Band Names

Disclaimer – Any band from the past I happen to mention in this blog entry I have not researched to verify whether or not the bands are still performing on a regular basis. This is all just mere speculation on my part as to how far they may have fallen into obscurity.

Band Names
I think for most of my life I've been obsessed with band names. I enjoy thinking of band names or extracting them from simple everyday conversations. The process that bands go through to name themselves can be very easy or an extremely arduous task. Sometimes the process can be so stressful that it could put an inordinate amount of stress on the band and even create a rift among members of the band. To come up with that word or phrase that is permanently linked to the sound they collectively make and the collective personalities within the band. It's important, but why?

The importance of naming the band comes with the story or explanation behind the name. "Well our drummer was getting high watching The Family Guy – so now the band name is Stewie's Shitty Diaper." "We wanted to represent the plight of dessert makers everywhere in the world and give light to their cause in our name. We're called The Pudding Bandits." "We put a bunch of names in a hat and we picked one – we're called Hat Name." Whatever the significance of the name may be, the band feels an obligation to justify why they chose their name. It is the same for any naming exercise in life you have reasons, or a certain significance associated with naming your children, or the family pets.

Bands have been named after states, authors, books, literary characters, friends, family members, other band's songs, and named for personal anecdotes and stories. Some band names involve numbers, letters, and words in some combination, other band names are in a foreign language. Some band names incorporate the name of a key member of the band (main songwriter, lead vocalist, or lead guitarist). Some band names are simple and to the point and others can be long and complicated.

I've been in bands with stupid names and I've been in bands with great names. I've been in bands where I had input into the band name and I've been in bands where I had no input. I've been interested in bands based solely on their name and sometimes their music kept me interested, and in some instances their music turned me away. I think these days there are a lot of bands that are coming up with some really weird and in many cases really shitty names – the type of name where I have no interest in discovering anything more about the band. This got me to thinking why can't new bands take their names from old bands?

If the band is not currently using the name why not give someone else a shot at it? Think about the bands of the past they had such simple straightforward names like Boston, Kansas, Foreigner, and Foghat. Quick, easy, and to the point. And if Foghat is no longer using their name, why can't a new band use it? If the new band has a lot of people showing up to their shows expecting to hear Slow Ride, is that the new Foghat's fault? In this day and age of the Innanetz if you can't look up the band online and discover that it is not the original Slow Ride Foghat – then you share some of the responsibility in this Foghat faux pas. Same goes for Molly Hatchet, Foreigner, or say the Thompson Twins. If you don't do your research and realize that it is not the same Thompson Twins – the Thompson Twins where no band members were even related let alone twins – then that is your fault. Don't cry in your parachute pants when you don't hear Hold Me Now. Suck it up!

And what about those artists that felt they were too cool for their real names. Since Elton John is no longer using Reginald Kenneth Dwight, can't a band/artist use it for their name? Same goes for Bowie. He can no longer claim ownership of David Robert Jones so why not let a band/artist use it for their name? And don't get me started on John Mellencamp. Holy shit first he has to change it to John Cougar then he wants to be called John Cougar Mellencamp, and now he is back to John Mellencamp – somebody better be able to go back and claim John Cougar. What would Jack and Diane think? Same with artists that have a band name as their name even though in reality it is not really a band at all it is essentially the one person. Since Chan Marshall uses Cat Power can a band/artist claim Chan Marshall for their stage name?

I know there are laws, agreements, and contracts that dictate what is legal and illegal with regard to band names who can use what and claim ownership to this, that, and the other, but it seems like it would help the whole band naming process if bands could go back and claim some currently unused band names. Anyway here's a list of some of my favorite band names– in no particular order.

I Was Totally Destroying It

. . . And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead (they were not quite what I imagined they'd sound like – they're good, just not what I expected)

Roosevelt Franklin (hip hop duo named for the muppet recognized as the token black Sesame Street character)

Whiskeytown

Company Flow

The Psychedelic Furs

Soul Coughing

The New Pornographers

Nikki Meets the Hibachi

Uncle Tupelo