What is in a name?

About a week ago, I was in a conversation with SD and Trocc after a show at Schuba's.  The topic had drifted to music (surprise) and I was struggling temporarily to remember a band's name...

Me: "Shoot, umm...it is one of those bands with a three word name..."

SD: "Steel Pole Bathtub?"...chuckle...

SD: "King Cobb Steelie?"...snicker...

Me:  "Shut it!  No, it was...um...AGENT SIDE GRINDER!"...giggles...

Trocc: "That is a terrible name."

And I couldn't really disagree with him.  Except I did - because I like the band.  

That is why SD was chuckling at his suggestions as well because the Junk Drawer has a soft spot for both Steel Pole Bathtub and King Cobb Steelie. 

SD could give a fuck about those bands but he listens to bands with names like Sunburned Hand of the Man, Pocahaunted, and MV & EE so take his opinion on chuckle worthy band names with a grain of salt.    

But this got me thinking of about how the name of something is completely irrelevant, until you start creating a reputation for that name.  Then that is your brand, right?

It is easy to slag band names when you don't have any interest in their music. But once you fall under the spell of the music you can forgive practically any name.  
Here are a few that currently annoy me: 

• MGMT - so, I am supposed to say each letter of this name? Why exactly? This band used be called The Management and then when they found out some other band had that awful name, rather than take that as a sign they simply started calling themselves the abbreviation of the word.  I hate the word management, partly because the worst/pointless/LONG meetings I have to attend all start with it.  
• Trampled By Turtles -  aren't we clever? 
• The Pains of Being Pure of Heart -- nothing this twee sounding could be good for you in the long run. 
• Mumford & Sons -- a bit too on the nose for their style of new wave banjo, polished old timey-ness.  Plus it makes me think of Sanford & Son whose theme song I like infinitely better than anything that XRT has forced me to listen to by these guys. 

What band names do you dislike without any regard or knowledge of their music?

Band with the stupidest name ever that I end up listening to at least once a week...

Mostly due to my thumb error, the first band on my iPod gets a LOT of unintended airplay.

This band has got to have the worst name ever, but dammit if there songs are not super catchy.

I don't mean worst name like Anal C*nt, or Maggot Tw*t, (actual band names) although those are really pretty bad as far as marketability and appeal.

This band is called A.

That isn't a typo. They are just - A.

I often wonder if they would have gotten farther if someone with some media savvy would have foreseen how this name might play out on search engines.

I mean, did they think it operated like the phone book and they just wanted to be listed first under the category of Rock Bands? What happens when the next band directory comes out and some group decides to call themselves A A Advanced Rock Musicians? Now you're screwed right out of some potential customers!

Still, when they come up (as they did tonight) I often listen to a few songs from their high energy and fun 2002 release "Hi-Fi Serious" before I go to whatever it was I was trying to listen to in the first place.

If the phrase "radio friendly" isn't a de facto put down for you, this band is a crank-up-with-the- top-down-on-a-sunny-afternoon kind of trip.

Post Script: So, did you ever have this happen? You go spelunking on Youtube for something and then the video you land on says - this band is playing the Metro in a few weeks.

What serendipity you say! What luck! It never turns out though, this time it was the All-American Rejects that somehow got linked to the page.

The last time that happened to me Youtube informed me that Rage Against The Machine was playing a sports bar in the South Suburbs.