Word Out 2010

The Science of a Band Name- Struts and Frets

July 6, 2010 | Tatted Librarian | Comments (54)

Struts and Frets is about a guy named Sam who is in the band,
"Tragedy of Wisdom, Sam wanted to name his band "Tragedy of Reason," because it stressed how sad it was to
be the only thoughtful person in a crowd;  whereas Joe, the front man,
wanted the name, "Tragedy of Wisdom," because it sounded cooler. 

*heavy sigh*.  Spending a good portion of my youth in the local music
scene, I came to understand the importance of a band name.

A band
name sets the tone of the band, and gives a glimpse of into the mission of the band.  If the band is political, socially aware, or just out there for the glory of being in a band, the a good name may project out these intentions.  More importantly, a bad name sets back band and many out in the audience will not take them seriously.  

Case in point:  A few friends of mine back in the the day formed a hardcore/street punk band and decided to call themselves "Tastes Like Chicken."  They ran into problems when they decided to refer to themselves as "TLC."  You can probably imagine the barrage of jokes we laid on them after this move. They changed their name eventually, but the band never lived down the TLC days.  

For any one out there looking
for a great band name, I would suggest
looking up Jello Bifara's spoken word bit on cool band names.  For
those who don't know, Jello
Biafra is the lead singer of the influential punk band, the Dead
Kennedys. 

Some great band names that come to my mind are:

Propagandhi:  <3 <3
No Use for a Name
Strike Anywhere
Slayer
The Dandy Warhols
Uncle Scratch's Gospel Revival
Bikini Kill
Sour Keys
Neutral Milk Hotel

What are some of your favourite band names?

Comments

54 thoughts on “The Science of a Band Name- Struts and Frets”

  1. my favorite band names include
    – ace of base
    – the lemon heads
    – the velvet underground
    – smash mouth
    🙂

  19. My favourites (although “old”)
    -Hedley
    -Nickelback
    -Toy Box
    -Simple Plan
    -(and yes) The Beatles

  21. 1. The Beatles
    2. Stereos
    3. Black Eyed Peas
    4. Coldplay
    5. The Jackson Five
    6. Nirvana
    7. Led Zeppelin
    8. The Beach boys
    By the way, this is not listed any order, if u want, u can relist the order anyway u like 😉

  22. Guys check these out!! =)
    These are some of the funniest band names ever created 
    Imagine driving by a nightclub and seeing a sign with the words…
    “TONIGHT, LIVE ONSTAGE” band name .
    1. Barenaked Ladies
    2. Headlice of Doom
    3. Naked Potato
    4. No Pants Bandits
    5. Poop Shovel
    6. Scary Chicken
    7. Vomit Launch
    8. Who the Hell Are You?
    9. The Urinals
    10. The Quilted-Quicker-Picker-Upper, Bounty!
    Infact, I found some more even funnier band names, but I can’t tell u, because of it uses bad/immature words… 🙁

  23. two more to add to the list
    I Set My Friends On Fire,
    Protest the Hero…
    @ajai – lol
    I loved “Fucked Up” who won last year’s Polaris award and who played a free show at the Reference Library in May… that band name is sheer genius.

  24. hedley
    billy talent
    beatles
    paramore
    nick and the administration
    the black eyed peas
    coldplay
    green day
    nickelback
    my chemical romance
    ac/dc
    shinedown
    panic!at the disco
    3OH!3
    Linkin Park
    boys like girls
    fall out boy
    metro station
    all american rejects
    KISS
    NSYNC
    Backstreet Boys
    Good Charlotte
    Sum 41
    Simple Plan
    Dashboard Confessional
    U2
    Lady Antebellum
    Daughtry
    owl city
    thats all I have for now

  25. A Rocket to the Moon, All Time Low, Faded Cadence, Boys Like Girls, Cute Is What We Aim For, The Friday Night Boys, The Cab, The Fray, Mayday Parade, You Me At Six and We The Kings. All great band names and amazing music.

  26. Gregory and the Hawk.
    Who can beat a name as mysteriously cool as that? Plus, her music is just ethereal (listen to “Boats and Birds” to see what I mean).
    …Although technically Gregory and the Hawk is a pseudonym for Meredith Godreau, a singer-songwriter, so maybe it doesn’t count as a band name.
    Either way, she still has a very cool pseudonym and writes very cool songs.

  27. Edmee, you are my hero! I’ve been trying for a kazillion years to remember the band name (or…the pseudonym) Gregory and the Hawk. My friend introduced me to her, and I couldn’t remember how to explain the music to my friend so she could realize who I was asking about. Huzzah!
    As for band names I like, that is, the ones I can remember at this moment,… (I’m going to try really hard to not just name all the bands whose music I like rather than bands whose names I like)
    Coeur de Pirate
    Silversun Pickups
    Pomplamoose
    Straylight Run
    Tigers Can Bite You
    We Are Scientists
    WinterSleep
    Malajube
    …Mmmm thaaat is all for now.

  28. My favourite bands/singers include:
    1) FABER DRIVE!!!! <3
    2) LOVE Hedley
    3) Nickelback
    4) Simple Plan
    5) Maroon 5

  29. old school, my maaaan.
    classics are coool, propaghandi, ftw (:
    marianas trench ! YEEEES.
    i really like their songs, for some reason i find it soothing and upbeat. i love their song styles, especially with the song “Beside You”, i like the boooming sound. i think they used a gong, oh well, i dunno what it’s called.
    let’s support our canadian baaands (:

  31. Bloc Party (I thought it was pretty clever)
    Does This Offend You, Yeah?
    Cage the Elephant
    Hostage Life
    Less than Jake
    Said the Whale

  32. Down With Webster (I don’t know, it’s somehow… interesting)
    Lights (I love the simpleness/’purity’)
    Foo Fighters (Sounds awesome, foo’)
    The Fray (I like the word ‘fray’)
    Muse (I also like the word ‘muse’)
    Hoobastank (It’s just really fun to say, hoo-ba-stank xD)
    Franz Ferdinand (Interesting choice to name your band after someone who was the bomb that started WW1)

  33. Hostage Life (rip) *insert high five here* I’m a huge fan of their and their name.
    FYI, did you know that before joining Hostage LIfe, Colin was in a band called Marilyn’s Vitamins?
    Also, members from that band have gone to new projects such as the Victim Party, Wild Bore (very clever) and there’s another one which I am currently forgetting.

  34. Marianas Trench
    Muse
    Metric
    Boys Like Girls
    Cute is What We Aim For
    and Mindless Self Indulgence(MSI)

  36. Some of my favourite bands are:
    Faber Drive
    Hedley
    Marianas Trench
    Simple Plan
    Black Eyed Peas
    They rock!! xD <3

  38. My favorite bands are:
    -Nickleback
    -Hedley
    -Marianas Trench
    -Lights
    -Maroon 5
    these are my favorite bands

  39. Go Gregory and the Hawk! I love her music, and I love her name!
    By the way, I think you’re completely right, Violet. I’ve been finding it pretty hard to think of the names of the bands whose names I like instead of the names of the bands whose music I like… Hm. (There’s quite a lot of overlap though.)

  40. -Company of Thieves
    -Temposhark
    -Broken Social Scene
    -Songs To Wear Pants To
    “Propoghandi” PFFFFT XD

  48. My favourite bands would have to be
    1. Hedley
    2.Stereos
    3.Marianas Trench
    4.Faber Drive
    5.Nickelback
    6. Green Day

  49. A few Missed bands:
    Metallica
    Iron Maiden
    Megadeth
    Guns N Roses
    Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Def Leppard
    Van Halen
    Rush
    even though Van Halen is a name, it still sounds cool!!

  50. My Fav bands would be;
    – Nickelback
    – Hedley
    – Owl City
    – Guns N Roses
    – The Administration
    – Red Hot Chili Peppers

  51. if i wuz gonna start my own band,id name it BURN or maybe BLACK ROSE.But my favorite band names are Rush,Nirvana,The Pretty Reckless and The Killers.

  53. My fav bands R:
    -Tokio Hotel
    -My Chemical Romance
    -Black eyed peas
    -Hedley
    &
    -Nickelback <3
    LOVE THEM!!!!!!

  54. “The Temper Trap” and “The Sound Defects” are pretty cool band names in my opinion. And their music is sweeet!
    Although, I’ve got to agree with “The Velvet Underground” Their album cover is awesome 😀

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