and the Man
(January 21, 2012) This one gets my attention for a bunch of reasons. It uses the classic “X and the Y” formula; it features a clever play on a familiar phrase that’s easy to miss unless you say it aloud; and it makes mention of “the Man,” that powerful figure to whom rock & roll wishes to stick it. Well done.

Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats
(October 4, 2014) Classic X and the Y structure, with a psychedelic twist and a neat double meaning in the band’s name.

Wally and the Beaves
(November 16, 2013) This one combines classic X and the Y format with over-the-top nostalgia. Unless it’s nostalgia for nostalgia (always a possibility), these people must be even older than me.

Two last things before you go:

1. My new thing in 2021 is The Rage Brigade, a Facebook group for conversation about fantasy, science fiction, superheroes, and music (and the intersections thereof). If that sounds like fun, come join us here.
2. 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 nine issues and subscribe here for future issues. (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)