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Band Names

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Loco Mo:
So let's say you're just starting out and you need a name for your band.  How do you go about selecting a name?

First of all, I think probably all possible names are already being used by someone somewhere on the planet.  I mean how can you have a unique name among millions of bands?

I also want to add that I think it's ridiculous to randomly pick names out of a hat because that has nothing to do with the description or identity of your band.

Let's say you call yourselves "The Ducks."  What does that have to do with your style of music?  Or do you all somehow physically resemble ducks?  Maybe you appear to have beak-like faces or webbed feet or your voices sound like Donald Duck's.  If so, then I can understand and accept your chosen nomenclature.

Okay, so let's consider objects like "glasses" or "wheels" or commodities like "toothpaste."  I think that words like these are completely irrelevant to naming a band because they have nothing to do with musical connotations.

So how do you go about naming your band?

nimrod:
I guess you have to think of something a bit memorable, catchy, and unique.

I used to be in a folk band called The Oaklands, only because we got regular gigs in Oaklands Hall in England.

I always liked the name Soft Machine.

Moogmodule:
I think the better ones just come to you. If you think too hard it can sound contrived. Some set of words pop up and you say, yeah, that’s good.

Moogmodule:
I don’t think you have to link it too strongly to the music.

Lots of successful bands I can’t see any link between their name and their music at all. The Police, REM, Foreigner.

But you could get incongruous results if you don’t pay it at least some attention. Calling a band Bloody Slaughter Death probably won’t work if you do laid back lounge music.

There was a successful Aussie duo called Savage Garden whose music was anything but savage. Didn’t hurt their international success though even then. But it did seem to almost be false advertising.

nimrod:
Do you remember Aussie band Sebastian Hardy Moog ?

I always though, strange name for a band, but loved their music

Loco, you could just use a small formula, like the colour of your shirt and what you ate last, in my case that would be Blue Banana  ha2ha

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