How to Name Your Rock Band

The hardest thing about picking a band name is finding one that is not already taken and that still has that simplicity and power of all those great names: Nirvana, Radiohead, Poison, Ratt and others. The next time you and your fellow band members get together to discuss the possibilities, here are some tips for finding that name that will ring throughout the halls of music history.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Thesaurus
• Knowledge of strange, eccentric animals or brand names
• Backlog of obscure film titles and movie stars

1. Like Jeopardy demands of its contestants, make your band name into the form of a question. This will immediately give off the air of democracy and transparency and openness to the audience. For example, “Will you be my friend?” would be particularly inspiring. Be careful not to make these questions into challenges though, like “Why did you steal my car?” or “When will you die?” They can also become quickly desperate: “Does anybody have any loose change?”

2. Name your band after some obscure political event, feat or figure. This can be a great way to get your music across while also delivering some great, trivial knowledge. People might not of known that William Henry Harrison had the shortest presidency until they saw that St. Louis hardcore band “William Henry Harrison was President for 31 Days.”

3. Have your name tell a brief but mysterious story. Make sure to keep it short enough so people will remember but full enough to evoke a distinct scene or character. “Wrote a play for someone who was unable to perform.” What is the play about? Who is this person and why couldn’t they perform? These are the kind of questions that get people coming to your shows.

4. You might have noticed, but there has been quite a run on bands that include animal names lately. Deer, wolves, birds and sea creatures seem to be particularly popular. Different types of animals can also immediately place you in a certain genre, as scorpions, snakes and spiders are not usually associated with singer or songwriters. If you are set on having an animal in your title but still want to be original, I suggest combining an animal with another unlikely object, attribute, or action. For example, Antelope Levee or The Cat That Swallowed a Dog.

5. If you run out of ideas, just look at an anatomical chart of the body. Make sure to use definite articles. You don’t want to be “A Spleen,” you want to be “The Spleen” or “The Innards.” Remember that body parts and viscera names are particularly well suited for bands that inspire distinct bodily reactions.