Square Pig in a Round Hole-March 10, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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!

PSA: It’s TIME CHANGE NIGHT! If you’re still analog enough to rely on a clock you have to set, remember to “spring ahead” one hour so you won’t be late for church!!! We will be making an early night of it for this very reason. If you don’t have to get up in the morning, by all means go out and support your local bar band. If you’re still up at 2 am, you can watch DST begin. I’ve heard it’s an unforgettable experience.

The Lone Bellow

This can be a complete sentence about a solitary subject and their loud utterance; or a description of a loud utterance in isolation; or the title of a work about a decrepit organ in its last gasp.

Opposite Armor

After the battle, trade uniforms and go home friends.

Pairanoiseum

When single-celled animals collide with a sense that everyone’s out to get you, you get NOISE. And of course, it’s a two-piece.

Trash Panda

The humor and aptness of the words make this a memorable insult for Starlord to throw at Rocket. Rhythm, repeated vowel sounds, and percussive consonants that crash and thump make it a perfect band name.

The What For

When you’re getting a stern lecture but don’t know why.

Shameless Self Promotion: In case you didn’t know, I write about a lot more than band names! My young adult wizard fantasy novel Daughter of Magic releases May 22, 2018 from Not a Pipe Publishing. As part of the Year of Publishing Women, in 2018 Not a Pipe is publishing nine books by seven women; I’m honored to be one of them.

 

 

Review: The Supernormal Legacy: Book 1 Dormant

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DormantThe Supernormal Legacy: Book 1 Dormant by LeeAnn McLennan (Not a Pipe Publishing, February 2018)

I was predisposed to like this story of a reluctant teen superhero in the Pacific Northwest; it’s my sub-sub-genre, too. McLennan delivers the goods with a relatable young protagonist in a recognizable real-life setting. Dormant provides a nice twist on the origin story, too: rather than being surprised by the sudden advent of powers, Olivia has known about them her whole life and doesn’t want them.

Who wouldn’t want superpowers? But 14-year-old Olivia has good reason. Descended from a long line of “supernormals,” as a child she witnessed her mother’s death in action and blames herself. She rejected her powers and that side of her family, suppressing abilities that should have manifested when she was 13. When a bank robbery compels her to use her abilities, Olivia is drawn back to the “family business” and begins training with her cousins to learn to control her powers and help protect the city of Portland from supernormal bad guys and monsters. (I really loved that her superteam is a group of cousins, a special kind of friend-relative that everyone should have a bunch of to grow up with.) When more than one local landmark is violently destroyed in her presence, Olivia and her family begin to wonder if she’s turning into a villain herself, unconsciously using powers when upset or angry. Meanwhile, she’s trying to keep up her old normal life of school, friends, and boyfriend while avoiding a mean girl who has it in for her; but the universe—and her aunt and uncles—have other ideas. Plenty of action–and humor–keep this from devolving into an angsty-teen emo-fest.

For someone who spends most of the book rejecting or suppressing her powers, Olivia takes great delight in using them. She knows deep down that this is who she is and what she does. I especially liked those scenes, which showed she was still capable of joy. Although she had good reason for turning away from that identity, embracing it seems like her one hope for healing from her early trauma. By the end of Book 1, she has endured more than one tragedy, but has excellent motivation for training and using her abilities. Book 2, Root, comes out in June. Read Book 1 now so you’re ready.

Square Pig in a Round Hole-March 3, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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 has been a busy musical and literary week here at Square Pig HQ: spouse’s piano recital last Saturday, memorial reading for Ursula LeGuin on Sunday, free improvisation on Monday, writing group on Tuesday, last-minute rock & roll trouperism at the Skylark on Thursday, Seattle Composers Salon on Friday. It’s like I have a life, in spite of appearances. And I’ve earned a Saturday at home. If you have something left in the tank, consider going out and appreciating a well-named band; perhaps one of these:

Bigger Than Mountains

Oceans. Planets. The sky.

Brianna Skye & the Dark Clouds

I’m a perennial fan of classic X and the Y structure, especially when there’s clever or poetic connection between the name of the band leader and the name of the band. By happy coincidence, my garage-rock fairy tale The Gospel According to St Rage includes an important character named Storm Skye. I wonder if they’re related.

DANGG

A mild swear powered up with a touch of reverb.

Good Old War

Nostalgia is strange. “…wars and lechery, nothing else holds fashion.” (Troilus and Cressida, Wm. Shakespeare)

Riot at the Dojo

Over-the-top fight scene. Everyone bows at the end. (The resident young person was hoping for an exclamation point after “Riot.” You can’t always get what you want.)

Shameless Self Promotion: In case you didn’t know, I write about a lot more than band names! My young adult wizard fantasy novel Daughter of Magic releases May 22, 2018 from Not a Pipe Publishing. As part of the Year of Publishing Women, in 2018 Not a Pipe is publishing nine books by seven women; I’m honored to be one of them.

Square Pig in a Round Hole-February 24, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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!

OK, Winter, you’ve had your say. Having faith in Spring, I planted peas before the snow fell. I also believe in band names; they never fail to cheer me up, no matter the weather. These five warmed the end of a cold week:

Blacklite District

A different and groovier vibe than the other common ___-light district.

The Common Names

I’m a fan of shining a spotlight on the ordinary. In a humorous twist, they seem to be hiding behind a blank wall; they have no obvious web presence.

Icon for Hire

I like that it’s icon rather than hero. An icon is a window to inspiration and could go more than one way. Appropriately, this group is not hiding.

Mythical Vigilante

Who to call when you need to track down the villains of lore and legend.

The Square Feet

Another common concept in the spotlight, also with no obvious web presence. Although square feet might make it hard to dance, claiming squareness probably means you’re the opposite.

Shameless Self Promotion: In case you didn’t know, I write about a lot more than band names! My young adult wizard fantasy novel Daughter of Magic releases May 22, 2018 from Not a Pipe Publishing. As part of the Year of Publishing Women, in 2018 Not a Pipe is publishing nine books by seven women; I’m honored to be one of them.

Review: Shadow Girl

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Shadow GirlShadow Girl by Kate Ristau (Not a Pipe Publishing, February 2018)

I received an advance review ebook from the publisher.

This book begins in a strange place. No, literally, with main character Áine (pronounced ON-ya) crossing from the world she knows into the mysterious and dangerous Shadowlands. I didn’t know where I was or what was happening, but Ristau’s writing is so assured that I could relax and enjoy the ride.

In a neat reversal on the usual fairy story, Áine comes from the Aetherlands, a place of magic and immortality where Oberon and Titania are real, and her crossing brings her into 21st century Ireland, the land of her long-ago birth. She’s searching for answers about her parents and the traumatic events that led to her own disappearance from the human world. That part of the story is serious, sad, and scary. The mood is lightened by Hennessy, the human girl who attaches herself to Áine as sidekick, tour guide, friend, maybe more than friend. There’s a lot of humor to be had in the person-from-another-world plot, but it’s not overdone. The growing affection between the two girls is touching and real; they have chemistry, above and beyond their willingness to sacrifice for each other. This budding relationship is complicated by Áine’s loyalty and fondness for her childhood friend Ciaran, who makes his own dramatic entrance into the story.

Ristau writes dialogue without explicit dialect, yet I could hear the Irish in it. That’s a magic touch. She brings folklore to life in the experiences of a character who feels like a real person. Áine has magic, too, but it’s not reliable and she has to work at it, which adds to the suspense. I was not ready for the (cliffhanger) end to this book and look forward to the next exciting episode.

Available in Kindle, paperback, and hardcover here.

Review: Djinn

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Djinn+ebook+Cover+edit+3Djinn by Sang Kromah (Not a Pipe Publishing March 2018)

I received a review copy of the e-book from the publisher. It will be released March 20, 2018 and is available for pre-order now.

Djinn is a twisty page-turner about magic and identity, rooted in folklore but with a 21st century spin. The unfolding tale keeps the reader guessing right to the end.

Bijou Fitzroy just wants to fit in. She knows she’s different, perhaps mentally ill; she constantly shuffles cards to calm her nerves, she’s hypersensitive to the feelings of others, and her color-changing eyes seem to freak people out. She has no idea what’s wrong with her, and Gigi, the wealthy, uncannily young grandmother who raised her, isn’t telling. Home-schooled until the age of 16, everything she knows about high school comes from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So when she moves to the small town of Sykesville and enrolls in public school for the first time in her life, she hopes to make friends, go to parties, maybe have a boyfriend. She thinks her wish has come true when she meets Sebastian and Amina Sinjin, though she can’t tell what Sebastian is feeling. Her teacher Mr. Jennings has it in for her, and seems to think A Midsummer Night’s Dream is non-fiction. And what’s up with mean girl Mandy, who takes an immediate dislike to Bijou? Is she only jealous about Sebastian, or is something more going on?

When Bijou learns that local girls who share her birthdate have been disappearing, she can’t resist digging into the mystery. What she learns causes her to question everything she thought she knew about her family, her new friends, and most of all, herself. It’s possible she’s not only different; she may be the Chosen One. Who can she trust when no one is what they seem? What looks at first like petty teenage rivalry turns out to have earth-shattering stakes, and Bijou has to choose: escape to safety or risk everything to protect those she has come to care about.

Bijou’s story, like Buffy’s before her, applies a magnifier of myth and magic to typical adolescent issues of identity, belonging, and empowerment. Author Kromah widens the folklore scope to include African (specifically, Liberian) sources, enriching material that may be familiar to some readers and new to others. And this satisfying book’s ending is temptingly left open for sequels. More? Yes, please!

Available March 20, 2018. Order your copy from your favorite independent bookstore by asking for it at the front counter, or order it from one of these fine online booksellers:

Amazon: HERE

Kindle: HERE

Square Pig in a Round Hole-February 17, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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!

I’m too angry and sad about gun violence to come up with a lighthearted intro this week. Thankful the band names came through once again to lift weary spirits.

Are They Brothers

Worded, but not punctuated, like a question. As if someone already knows the answer.

Chance to Steal

Another sign of hope: spring training has begun.

Krunch Sauce & Kranky Nugs

Obscure bar snacks hiding the identities of musicians playing undercover.

Mostly Other People Do the Killing

Well, as long as it’s mostly other people, I guess we can sit back and enjoy the show. Ulp.

Night Lunch

I appreciate the subtle similarity of brownbagging it after dark to a spectacular space shot.

Square Pig in a Round Hole-February 10, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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!

I am amazed and grateful to be surrounded by so much creativity. Last night we enjoyed scenes from three new plays at Ghost Light Theatricals’ Battle of the Bards. I have the privilege of reading advance copies of the books my publisher (Not a Pipe Publishing) is bringing out this year. How’d I get into this club? It’s exciting and humbling at once. And then there are the band names, which just don’t quit.

Between Seasons

Sunny and nice today, rainy tomorrow with snow in the forecast. We’ve reached that point in February where it can’t decide whether it’s winter or spring.

Dirty Rugs

If you clean it, the cat will just barf on it again.

Long Day on Mars

Sometimes I suspect bands of picking a name just to get my attention. Did they know I have an unpublished SF novel on my hard drive that includes a chapter about 3 space travelers on Mars, trying to get from their crashed shuttle to the base 90 km away before their oxygen runs out? It takes them more than one long day.

Nocturnal Mayhem

Great when it’s onstage; not so much at your neighbor’s house.

Two Headed Crow

As if they weren’t intelligent enough with only one head.

Square Pig in a Round Hole-February 3, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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!

We went (by bus) last night to a concert at St. James Cathedral of a 14th century Mass, the first known setting by a named composer (Machaut). This was from back in the day when they were inventing the rules for music and notation. Seriously weird, cool stuff. But getting home at that hour (not even that late) by bus is complicated and time-consuming. After it was all over, I dreamed that one of the buses never came and we had to spend the night in a warehouse. It turned out to be full of drum sets, but then the ceiling collapsed, revealing even more drum sets in the attic. Clearly not a safe place to be sleeping, but visually quite cool. Then a giant (empty) cymbal bag floated down on top of me. I’d like to hear or even play a 6-foot diameter cymbal but it’s more interesting to imagine than actually deal with. I wish you simple, reliable transport if you go out to hear a band this weekend; maybe one of these:

Cumulus

I’ve actually heard this band live, so it comes as something of a surprise that I hadn’t featured them before. A massive pile of matter that yet floats in the air, altogether real but you can’t hold it.

Death by Overkill

Exaggeration wrapped in hyperbole. What a way to go.

Howling Gods

Deities lifting their voices dyslexically to the noom.

Mega Bog

Super-powered swamp creature rises from the undrained morass to save us from the real monsters.

These Fine Moments

What a good life is made of if you’re paying attention.

Square Pig in a Round Hole-January 27, 2018

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Square PigNaming 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!

Some weeks, it’s a struggle to find five band names I want to write about; other weeks, the riches overflow. This was one of the latter type, with enough outstanding names for a post on Friday alone. I looked through the whole week of listings to be sure I chose the best. My search reaped this generous harvest:

Dismal Thinkings

I read “thinkings” as the intersection of thoughts and feelings, which can certainly take a dismal turn on a gray day in January.

Fossil Youth

Either old before one’s time or preserved in an immature state.

Green Milk from the Planet Orange

Delivered fresh daily by Luke Skywalker.

The Hollerables

When your indoor voice just won’t cut it.

Unbiblical Chords

A typo or mispronunciation turns our first source of nourishment into the devil’s music. I chose this one even before I did a double-take and saw the joke.