Few local bands are more of a riot on stage than the Hounds of the Wild Hunt (formerly and infamously known as the Whore Moans). The Hounds have a wickedly turbulent energy that always translates to a great time.When it comes to the holidays, though, things aren’t so joyful.”Last year, Christmas trees sparked 255 fires in North Carolina,” stated the Hounds in a recent email. “House fires are 14 percent more likely to happen during the holidays and 30 percent more likely to result in deaths.”Further, the band’s collective favorite Christmas song is not warm and fuzzy and does not involve silver bells or chestnuts roasting on any fires. It’s the Sonics’ “Don’t Believe in Christmas,” the 60s Tacoma garage quintet’s dour holiday complaint. (Sample lyrics: Well sure enough, don’t you know/ The fat boy didn’t show/ I don’t believe in Christmas/ ‘Cause I didn’t get nothing last year/ Well I tried to get a little kiss/ From a pretty little miss/ She slapped me down and said, “you jerk/ Mistletoe doesn’t work”). They’ve got one more favorite; it’s also local, but it’s also lacking in Yuletide cheer.At least the Sonics song is upbeat. The Murder City Devils’ incredibly lugubrious “364 Days,” off 2001’s Thelema EP, is not a song to be listened to alone while drinking your holiday blues away. Sample lyrics: St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas, at the North Pole/ 364 days spent all alone/ Take off your boots, pour a drink/ Try not to cry, try not to think. Don’t do it. Put on some Mariah, suck on a candy cane, and cheer up.You can attempt to spread your own holiday cheer to the Hounds of the Wild Hunt at the Sunset Tavern this Saturday, December 18. Thee Emergency, Strong Killings, and Thomas Hunter will open.