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Coming up with a name for new band sucks......


msmooth

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My band has morphed into a new band lately, 2 of 4 members have been replaced (all amicable.... due to job changes) and the bassist (the other original member along with myself) would like to change the name. The name we have is not that great and I don't mind a new one.

 

We have changed from a mix of 60% rock and oldies 40% country to 75% rock and oldies 25% country. I think we will mostly be playing the same type of private clubs (Moose, Eagles, VFW ....).

 

We are having touble coming up with a name we liked. We finally came up with one that 2 of us liked so I googled it and found many bands using it, including one with in an hours drive from home. :(

 

How did you guys pick your bands' names?

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There's been other threads on this, but IMO names are not that important as long as they fit your business model and are easily remembered. I.e. a wedding band named the Tonekillerz is not going to get alot of looks after seeing that name on a promo. But if you are a kick-ass metal or rock band, that would work.

 

I think there is way too much angst and time wasted on picking band names.

 

Actually, Pink Walrus works. I know GuitarPlayerFL posted it as a joke, but that name offends no one and would work. Its about the music and performance and then the name.

 

If you are the band leader just grab a name and announce it to the band. If you are voting, grab the horse racing form and list the horse names and a bunch of other random names that you think fit your style, vote on it and be done.

 

One other thing, don't pick a name that you have to yell into a booking agent's ear over the din of a club more that once. I was in a punk band a while back named Stick Kitty and I will never forget how we were billed at a showcase club on the Strip our first outing.....billed as Sick Kitty. Not Good. Actually, come to think of it now, as a punk band it probably never moved an eyebrow. Hahahahaha.

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Inspiration for band names comes from just about anything (much like songwriting!). It's hard to come up with a process that is failproof. Just sit around with the band and some beers and bat a bunch of ideas around. Eventually you'll come up with something everyone agrees on.

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I've just been through the process. We picked lots of cool names very easily, but either other bands were using them, they were trademarked by some other business, or the URLs were not available.

 

Years ago it probably didn't matter if a band half way across the country had the same name as you. Now it does, because when people search Google or Youtube for your band, they might get the wrong one.

 

Finally got it worked out yesterday, and I bought a URL for my new band.

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My band has morphed into a new band lately, 2 of 4 members have been replaced (all amicable.... due to job changes) and the bassist (the other original member along with myself) would like to change the name. The name we have is not that great and I don't mind a new one.


We have changed from a mix of 60% rock and oldies 40% country to 75% rock and oldies 25% country. I think we will mostly be playing the same type of private clubs (Moose, Eagles, VFW ....).


We are having touble coming up with a name we liked. We finally came up with one that 2 of us liked so I googled it and found many bands using it, including one with in an hours drive from home.
:(

How did you guys pick your bands' names?

 

I don't think the name is very important. Make sure the name isn't at odds with your musical selection. (Death Black Metal wouldn't work for a country band. They probably already exist in the metal world.) Then don't throw the name out every time that you change 1 or 2 members. (Especially if your musical selection isn't changing much. That sounds like your situation.)

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Band names serve one definiate purpose and MAYBE a second purpose.

 

The definiate purpose is to have something that people can use to identify you. In that case, the name is only as good as the band behind it is. And the longer you're around and the longer you give that name a good reputation, the 'better' the name will be. But, like it doesn't really matter whether your name is Brian or Chuck, it doesn't really matter what the name of the band is. It will just be who you guys are and that will be good enough. People way overthink the band name thing in this respect.

 

The second, MAYBE, purpose is if you need a name to help market the band. If you're a metal or country or pop band and you need to convey that image to people immediately, then you'll want a name that does that.

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The most important thing is to just get it done. The name doesn't matter, just get one. Just listen and pick one that SOMEONE ELSE came up with that sounds reasonable and start boosting it. Then when everyone starts boosting something else, just join in. Just get it done. Or if you have a clear leader or two, have them just come up with a name and say "this is the name."

 

I've found that democracy is the killer of the band-naming process. Just pick one and get it over with. Either with a dictator or communist totalitarianism.

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My band has morphed into a new band lately, 2 of 4 members have been replaced (all amicable.... due to job changes) and the bassist (the other original member along with myself) would like to change the name. The name we have is not that great and I don't mind a new one.


We have changed from a mix of 60% rock and oldies 40% country to 75% rock and oldies 25% country. I think we will mostly be playing the same type of private clubs (Moose, Eagles, VFW ....).


We are having touble coming up with a name we liked. We finally came up with one that 2 of us liked so I googled it and found many bands using it, including one with in an hours drive from home.
:(

How did you guys pick your bands' names?

 

It sounds like you play to an older crowd or at least a mixed demo crowd and do a wide variety of music. A band name from back in the day I always liked was The Traces of Time. I wish i had thought that one up. We had a very popular band with a not so great name. It never effected us but i always though we could have done better.

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How about closing your eyes, walking outside, and then naming the band the first thing you see.... And, hope it's not two dogs in a passionate moment!

 

 

We did this recently for a new project, there were two signs outside the studio, one said "Perfect Fit" and the other said "Grout Restoration" You can guess which one we chose.

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Hey, I like that name!...(Actually, that's an orange peel painted lime green).

 

 

It's a cool pic, cat looks pissed, nonetheless, how did you get the cat to hold still while you put on the helmet? Just curious.

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It's a cool pic, cat looks pissed, nonetheless, how did you get the cat to hold still while you put on the helmet? Just curious.

 

 

Wish I could take credit for that, but can't. Pulled that pic off of an avatar website somewhere.

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Rockers have turned to the beat poets for over half a century and those books are still not all mined out. Look through The Soft Machine or Naked Lunch by William Burroughs or Dr. Sax by Jack Kerouac. Tons of great phases to make a band name out of in those books.

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We did this recently for a new project, there were two signs outside the studio, one said "Perfect Fit" and the other said "Grout Restoration" You can guess which one we chose.

 

One of my old bands named itself after the street the rehearsal studio was on. Also, the singer's father grew up on that street.

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My job in life is to come up with band names for bands i can only lie to myself will be real someday.. Examples:

 

Filthy Burrito - The Sludgiest of Metal

 

Iron Fish - Stoner Metal

 

Translucent Bodies - Ambient Acoustic work

 

Gammarilla - Radioactive Thrash Rock.

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