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!

And now we emerge, squinting, into a bright new year; hoping for the best, fearing the worst. What can we rely on to lift our spirits? Band names, that’s what. Out of this week’s abundance, I mined these five gems:

Dot Comet

I’m a sucker for a name that starts out one way, then makes a quick turn into something else. As a bonus, this one gives me an excuse to trot out an old family joke. “Look! Comet Kohoutek!” (You have to be a certain age to get that one.)

Fuss & Holler

I like the backwoods vibe. This could be a pair of strong verbs, a cleverly named duo, or (by sound, not spelling) a place to go flippercootin’.

mustrd.

I have to respect an abbreviation created by removing one vowel and adding a period so it isn’t actually shorter by character count.

Springtime Carnivore

Summer Cannibals

These two are playing on the same night but not on the same bill. I can’t help thinking the former becomes the latter at the summer solstice; probably safest to hear them in January.

Square Pig News: I’m newly on Twitter! I’m not really sure what to do with it besides share each segment of the post as a tweet. We’ll see.