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 and The Stranger nightlife listings for abundant source material!I

With May having been more like Big April than Little July and June promising more of the same (known in these parts as Junuary), every remotely nice day is like the rarest of gifts. Enjoy the sunshine when you can get it, but don’t forget the sunscreen! And when the rain inevitably starts, go inside and hear a band with a great name.

If you are able, please buy these bands’ music and merch to encourage them as we look forward to less interesting times. And … hit the follow button at the lower right to never miss a post!

Boot Juice
Keeping fruit in your shoes is not recommended.

Juicebumps
Bubblewrap meets Capri Sun in a new middle-grade horror series.

Fog Holler
An eerie cry from out of the mist.

Sun Crow
Crows look black to us, but to each other, they shine with colors and patterns we can’t perceive.

Wanderers by Trade
Wandering doesn’t sound like a solid career choice, but then I think of the questing adventurers in the fantasy fiction I read and write. They seem to get along just fine.

Shameless Self-promotion Department: My friend and fellow author LeeAnn McLennan and I brought our fictional teen superheroes together in Far from Normal, a Rage Brigade & Supernormal Team-up . The novella is available in ebook form and in weekly serialized episodes right here on my blog. Read Episode 1 here. Hit the follow button and never miss an episode!

Two last things before you go:

1. I run 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 archive and subscribe here for future issues. (Or just follow the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)