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Rockers in Crisis: Band Name Options Running Out!
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 17, 2010
Modified Feb 17, 2010
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 17, 2010
Modified Feb 17, 2010
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We're not only running out of money in NY, we're running out of band names! The Journal investigates the lack of punchy, original new band names in the age of Google and MySpace. They find that even a super group consisting of Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones and Josh Homme couldn't get their first choice for a name, Caligula, because it was already taken by at least seven other acts, including a defunct techno outfit from Australia. Instead, they used Them Crooked Vultures, which the Journal points out, "held no special meaning." Rovi Corp., a licensing company, says they added an average of 6,521 new band names a month to their databases last year; the most commonly used names are Bliss (18 bands), followed by Mirage and One (15 each), and then Gemini, Legacy, Paradox and Rain. At least we can feel assured that there's no lack of terrible names.
It's especially a problem in Brooklyn, where thirteen new bands seem to pop up every day. They point to the story of Discovery, Kathleen Cholewka's Brooklyn-based band which she started in 2004. Lo and behold, another Discovery started in Brooklyn in 2005, and the two were even mistaken for one another in Time Out New York listings. Her name-rights feud transferred to the battlefields of Wikipedia: "Using the open-access encyclopedia, she made edits to the entry for a more prominent Discovery, formed by members of the successful rock bands Vampire Weekend and Ra Ra Riot. Ms. Cholewka wrote that her band 'rightfully owns the trademark' to Discovery, based on her paid gigs in New York clubs. She also added a few jabs about her opponent's music." One of them should just change their name to Discovery.Com!
To aid the aspiring indie rocker coming up with an unforgettable name, here are a few easy suggestions: Grizzly Nair, The Pain of Being Kevin Smith's Armrest, The Saxonphone Uprising, Bathsiderodromophobia, and Taint Misbehavin'. Okay, that last one is more of a freaky porn title, but Pissed Jeans is taken.
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brooklyn
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trademarks
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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