Cover Bands - why can't they think of good band names?

Why is it so hard for some people? And why so many cheesy cliches?

I joined a cover band about 9 months ago. We're trying to get a big enough set list to start playing out at bars. A few months ago, the bass player realized that the name they had picked more than two years ago was already taken by another local band. (I'd rather not give any band names right now, in case any of my bandmates start googling around and find this thread).

Now, their original name was a total cliche. Corny, and completely forgettable, IMO. So I was glad to see it go. I started thinking of other possible names, as did the other band members. No one likes my names.. maybe my ideas are too "out there" or something. Everyone else's names are either too corny, or so cliche that the name is already taken by another local band!

I guess it's because of the nature of cover bands. We're playing other people's songs, not originals, so the idea of an original band name must be foreign to these guys.

I'd just like the name to be catchy, memorable, etc.. but that is apparently too much to ask. At this point, I have given up on thinking of names myself, and just google the names they think of to see if it's taken already. *sigh*

depends on what style/genre/era of covers you play.

I think "MoeLarryTheCheese" would be a good name.

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We do rock covers, Beatles to Weezer to ZZ Top to Van Halen. Some pop & alternative stuff here and there.

Not trying to make fun of your predicament, but nothing beats picking a band name for bringing out all of the possible friction in a band! :lol:

Not trying to make fun of your predicament, but nothing beats picking a band name for bringing out all of the possible friction in a band! :lol:

Lol, please feel free to make fun! Now that you mention it, there appears to be other things causing friction in the band, and this name-choosing stuff is making that friction all too obvious... bringing it to a head.

My old Trio used to be called the Good the bad and the Welshman :oops:

We do rock covers, Beatles to Weezer to ZZ Top to Van Halen. Some pop & alternative stuff here and there.

How 'bout "BeaZZer Halen" then?

Lol, please feel free to make fun! Now that you mention it, there appears to be other things causing friction in the band, and this name-choosing stuff is making that friction all too obvious... bringing it to a head.

Are we in the same band?

Jefe I thonk you have an opportunity here.
Start a Website like: CoverBandNamesThatDontSuck.com

Pay a fee, buy a name from your list that doesn't suck.

Just hash out your differences at Waffle House, I'm sure you'll come up with some hotcake ideas that the band will flip over!!! Like this one...

"Smothered And Covered"...

Corny, but probably not used... :lol:

Franc Robert

I would venture a guess that a number of the bands that you are covering have cheesy or cliche'd names.

Don't sweat the petty things....

Jefe, maybe it's you? If you dig the music and dig your bandmates, go with it. Take it to every extreme you can. No reason to be so uptight about a band name. Or maybe suggest one.

All this in good fun, of course!

Just be glad that one guy in the band (prob the singer) doesn't insist the band should be named after him.

That always makes things fun.

Because a top 40 band tends to cover different genres it's hard to come up with an appropriate name. It's easy when you are Slayer or Megadeth and you have a certain set music that you do.

Top 40 bands that I liked that played back in the day decades ago in my region were Free Fare, Lovers and Strangers, an incarnation of The Young Presidents, and The Cubes. They could play just about any popular song from the 1950s to 1980s note for note and sound exactly like the singers portrayed and hit all the harmonies. It's actually really hard to keep a very fast moving set list and live up to the demands of an audience who expects you to be a free jukebox.

Some bands try to play others' songs but end up being terrible at it and end up writing their own stuff but then may become the next U2 or Metallica. But the vast majority of all-original bands get very few gigs and usually disband after a short stint. I was one of those all-original snob musicians back then and wrote a lot of songs, recorded, but played out very little. If I had it to do all over again, I would do both and write and record at home but play out and get many gigs, and big ones at that, doing top 40 cover songs.

Jefe, maybe it's you? If you dig the music and dig your bandmates, go with it. Take it to every extreme you can. No reason to be so uptight about a band name. Or maybe suggest one.

All this in good fun, of course!

lol.. I don't think I'm being uptight about it, am I? If there's already a local band using the name that we wanted to use, then we need to think up a new one, don't we? At this point, that's my only criteria - that the name isn't already taken by another band in our immediate area.

I've suggested several band names - at least 20, all shot down. Some of the other names that the other guys have come up with were actually quite good, but were shot down by the other guitarists who is actually a bit uptight - he hates any name with a sexual inuendo, for example, because he's "got teenagers". Hell, I have teenagers too, but they like some of the more risque names.. because they're teenagers!

Just be glad that one guy in the band (prob the singer) doesn't insist the band should be named after him.

That always makes things fun.

I'm sure he would love that, actually. As it is, he only likes the names that he comes up with.. he doesn't care for any others.

Some bands try to play others' songs but end up being terrible at it and end up writing their own stuff but then may become the next U2 or Metallica. But the vast majority of all-original bands get very few gigs and usually disband after a short stint. I was one of those all-original snob musicians back then and wrote a lot of songs, recorded, but played out very little. If I had it to do all over again, I would do both and write and record at home but play out and get many gigs, and big ones at that, doing top 40 cover songs.

It's 2012 now. There are so much more possibilities than there were decades ago. Reaching people has never been easier than it is now, as evidenced by all of us having this conversation with the greatest of ease. If one knows how to market and sell themselves online well, they could quite possibly reach way more people with their product than they could busting their asses going from gig to gig constantly.

For example, here's a guy doing an original song who never even left his bedroom and became pretty huge. He was just great and sold himself really well, so he went viral. I mean, he's pretty hard not to pay attention to.

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And once you're at that level, getting gigs isn't a thing.

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It's 2012 now. There are so much more possibilities than there were decades ago. Reaching people has never been easier than it is now, as evidenced by all of us having this conversation with the greatest of ease. If one knows how to market and sell themselves online well, they could quite possibly reach way more people with their product than they could busting their asses going from gig to gig constantly.

For example, here's a guy doing an original song who never even left his bedroom and became pretty huge. He was just great and sold himself really well, so he went viral. I mean, he's pretty hard not to pay attention to.

And once you're at that level, getting gigs isn't a thing.


Technology has helped things greatly and there was this young teen who started his rap career from YouTube and I saw him on the Today Show. The odds of going viral with a song and then having others buy it is still very, very rare. That being said, it was close to impossible to make it in the days before the computer. The fact that the next group of young stars has no idea how hard it is keeps them in this crapshoot and guarantees a steady supply of artists/bands to choose from.

I'm in a cover band and the band's name is the same as mine. My band mates picked it. You can never be kicked out of a band that has the same name as you.

It's 2012 now. There are so much more possibilities than there were decades ago. Reaching people has never been easier than it is now, as evidenced by all of us having this conversation with the greatest of ease. If one knows how to market and sell themselves online well, they could quite possibly reach way more people with their product than they could busting their asses going from gig to gig constantly.

For example, here's a guy doing an original song who never even left his bedroom and became pretty huge. He was just great and sold himself really well, so he went viral. I mean, he's pretty hard not to pay attention to.

And once you're at that level, getting gigs isn't a thing.



But the songs still have to be good. Or a total joke (Like Chocolate Rain, or Friday) if you want to get noticed.

And when you get the gigs you need to be able to deliver. Making videos in your bedroom is no substitute for actually getting out there and playing for real people.


However we digress..


To the OP, I'm more concerned that you've been rehearsing for nine months and you're still trying to get together enough songs for a set.

Nine months? I'd say a name is the least of your troubles.

To the OP, I'm more concerned that you've been rehearsing for nine months and you're still trying to get together enough songs for a set.

Nine months? I'd say a name is the least of your troubles.

Yeah, the band has other problems for sure, you are absolutely right.

edit to elaborate a bit: Since I joined the band we have played at two parties, the last of which was two weeks ago in my back yard for my birthday party. We did 25 songs, but we obviously need more than that. I think they're actually a bit nervous about the whole idea of playing out, and they'd just rather have fun playing in the basement. Unfortunately, I need more than that.. I feel like I've been bitten by the bug, and I want to play out!

Playing at parties is fun, and it's great practice, but I feel we should at least have a consistent name. We keep changing it, lol..

At this point, I think I'm just pissing off the drummer/singer. He obviously wants to be the leader of the band, and I'm more than happy to let him lead. I just have a problem with band names that are already in use within, say, a 250 mile radius of our location. Something that wasn't a complete cliche would be nice, but is probably too much to ask for from these guys.

The band I was in last year was called the Duvets, because it was a covers band.
My idea...

The band I was in last year was called the Duvets, because it was a covers band.
My idea...


http://img3.harmony-central.com/acapella/ubb/rimshot.gif


I know of a Tragically Hip cover band called The Hip Replacements.

The band I was in last year was called the Duvets, because it was a covers band.
My idea...

Excellent. :lol:

Never had a problem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEUk7qy4F34

I'm in a 9 piece cover band -with a horn section - and when I came up with the name it had to be catchy, convey the spirit of the music, and be unique. Many people have commented about how much they like the name and several have theories about its meaning too!

When we launched GROOVE HAMMER there was no othe band in the world with the name. Six months later there was a band in Russia that ripped us off by changing it to The Groove Hammers!!!

Be sure when you search us on YouTube that you search Groove Hammer and not those other b*****ds!

www.groovehammer.ca

My buddy's in a cover band that's made up of all teachers from the school he teaches at. They're called "Staff Infection."

My buddy's in a cover band that's made up of all teachers from the school he teaches at. They're called "Staff Infection."

THAT is awesome.

They're really good too.

In my warped world, I instantly equate how much I will like a cover band by how much I like their name.

I won't give the name of the band I play in, although 1.46 million other bands use it. The band's alter-name is Kosher Goat. I'm the only member who likes it...

I'm in a cover band and the band's name is the same as mine. My band mates picked it. You can never be kicked out of a band that has the same name as you.

I was in an original band with the name of the bassist who wrote and sang all the songs and we sounded pretty good. It's only when he tried to be in bands as a member that he couldn't fit in. He couldn't be 1/3 of a band if there were three people or 1/4 of a band if there were four. The least he could be would be 85% percent of any band. ;) Imagine Tom Jones, Elvis, or Madonna being part of an act that isn't one with their name on it.

I was in another band that was half covers and half originals and for lack of a name we named it after the singer as a working title. We never came up with another name so it stuck. For some odd reason, clubs and just anyone in general paid far more attention to us when we were as a name of a person and not just some random name like the Alligators or the Cadillacs or something. With a name of a person, I guess people assumed we had our act together and at least one person in the band was professional enough to step up and use the leader's/singer's name and back it up. For the most part, nobody has generated the interest in sales, concerts, and aftermarket products quite like the solo artists like Sinatra, then Elvis, and Michael Jackson.

a popular 80's band in Oz was called..

Weddings,Parties,Anything....

perhaps they started doing covers?.. they are mostly remembered for their original songs...

a cover band name?.. the (Tele) Chrome Ashtrays...

Corny Cliche

Just hash out your differences at Waffle House, I'm sure you'll come up with some hotcake ideas that the band will flip over!!! Like this one...

"Smothered And Covered"...

Corny, but probably not used... :lol:

Franc Robert

Close. There is a band called Scattered, Smothered, and Covered :)

http://www.scatteredsmothered.com/

I first use the name Damn Dirty Apes in 2001 and wasn't aware of any other bands using it when I chose it. Turns out there are several, including one out of Asia that seems to have had some modicum of success.

One of the latest suggestions from the band was "Beer Money". A quick google search showed that there are already several bands with this name, including one right accross the sound in Long Island. :rolleyes:

We do rock covers, Beatles to Weezer to ZZ Top to Van Halen. Some pop & alternative stuff here and there.

Might go with something from a lyric line or album title that relates to the genre...

"Revolution"
"Two Days of Rain"
"Oh You Ate One Too"

etc

I'm in "Paul & Tom's Green Band." There's a band in Hawaii called "The Green Band" I don't want no trouble.

But the songs still have to be good. Or a total joke (Like Chocolate Rain, or Friday) if you want to get noticed.

And when you get the gigs you need to be able to deliver. Making videos in your bedroom is no substitute for actually getting out there and playing for real people.

I don't disagree with you on those points. Talent is talent, and it is an extremely important thing in a field like this.
I never said that shooting vids in a bedroom is a substitute for doing lives, but Tay Zonday did manage to get famous shooting videos in a bedroom. Silly as it may sound, I think it can't be overlooked.

The point I was trying to make is that I wouldn't be discouraged if it is difficult in the beginning to get gigs in an originals band. There are so many possibilities today, to the point where we don't need to be so reliant on record companies, venue owners, or what have you, to get notoriety. The tools and methods are available to us now to where we can build it ourselves, without them. We would just have to be able to utilize them well and be really good at what we do. Talent, good marketing, creativity, and all of that is still extremely important.

How do you think these boutique people carry out their businesses? Without the internet, they'd probably be sunk or would have never even began. One of the main ways they're able to sell more and more pedals and stuff is by word of mouth advertising on places like this forum (on the INTERNET!), because their products are good and people want to tell others about them. Well, the ones that are good that is : p

Why is it so hard for some people? And why so many cheesy cliches?

I joined a cover band about 9 months ago. We're trying to get a big enough set list to start playing out at bars. A few months ago, the bass player realized that the name they had picked more than two years ago was already taken by another local band. (I'd rather not give any band names right now, in case any of my bandmates start googling around and find this thread).

Now, their original name was a total cliche. Corny, and completely forgettable, IMO. So I was glad to see it go. I started thinking of other possible names, as did the other band members. No one likes my names.. maybe my ideas are too "out there" or something. Everyone else's names are either too corny, or so cliche that the name is already taken by another local band!

I guess it's because of the nature of cover bands. We're playing other people's songs, not originals, so the idea of an original band name must be foreign to these guys.

I'd just like the name to be catchy, memorable, etc.. but that is apparently too much to ask. At this point, I have given up on thinking of names myself, and just google the names they think of to see if it's taken already. *sigh*

I use to be in a band with a guy who was in the same predicament as you.

Anything he didn't come up with was "corny" or "cheesy" or a "cliche"

He was a good player but he had to go.









.........

Just be glad that one guy in the band (prob the singer) doesn't insist the band should be named after him.

.

Well it took us a few years and a few Cheezy names to get him to name the band with his name !

The Tim Cook Band

Haggard to Hendrix....

I use to be in a band with a guy who was in the same predicament as you.

Anything he didn't come up with was "corny" or "cheesy" or a "cliche"

He was a good player but he had to go.


I'm not sure it's the same predicament.

For the record, I've liked quite a few of the names that the other guys have come up with (it's the drummer/singer who shoots down every idea that he didn't personally think of). Some of the other ideas have been completely cliche, as evidenced by the fact that there are often several other bands that have already used the name(s). Still others I've felt were corny, but I accepted them because no other bands in our area have used the name.

Bottom line, I've been completely open to every idea they bring forth (corny or not), until I find that another local band has already used the name.

Getting the other three to agree with each other has actually been the biggest problem. Three of us will like it, the forth guy doesn't. And I have not shot down a single name idea. My point is, I think I've been agreeable and patient during this whole ordeal.

We're supposed to decide on a name tonight. Wish me luck.

Put em in a hat and have someone draw one out, that's your name, then get on with rehearsal. This from " Mudcat and the Bottomfeeders.
I've read that names that start with a " B" are a good choice.

Most cover band names are bad because they really don't need to be that good. Pub and bar covers gigs don't need anything specific, so long as it can be written in public without anyone being sued for obscenity. A pro wedding and parties band ought to be a bit more sensible, not to appeal to anyone in particular but rather not to sound inappropriate to anyone in particular. A high rent function band name should sound a bit slicker, to appear professional and appeal to the high budget customers, but that sort of name is often quite bland, by nature.

Then again, in an alternative universe, if one of your band members suggested The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, would anyone go for it? Or U2? Pearl Jam? Nirvana? Hell, 'Metallica' sounds like a bad metal covers band to me. Band names are generally quite bad, but if the band is good, the name becomes synonimous with the music, and that is all you want, at the end of the day.

After all, even 'The Beatles' is just a cheezy play on words.