You've got a dream of superstardom, a handful of songs, tight leather pants and a burgeoning substance abuse habit; now you just need a band name. "The Rolling Stones" and "Men Without Hats" are already taken, so you need to get creative. The following artists doomed themselves from the get-go by choosing rediculous/lame/unitentionally funny band names:

Hoobastank: Nobody's going to buy your tour t-shirts with this name on them.

Taking Back Sunday: Smells like Christian-rock.

Mudvayne: A wonderfully menacing name, but inappropriate for radio-friendly hard rock wusses.

Dashboard Confessional: These guys relegated themselves to the pages of 'Tiger Beat' before they recorded a note. How can you take a group like this seriously?

New Found Glory: Again, what's up with the inspirational, ultra-positive band names? Iggy Pop would be spinning in his grave (if he were dead).

Saves the Day: If they wore superhero costumes, it would be a cool gimmick. Unfortunately, I doubt they do.

Those are some terrible band names...

Some of these aren't exclusively "Rock" but the general idea sticks:

Kings of Convenience: a band I like, but c'mon...a little bit pretentious, eh?

Frausdots: a great record, but I can't tell what this is supposed to be. Is it Germanic? Gibberish? BOTH?

Ice Cream Hands: a great Aussie power pop band, but that name...UGH!

Death Cab for Cutie: Maybe the origin of the name provides an explanation, but I'm not gettin' it. Can anyone help me?

Is there a thread for "BEST band names?" I cant think of any terrible names at the moment besides ones that were said but i think that the best/coolest name ever is VELVET REVOLVER!

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Originally posted by kraftdeluxe:
Is there a thread for "BEST band names?" I cant think of any terrible names at the moment besides ones that were said but i think that the best/coolest name ever is VELVET REVOLVER!

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There probably should be in time, kraftdeluxe, but for now, SPLENDID topic, Lola! I'd be hard pressed to think of a topic that better defines purely subjective sniping.

Some that spring right to mind are probably influenced by my less than charitable attitude regarding the music behind the moniker. To whit:

Hootie & The Blowfish
Wham!
Insane Clown Posse

Though, ironically enough, that's an intriguing triple bill, eh?

Two that were both bad and lent themselves to two of my favorite of J.D. Considine's "Short Takes":

Bad English "Grammar is the least of their problems." J.D. Considine
GTR "SHT." J.D. Considine (THAT one went over well in the pages of Musician magazine.

I'm sure !!! is simply too clever for my feeble mind to grasp, but it didn't work for ? & the Mysterians either. That goes double for the symbol Prince adopted in the mid-90s.

I will freely profess my affection for the Barenaked Ladies, but the name pretty much defines clever-the-first-time-you-hear-it-but-progressively-less-so-each-subsequent-time.

Now Playing: "Take The Skinheads Bowling" Camper Van Beethoven Telephone Free Landslide Victory (IRS)

I haven't really thought this topic through, but as far as names in bad taste, I'll put forth Battered Wives and Dead Kennedys. Maybe those aren't "bad" since they might light somebody's wick, but they popped into my head. Others may be clever but would probably cause some people to avoid them for that exact reason. I'd include Zeitgeist and Yo La Tengo (I love their baseball-derived name, but most people think they sing in Spanish!) in that group. Maybe it's because I know what their songs are about, but the name Meatmen doesn't do anything for me, but Meat Puppets is cool (maybe because they ARE cool.)

On the plus side, I'd include Swamp Zombies, Plan 9, Dead Milkmen (seems better than Kennedys), Talking Heads, Young Fresh Fellows, Hoodoo Gurus, They Might Be Giants, Lazy Cowgirls, Violent Femmes (the last two are all-male bands.) I'm going to shut up because this might take all night, so you guys have at it.

Anything Gerund-Noun band name must go:

Throwing Muses
Smashing Pumpkins
Talking Heads

Another one I can't stand:

Air -- what the hell is that???

quote:

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Originally posted by LinnTate:
I'm sure _!!!_ is simply too clever for my feeble mind to grasp, but it didn't work for _? & the Mysterians_ either. That goes double for the symbol Prince adopted in the mid-90s.

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Even more annoying than !!! is the journalistic use of the phoenetic "chik-chik-chik" for their name.

There's the related topic...bands whose names are really appropriate, given their musical styles. One that leaps to mind...the cold, cool, slightly scary nature of Interpol (the international police) also fits the cooler-than-you sound of the band.

Two band names, off the top of my head, that I love: Camper Van Beethoven and (Nick Cave and) The Bad Seeds. So rock and roll...

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Air -- what the hell is that???

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Listen to some of their music man...i think if there is an artist out there that has a name that somewhat describes their sound in a way...it is air...

In the wise words of Hedwig---

"He sang the strangest songs to me, by bands I had never heard of: Boston, Kansas, America, Europe, Asia. Travel exhausts me."

I think that the worst thing a group of musicians can do is name themselves using a prepositional phrase. It's the ultimate in oh-so-pretentiousness.

Examples:

Of Montreal
Of A Revolution
In Flames
'Til Tuesday
To My Surprise
On A Friday

That last one, in case you didn't know, was going to be Radiohead's name, but their label made them change it to something less... how shall I put it... stupid. This marked the first time in the history of the music business that the record label actually got things right.

kwakerjak

EDIT--
Wait, I got some more.
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
Rage Against the Machine
I Am the World Trade Center

What do these have in common? They're all complete sentences (or can be interpreted as such). The last one was bad enough BEFORE 9/11, but now I can't bring up the name without having somebody scowl at me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: kwakerjak,

The name Death Cab for Cutie, I believe, comes from the Beatles' film "Magical Mystery Tour". The lounge singer in the film sings a song called "Death Cab for Cutie".

The list is endless;
The Police
Yes
Love
Velvet revolver

I like "....and you will know us by the trail of dead" as a band name. I guess this topic is as objective as "Your favourite/ worst band/ song"

Regurgitator.

It takes a double-crown for also being the most appropriate.

(They're Australian and not hugely popular even here, so I wouldn't be surprised if no-one else had heard of them.)

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Originally posted by philosopherEric:


Ice Cream Hands: a great Aussie power pop band, but that name...UGH!

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Well, I found the source of this name. It comes from a line in Robyn Hitchcock's "Flavour of Night" from his wonderful I Often Dream of Trains record. It's still crappy, but it least it has a good source origin...

Another bad band name from a good band I've recently become acquainted with: The Crippled Pilgrims. Sounds like hardcore punk, right? It's actually a neo-psychedlic, Byrds-y, REM-like D.C. band from the mid-80's. Ric Menck (of the Velvet Crush) has issued a comp of their recorded works on his reissues label, Reaction.

"Taking Back Sunday: Smells like Christian-rock."
-smells more like a bunch of emo kids angry at religiously orientated parents (but not really, the name just sounded like a bunch of emo kids angry at religiously orientated parents)

oh how moronic.

Smashing Pumpkins, RayRay, I'd have to disagree. Though probably because the bloody thing started what can only be described of as cult following, achieving what should have been the equal success of Nirvana had Courtney not slept with Sm.Pumpkins' frontman.

Me? I'd have to say The Yardbirds. Sure, some great talent sprung from this band, but really!

EDIT: Goo Goo Dolls, by the way, sounds like some gothic death metal all-too-much ozzy/slipknot influence around the edges.
Whoops...

J Lo.

Okay, so it isn't a band name, it's an artist psuedonym. But it just strikes me as so god damned haughty and presumptuous to shorten your name. It basically says "I've decided I'm a household name, so everybody shortens my name. Even though my music is just a showcase for my personal acting franchise and the only reason I get airplay is that I'm attractive and my record company pays the radio stations." I feel the same way about 'P Diddy'. Hey everybody, I'm such a great poster that I want to be known as "B Sprit" from now on!

Drive By Truckers.

Dude. You have a good sound. You probably *could* actually get mainstream radio play with just a few more hooks. Just, casual listeners are going to hear your accent, see your southern motif, and Drive By Truckers will be the clincher to prevent them from giving you a fair chance to win them over.

The Shins

It just screams lameness.

The New Pornographers

Mothers will never buy your music for their children, even though your music isn't particularly pornographic.

And let's not forget "Comets on Fire". When I bought this CD the girl at the register said "...Comets are already on fire."

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Originally posted by Bobthespirit:
J Lo.

Okay, so it isn't a band name, it's an artist psuedonym. But it just strikes me as so god damned haughty and presumptuous to shorten your name. It basically says "I've decided I'm a household name, so everybody shortens my name. Even though my music is just a showcase for my personal acting franchise and the only reason I get airplay is that I'm attractive and my record company pays the radio stations." I feel the same way about 'P Diddy'. Hey everybody, I'm such a great poster that I want to be known as "B Sprit" from now on!

I resemble that remark.

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Originally posted by Bobthespirit:

Mothers will never buy your music for their children, even though your music isn't particularly pornographic.

Isnt that the truth...my mom wont fork over a 20 so i can buy a shirt that says "Porn" on it. And she doesnt respond to:

"But, Mom theyre the best supergroup in like forever..."

Talking Heads is one of the best band names ever, and Radiohead is as well (you can thank the Talking Heads for that as well)

Velvet Revolver deserves nothing but the worst: BAD BAD BAD. Lame name too.

Smashing Pumpkins is a Great Name, reeks of rebellious youth.

All these band names with The is kind of getting old, but a few do okay with it.

Hoobastank... sounds like potty talk to me.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs was great for awhile

All Girl Summer Fun Band is another great name (wanna start a cover band?)

Radioheads 'On a Friday' was because they could only practice on Fridays.

Another great band name is: Yo La Tengo

Insane Clown Posse ...ugh.

I always liked the name Hootie and the Blowfish...

Franz Ferdinand is cute, a hell of a let better than their music.

Autechre is great name, great for the music.

Goo Goo Dolls! Foo Fighters! The The! Mr. Mister! Modest Mouse! Anal Cunt! METALLICA!!!!!!!!! METALLICA, how lame is that


Best band name ever: YES how great is that.


M.I.A for life! Or atleast a few more weeks!

quote:

Originally posted by Machols:
All these band names with The is kind of getting old, but a few do okay with it.

Best "the" name...The The.