What's In A Name? How to Come Up With A Great Band Name and Avoid A Really Bad One

Thursday, 3 September 2009 , 0 Comments

Everyone’s been told not to judge a book by its cover. Well the same goes for judging a band by its name, unfortunately that doesn’t always happen. A band’s name is its brand. It’s who you are, it’s how your fans identify you, and a lot of times it’s the first thing that people use to judge you and your music. A bad band name can totally take away from a great band. I hate to say it but I don’t think record labels are jumping at the idea of signing a band named Monkey Butt or The Funky Avocados (sorry to any bands with these names, but the truth hurts). While there is no specific formula for naming your band we wanted to explore what makes a band name good or bad.

Good Band Names:

Dead Kennedys and Godsmack

I grouped these two names together because they both seem to fall into the same band naming category. They’re both somewhat controversial but not controversial enough to turn off their listeners. The publicity they gain over their name isn’t bad enough that it overshadows their music.

Led Zeppelin

A name like this is difficult to replicate because of the history behind it. According to several sources the name came from Jimmy Page asking Keith Moon to leave The Who and be the drummer for his band and supposedly Moon thought the idea would go down like “a lead zeppelin.” This is one of those well rounded great names. It’s simple, it’s catchy, and it’s got a great story behind it not one of the band members randomly stopping on dictionary pages and combining words.

NSYNC

I know there’s a good chance I could get hated on for this but in reality this is a good name for the type of group that NSYNC was. It was obviously a play on the phrase “in sync” which is a pretty good method for attracting the teeny bopper crowd. I mean just look at the picture above and try to tell me these guys don't just scream "We are in sync." Anyways, the name came from using the last letter in each member’s name. Be careful using this method to name a band, though, 9 times out of 10 a dumb name will come out from trying too hard to force it to work.

Anthrax

Named after the bacteria that infected cattle in Europe and was later used for terrorism. Symbolically, Anthrax played the type of music that was infectious to their fan base. To me the name seems to be a good match to the band’s music.

Blind Melon

Apparently, the band was called this by one of the member’s dads, a slang for an out of work hippie. I’m sure a majority of Blind Melon’s fans could relate to this name.

And yes, this is a picture of the band. As if their could be a better picture to sum up why Blind Melon is a good name for this band.

Flo Rida

Although the name has a problem with chronic mispronunciation I actually think this is a great name. First of all, it’s descriptive in so many ways. Visually it looks like Florida which is where the rapper is from. It’s pronounced flow-rida(rider) which is a great name for a rapper when flow is one of the main things that makes a good rapper stand out. Worst case scenario someone mispronounces his name and it’s still a word that is associated with his style.

Bad Band Names:

All-American Rejects

Everyone loves the lovable loser but you don’t want to be the self-proclaimed losers.

Limp Bizkit

Supposedly they idea came from Fred Durst’s dog Biscuit who walked with a limp and I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. However, there is also a somewhat odd pastime associated with the phrase according to urban dictionary. It also doesn’t help that it’s spelled like a prepubescent child texting their friend.

Porno for Pyros

This is an example of a band name that doesn’t cultivate a groupie following.

Sum 41

Sum 41 followed an overused formula by using an irrelevant word followed by a number. By the time Sum 41 became popular Blink 182 had been out for years making Sum 41 seem completely unoriginal.

Lemonheads

If you’re named after a candy it’s tough to take you seriously. Plus, if you’re planning on naming your band The Sour Patch Kids you might run into some legal issues.

OJ Da Juice Man

Being a relatively new artist in the game right now with thousands upon thousands of artists struggling to get noticed, it’s important to pick a rap name that’s going to grab listener’s attention. Unfortunately, OJ Da Juice Man grabs the wrong kind of attention. It’s one thing if you have a nickname that is shared with a notorious public figure such as OJ Simpson. But, changing the first thing people think of to a pulpy beverage you have with breakfast? This doesn’t exactly help your street cred.

As we said, there really is no specific formula for naming your band. But there are several techniques that have worked for other bands. Remember to be careful when using any of these techniques, if your band’s name is forced chances are it will sound that way.

Try using a pop culture reference. Veruca Salt used Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as inspiration for the band name. This has actually worked in their favor since people recognize the name already and seems familiar.

Try using a thesaurus . You may have a word or two that describe your band PERFECTLY but it just doesn’t sound right. Use a thesaurus, you might find a word with a similar meaning that sounds great. Combined Soul just doesn’t cut it but Collective Soul works pretty well.

Keep your eyes and ears open for everyday things that could make for a great band name. Whether it’s something as simple the Red Hot Chili Peppers you see at the grocery store or if it’s the Lincoln Park or Cypress Hill down the road a cool sounding name may be where you least expect it.

Don’t use another band’s name as the basis for your band; you don’t want to live in the shadow of another band especially if you play similar genres of music (i.e. Sum 41).

Be aware of alternative meanings for you band. In the case of Limp Bizkit it didn’t help but it worked for Blind Melon. Also, on the topic of misspelling your name, be careful. Limp Bizkit is a little much but Led Zeppelin is very subtle.

Be aware of how it will be received by the general public. Using certain words in your bands name may be seen as offensive by many and no one wants to sign a band with the F-word in their name.

Make sure your name is appropriate for your genre. Anthrax and NSYNC are both good names for their genre. Now imagine if they switched names, it probably wouldn’t go over so well.

It just doesn't look right, does it?

Be original and be descriptive. If all else fails pick up a band member with a catchy last name or nick name. It worked for Phish, Bon Jovi, and Fleetwood Mac.

So now you’ve got what seems like the perfect band name, now what? You may think your name is God’s gift to the music industry but get some opinions first. Make sure the whole band likes the name. Everyone may have their own opinion of the type of name your band needs. Brainstorm together and make sure everyone’s happy with the final product. Then ask around. Test it out on the people that come to your shows, fans of your music, and your friends. Use the feedback you get to tweak your name until you’re happy with it. Remember, your name is your brand. You want a recognizable name that will stick with your fans/soon to be fans. Once you have the perfect name you will feel much more confident promoting the hell out of your band using the name. Now that you’ve spent weeks deliberating what your band name should be, you’re now faced with another daunting task. Creating a logo .

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