Secret for picking a band name.

[pepj]

It shouldn't be dorky or too serious either.
I generally think as long as I just dont have an opinion on it either way, its going to be usable

 

[pepj]

Back in the early 90s there was an originals band in the area called Kim Katz and the Last Uncle. I'd heard one of their songs and liked it.

I met Kim Katz a few weeks later as she was a friend of the owner of the used book store I sometimes worked at. I mentioned having heard one of her band's songs and liking it and the band's name, which I found quirky and memorable. She told me they were thinking of changing the name to Planet X. I thought that was about as generic as you can get, and I tactfully told her so, stressing that the Last Uncle was more memorable.

Anyway, they changed to Planet X. Didn't hear much more from them afterwards.

Whaaat.. Kim Katz and the Last Uncle is a great name.

 

[1999 Epi]

I, Must Dash
(mustache)

 

[SoCal80s]

Frankly, I don't think finding "the right name" is as crucial as it seems. First, the band makes the name cool, not the other way around. Second, many people get hung up trying to find a name that describes their sound. Well, your songs have more than one sound, don't they? So trying to find something that covers all those sounds is a fool's errand. But I can provide a few tips:
1. Shorter is better. Easier to fit on flyers and merchandise, easier to remember.
2. If it is a name/phrase commonly used for lots of things, it will be hard to find when someone searches online.
3. If it is hard to spell/easy to misspell, no one will find it online.
4. If another band has a similar name, people might find the other band and think they found you.
5. Settle for something that is good enough, and get to work on the music. That is where your energy is needed most.

 

[pLewis]

Frankly, I don't think finding "the right name" is as crucial as it seems. First, the band makes the name cool, not the other way around. Second, many people get hung up trying to find a name that describes their sound. Well, your songs have more than one sound, don't they? So trying to find something that covers all those sounds is a fool's errand. But I can provide a few tips:
1. Shorter is better. Easier to fit on flyers and merchandise, easier to remember.
2. If it is a name/phrase commonly used for lots of things, it will be hard to find when someone searches online.
3. If it is hard to spell/easy to misspell, no one will find it online.
4. If another band has a similar name, people might find the other band and think they found you.
5. Settle for something that is good enough, and get to work on the music. That is where your energy is needed most.

^^^^ it is clear, The name is important, but not as important as the music.

 

[51PRI]

Lynyrd Skynyrd got their name from one of their school teachers who, I think, they hated...Leonard Skinner.

 

[swink]

Use "The" with intelligence. If you put "The" in front of something it suddenly becomes interesting.
=> "Unspecified object" vs. "The unspecified object"

 

[Tom Bomb]

On the strength of that, you could go with The Definite Article, The Most Common Word, The Emphasis, The First Word, The Preposition, The One, The.
​

 

[1999 Epi]

Interior Motives

 

[Pontiac Thrasher]

Use "The" with intelligence. If you put "The" in front of something it suddenly becomes interesting.
=> "Unspecified object" vs. "The unspecified object"

 

[1999 Epi]

the Metro Gnomes

 

[Geogio]

Two Words:

1) The color of your underwear
2) The last thing you ate

Blue Tacos

Tartan Nachos?

Remember the band Blue Cheer? There was a local band I used to hang out with called "Blue Cheese"

 

[Michedelic]

Tartan Nachos?

Remember the band Blue Cheer? There was a local band I used to hang out with called "Blue Cheese"

Blue Cheer was a particular type of LSD available in SF when they came together.

 

[Michedelic]

A group of teenagers my close friend was giving guitar lessons to once told me they planned on forming a metal band named "Fetus Bacon."

...I don't know why I point that out.

There was an alternative/industrial figure in the 80’s, Jim Thirwell, who went by a number of names incorporating the word “Foetus”…



I saw him opening for Einsturzende Neubauten once, what a hoot.

Then there’s the death metal band….


So those kids are a little late in the shock the parents and the world sweepstakes

 

[Btbp]

Lynyrd Skynyrd got their name from one of their school teachers who, I think, they hated...Leonard Skinner.

Whereas Marshall Tucker....y'all know that story. Plus that guy just died, years after most of the band did.

 

[BunchyMutt]

The name of the first street you lived on + the name of your first dog.

Beaver n/a

 

[51PRI]

Whereas Marshall Tucker....y'all know that story. Plus that guy just died, years after most of the band did.

I actually didn't know the story of how they got their name. I only heard about it when Marshall Tucker passed.

 

[Bob_Ross]

The only advice I have is to google every name you think of before you consider it, to make sure it's not being used.

^^^This. I also find it useful to Google the phrase "a band called ________" (both with and without the quotation marks) to help narrow the search parameters.


btw, back in 1984 I led an original post-punk progressive rock band and we named ourselves Any Two Words. We patted ourselves on the back for being so clever because A) based on what seemingly every other rock band in 1984* was calling themselves, it seemed like the process for naming a band was to simply take any two words and stick them together; and B) Any Two Words is three words. Ah, the pretentiousness of youth!

* now too.

 

[ardgedee]

It's very hard. The only advice I have is to google every name you think of before you consider it, to make sure it's not being used. Ideally you want something unique. Very very hard to do at this point. I think there are only 6 band names left that haven't been taken.

^^^This. I also find it useful to Google the phrase "a band called ________" (both with and without the quotation marks) to help narrow the search parameters.

You could probably save time by looking it up on Discogs. If somebody in some other part of the world isn't trying to distribute any recordings, it probably doesn't matter if they have the same band name you do.

 

[Bob_Ross]

If somebody in some other part of the world isn't trying to distribute any recordings, it probably doesn't matter if they have the same band name you do.

Not legally, sure, but c’mon man, have some pride!