What I've learned:
Pick something that sounds familiar.
Pick something that sounds specific.
Pick something that matches your genre.
Don't pick something ambigous, iffy, confusing, or long.
My band's name - I wish I'd thought of it, but didn't - is Five Star Loser, and I think it's a great name because it's a pop punk band and, well, it's a pop punk sounding name.
The Five Star part is great because anytime we drive by a building that says "Five Star Mattress COmpany" or a van that says "Five Star Painting and Lawn Care", we all jump out, pose, and snap a picture, and there ya go - instant goofy band pic. It's a term everyone's hear of.
The Loser part - well, it's self explanatory....We're a bunch of 3-chord-punk-rock losers.
Names I don't like - Sounds of Time. Noise Machine. Away Place. Side Thought. Truth Unknown. These are all kind of wishy washy. Maybe good for a new age group?? Dunno.
Regarding complexity - steer clear. I went to see a show once with 5 bands. One was on stage and they kept saying their name between songs and we were trying to catch it. I leaned over to my drummer and said,
"Hey what did he say they were called?"
"I think he said Geranium Plant."
"Huh? I thought he said Auditorium Planet."
"Oh, yeah, maybe..."
"Wait," says my guitarist, "I thought it was Automatic Parent."
We were stumped.
So we listened to Geranium Parent, or whatever, for a while and they were a decent rock band. Finally I noticed a poster nearby that said their realy name.
Auditory Implant.
Sure it's a cool name, but not necessarily a good one! Too far out. Big words are a mouthful. Maybe better to save those for a funk project or something.
Bottom line: Simple, familiar, and following the grain of the genre = a good thing, in my opinion.
Let us know what you choose!
