Anglo-Irishman Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 In another thread, Catty wrote: That's a great band name. I've been thinking of changing my band's name to "The Double Entendres" or perhaps "Incorrect Usage." Which reminds me that the most difficult, tedious, long-winded endeavour of my long musical lifetime was the choice of a band name, which was forced upon us when some of my mates and I were asked to do a proper gig as a folk group. That was back in 1991, and would you believe, we're still playing together under the same name. The only suggestion that nobody could find a logical reason to reject was "interFolk" (see www.interfolk.de ). What about you group players? How did you get your name? Dictatorially? Democratically? By acclaim? Through an advertising agency? Suggested by the Significant Other of a band member? ...? Considering that we're an Irish folk band, I've always hankered for the double entendre "Illicit Still". But "interFolk" is cast in concrete. At least it leaves us open to play "Calvelitos" and "Moscow Nights" and "Schneewalzer" as well as the usual Irish stuff. What's your excuse? Cheers, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catty Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I started playing with a hardanger fiddle player about six or so months ago. We're still going, and in fact are headlining the Nordicfest in Libby MT in Sept. I dubbed us "Leftover Lutefisk" ... after the infamous cajun slamgrassers, "Leftover Salmon." Apparently, my instincts were good as the name seems popular and gets attention. I've always wanted to name a bluegrass group "Jed Zepplin." Maybe later.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 I've always wanted to name a bluegrass group "Jed Zepplin." For that you should learn to play the Jedcertina. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catty Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 What the heck? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Chambers Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 What the heck? Or should that be "Oh, Clampett!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Besser Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 What about you group players? How did you get your name? Dictatorially? Democratically? By acclaim? Through an advertising agency? Suggested by the Significant Other of a band member? ...? I've been in a number of bands, and choosing names has always been much harder than choosing music! Some of the names I've played under: Road to Rune (sic). Unstrung Heroes. Tanglefoot. Jump Start. Squeezer, Geezer and Kerr. Currently in: Waltzniks; Le Grande Fromage (French dance band, obviously). And we fought over every last name. But my FAVORITE band names have always been rejected by bandmates. They include: Reptile Dysfunction (I once played a contra dance with a pickup band, and when the caller asked us -- in front of the crowd - if we had a name, I started to say that, only to be warned that my bandmates would walk off the stage if I spoke up) Planxty Hollywood. And my alltime favorite: Youth in Asia (although I don't qualify on age or ethnicity). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 OK, OK, back on topic. In the mid 1980s, I was in a band in New York City. At our first gig, for lack of a better name, we called ourself "David's Cookies" (this was the 80s, and I was the sole dissenter on the vote for that one) but before our next gig, I suggested "Olivebridge 4, " as the four of us had started playing together at Jay Ungar's Fiddle & Dance workshop at Ashokan, in Olivebridge NY. To get to Ashokan from New York, you took the Thruway to exit 19, took route 28 west to the village of Shokan, and turned left at the sign that said [<== OLIVEBRIDGE 4]. That became our name until we broke up when I moved to Albany in 1985. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Stout Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 My band is Flatland Consort. It's named after the topography around here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Kruskal Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Band names are tough. I have a file with dozens of names that were rejected by a variety of bands for one reason or another. My contra dance band Grand Picnic has been going strong for 25 years. That's a tune title. Michael wanted to call us Poor Excuse for a Dog but we nixed that real quick. He did come up with a band name for a quartet that just played a double header dance close to here, both gigs in New Jersey. The promoter picked it out of a dozen offered. We were called Ten Gallon Cat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 I've always wanted to name a bluegrass group "Jed Zepplin." For that you should learn to play the Jedcertina. What the heck? If that was a response to my quip, just Search for "Jedcertina" in these Forums. You'll probably soon know more than you wished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hjcjones Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 The first band I was in was called The Electropathic Battery Band. Electropathy is the use of electricty to promote health, and the original Electropathic Battery Band was a battery-powered hatband which was supposed to send a healthy charge through the body (I kid you not). Someone thought this would be a good name for a band - in my defence I wasn't in the band at that time. Later we shortened it to The Electropathics and our album was called "Batteries not Included". Electropathics MySpace page When my current band first formed we practiced in a pub called "The Swan with Two Necks", and when we were trying to think of a name we looked for swan connections as inspiration. The obvious ones having already been taken, we eventually came up with Albireo, which is the Arabic name of the star Beta Cygni, the second-brightest in the constellation of the Swan. It apparently means "the beak of the swan". Our logo shows the constellation. Albireo MySpace page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael sam wild Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 The first band I was in was called The Electropathic Battery Band. Electropathy is the use of electricty to promote health, and the original Electropathic Battery Band was a battery-powered hatband which was supposed to send a healthy charge through the body (I kid you not). Someone thought this would be a good name for a band - in my defence I wasn't in the band at that time. Later we shortened it to The Electropathics and our album was called "Batteries not Included". Electropathics MySpace page When my current band first formed we practiced in a pub called "The Swan with Two Necks", and when we were trying to think of a name we looked for swan connections as inspiration. The obvious ones having already been taken, we eventually came up with Albireo, which is the Arabic name of the star Beta Cygni, the second-brightest in the constellation of the Swan. It apparently means "the beak of the swan". Our logo shows the constellation. Albireo MySpace page Electropathics were great I have the record. Will check out Albireo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanette Hooker Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 My band is called "Lettuce Dance Band". We met at a dance group and started playing dance music for our parties. I suggested the name as a joke, but everyone else thought it was a great name. I have become rather fond of the name and now we dress in green. I have even brought ear rings that look like little lettuces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyRussell Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 My band is called "Lettuce Dance Band". We met at a dance group and started playing dance music for our parties. I suggested the name as a joke, but everyone else thought it was a great name. I have become rather fond of the name and now we dress in green. I have even brought ear rings that look like little lettuces. That's nice I was in a Tex-Mex band and suggested "Cactus Jack and the Pricks" but everyone claimed to be "Jack" (My "current" band is electric ). T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Mansfield Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 My current band name was probably one of the easiest and least controversial - we are all in The Powderkegs border morris (itself named after the old gunpowder factory in our home town Whaley Bridge), when we need a separate name for the ceilidh band someone came up with Flash In The Pan and it stuck. By the time you've discounted all the joke band names, the used ones, the naff ones, the you wouldn't be seen dead admitting to being in a band called that ones, and the ones that just somehow give entirely the wrong impression, the process of getting a band name is often far more fraught than actually getting a repertoire and a few gigs together. I still want to be in a band called Extreme Folk Terror some day though ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theo Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 (edited) I live a short walk away from a former mining village called Sunniside, so Sunniside Up seemed appropriate. Incidentally, Co Durham is well supplied with peculiar names: such as Pity Me, Cooperative Villas, and there really is a hamlet called "No Place" Edited July 22, 2009 by Theo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 The first band I was in was called The Electropathic Battery Band. Electropathy is the use of electricty to promote health, and the original Electropathic Battery Band was a battery-powered hatband which was supposed to send a healthy charge through the body (I kid you not). Someone thought this would be a good name for a band - in my defence I wasn't in the band at that time. Later we shortened it to The Electropathics and our album was called "Batteries not Included". Electropathics MySpace page When my current band first formed we practiced in a pub called "The Swan with Two Necks", and when we were trying to think of a name we looked for swan connections as inspiration. The obvious ones having already been taken, we eventually came up with Albireo, which is the Arabic name of the star Beta Cygni, the second-brightest in the constellation of the Swan. It apparently means "the beak of the swan". Our logo shows the constellation. Albireo MySpace page There is an Italian band called Albireon. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hereward Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 The band name I use when I play more traditional folk than I usually do is called Figg's Academy after the first champion pugilist of England James Figg. Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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