Naming a band is an act of concentrated creative expression. Since 2010, Square Pig in a Round Hole has been rewarding 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 Stranger’s Everout nightlife listings for abundant source material!

With five Saturdays, May gives us a bonus batch of band names! And yet it still feels like the month flew by. I hope you got everything done that you planned on and are ready for June.

If you are able, please buy these bands’ music and merch. Also, check out the Battle of the Bands my pal Chantel is doing at The Swamp, picking new competitors each week from Square Pig. And … hit the subscribe button at the lower right to never miss a post.

Coool Babies
This name ably demonstrates why “cool” persists over the decades as a slang adjective: that extremely stretchy vowel sound. (They shared a bill with The Lovecats.)

Infected Rain
This is how you get a zombie apocalypse: catastrophic climate change meets uncontrolled pandemic. We are toast.

The Lovecats
While felines are often portrayed as solitary and aloof, some cats (like our two houseguests) are not only affectionate to their people, but also devoted to each other. (This band shared a bill with Coool Babies.)

Summer School
Whether you need to make up some credits or want to finish your degree more quickly, it’s probably time to enroll. At least it’s light late, so you won’t miss all the sunshine.

Televangelish
The perfect adjective for someone who comes across as a smarmy TV preacher.

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 monthly 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–June issue drops next Tuesday. (Or just subscribe to the blog for your weekly dose of band names.)