#1689170 - 02/12/06 04:06 PM
How did your band pick its name?
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NoahZark
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Registered: 11/06/05
Posts: 1623
Loc: Maryland, USA
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Hey, everyone:
I just formed a new four-piece group, focusing mainly on classic and modern rock covers, but the band is struggling to think up a name. As is evidenced by the fact that we're a cover band, the creativity factor isn't exactly off the charts among the four members.
I'm curious what the PROCESS was for you guys to come up with your band's name. I'm hoping that understanding how others came up with their names will help us get some inspiration.  And it's gotta be better than those random band name generator sites that you can find online.
Thanks,
Noah
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#1689171 - 02/12/06 08:39 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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RicBassGuy
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 02/02/05
Posts: 3833
Loc: Metro Detroit, MI
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Here's a recent discussion on band names: click me
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#1689172 - 02/15/06 12:13 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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Geekgurl
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Registered: 08/17/03
Posts: 1234
Loc: near San Francisco
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Well, my band name is kinda lame creatively speaking: It's the last two names of the band leaders, myself and the guitarist.
Then again, we're a latin jazz-fusion type band doing originals, so the music is really the focus more than a party vibe. We don't have to stand out from a pack of other bands playing the same songs: our value-add is ourselves. But I think for cover bands you have to go the extra mile and have a good band name -- Something fun and suggestive of a party, something to make you stand out from other bands and indicate what your sound is.
I was in a cover band once, and the process (I use this term loosely) we used was, look at our set list and evaluate the energy/style of music we have predominantly; articulate the level of polish/image we want to portray (eg, bar band, or corporate/wedding band? Crazy and out there in some way, or inoffensive and all-access?). Then we set about brainstorming.
We ended up with the name Swing Set. We did a large variety of music mostly for corp., weddings, private parties. Danceable, plus instrumental jazz set if needed. So it worked for us.
Some other people with creative names in Keyboard Corner, where I mainly hang out here: That 70's Band (obvious repertoire), Soulercoaster (along same lines) ... then there are tribute bands whose names echo something about the artist mimicked.
Some thoughts to get you started ...
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#1689173 - 02/15/06 12:57 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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Jeff Klopmeyer
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Registered: 10/13/00
Posts: 16924
Loc: Redondo Beach,CA,UNITED STATES
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How we picked our band name
We knew we needed a new name... none of us were happy with the old name, and we'd done a personnel switch that left us feeling weird about continuing under the same moniker.
So, we left rehearsal one night with an assignment: come in next week with 3-5 names to put into the hat. Well, we all did that, and (of course), none of us liked any of the names. So while we sat around debating that, we started tossing out random terms. I'm not sure which of us noticed the bottle of laundry detergent that was sitting there, but someone called out a word they'd read on the label, and while none of us were in love with the name, no one could suggest anything better.
And that, kids, is how we became...
- Jeff
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#1689174 - 02/15/06 03:20 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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EddiePlaysBass
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Registered: 06/24/04
Posts: 2715
Loc: Belgium
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Brace yourselves ... My first ever (short-lived) band was called The Bad Haircuts. If you go to my site and then the "previous bands" page, you'll find out why 
Ironically, my current band is sort of a continuation of that band. Only now we have a drummer, and one of the guitar players and the singer have quit. We are called HBC, which in itself is bad enough, but it's an acronym of Hamse Bier Crew, which stands for "the Beer Crew from Ham" (Ham being where we live).
Adding insult to injury, when the three of us decided to make wonderful music, we started under the moniker StudentChickenToilet (I kid you not) because I was a student, our drummer worked in some factory that processed chickens, and our singer ... well, let's not go there
For the record, we play covers :p
_________________________
http://www.myspace.com/thedapperdansAfter the various bands you've been in, and the headaches you've seen, you figure having TWO bands at once will be better? - Tom Capasso
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#1689175 - 02/15/06 07:35 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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jay da cop
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Registered: 01/01/01
Posts: 543
Loc: Waldoboro, Maine
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My current band is known as "Just The Band", reason being that since we are a Christian Rock band, the focus is not on us, but on Christ, so that makes us "just the band". Get it?
We have, in previous projects, brainstormed names, and did a Google search (or Library of Congress when I lived in Baltimore) for previous (trademarked) bands with the same name, threw those out, then kept going til we agreed on something that "fit".
Jay
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#1689176 - 02/15/06 09:15 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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NoahZark
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Registered: 11/06/05
Posts: 1623
Loc: Maryland, USA
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Thanks for your thoughts everyone.
I appreciate it.
Noah
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#1689179 - 02/16/06 02:47 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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NoahZark
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Registered: 11/06/05
Posts: 1623
Loc: Maryland, USA
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Lee:
Our set list is still under construction, but here's the stuff we've put together so far:
Can't You See -- Marshall Tucker Band
The Weight -- The Band
Don't Do It -- The Band
Sympathy for the Devil -- Rolling Stones
American Girl -- Tom Petty
Hook -- Blues Traveler
Travelin' Band -- Creedence Clearwater Revival
Biko -- Peter Gabriel
Dear Mr. Fantasy -- Traffic
Like a Hurricane -- Neil Young
Badge -- Cream
Simple Man -- Lynyrd Skynyrd
Jesus Just Left Chicago -- ZZ Top
Statesboro Blues -- Allman Brothers
Feeling That Way -- Journey
Noah
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#1689180 - 02/16/06 06:10 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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Trucks
MP Hall of Fame Member
Registered: 02/04/06
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Loc: the united britain great kingd...
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Alot of those artists names are related to movement in some way, even less obviously Lynyrd Skynyrd for some reason reminds me of cars....
Maybe it could be a name related in some way to wandering or travelling or freedom with a kind of bluesy feel on top... that kinda thing... i dunno, its a tough one!
_________________________
"do I see a vacuum there, or am I b-goin' blind.."
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#1689181 - 02/17/06 10:38 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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NoahZark
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Registered: 11/06/05
Posts: 1623
Loc: Maryland, USA
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lee83:
Interestingly, I toyed with the name "The Vagabonds" (which ties right into your wandering/travelling/freedom idea). Alas, it's taken.
I'll keep thinking though.
Thanks again.
Noah
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#1689183 - 02/18/06 10:01 AM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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PBBPaul
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Registered: 07/31/02
Posts: 2949
Loc: Wonderful World of Cheese - Wi...
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One of the first songs my band played was Sonny Boy Williamson's "Pontiac Blues". It turned out that the harp player had a restored '71 Firebird, the bass player had a '74 Firebird in mid-restoration, the drummer had previously owned a '65 Catalina and I had owned a '74 LeMans. What other name could there be?
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#1689184 - 02/18/06 08:22 PM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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David R
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Registered: 05/30/03
Posts: 705
Loc: Montreal, QC
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I rather unilaterally chose the name for the jazz trio I'm involved with - Indigone Trio. I drew it from the last line of Tom Robbins' novel Jitterbug Perfume. It initially started as a quartet with a tenor saxophonist, and it was just called Indigone. When the group got pared down to a trio I just added the suffix so people knew.
David
_________________________
MySpace | My Blog "Speak up & be true or shut up & go to bed." Kerouac
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#1689185 - 02/19/06 07:20 AM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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Bosendorphin
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Registered: 06/18/05
Posts: 259
Loc: Maryland, USA
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Originally posted by NoahZark:
I'm curious what the PROCESS was for you guys to come up with your band's name. I'm hoping that understanding how others came up with their names will help us get some inspiration.
For my band we wanted a English proggy sounding name and a friend of mine was finding names for their baby and had a book on names and their etymological origins. For fun I looked up my name and found the olde English origin of it (Aethellis-worth, meaning owner of a noble estate) and used that as it sounded atypical. And rather spiffo-keen, too.
So check out some books on the etymology of names sometime if you are stuck!
_________________________
"I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer!" - Richard Strauss
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#1689186 - 02/19/06 09:49 AM
Re: How did your band pick its name?
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Trill
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Registered: 04/09/05
Posts: 1283
Loc: Southwestern Ohio
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We are a cover dance band, the origianl band the drummer was from split and he kept the name the Upbeats. The new band thought it was hokey, We are starting to venture into jazz and we liked the drummers name which is like two first names, So we just called ourselves The Paul Michael Band. The Paul Michael Band
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