Advice For Young Bands

If you’re a member of a budding new garage band, I have one small piece of advice. Don’t pick a stupid band name.

I’m in my twenties, its no longer acceptable for me to like bands with retarded names. It’s embarrassing. You are immediately making sure that I won’t like you if you name your band “Panic At The Disco” or “Hoobastank”. No one can feel good about liking a band with a ridiculous name. Keep them simple.

Nowhere is the dumb name trend more prevalent than rock. Limp Bizkit, Korn, Shinedown, Lamb of God, Burn Halo, Theory of a Deadman – these names suck. I’d feel like an idiot if I brought these up in front of people.

“Hey, what’s your favorite band dude?”

“Me. Well, I’m really a fan of the songwriting of Drowning Pool but I also like the harmonies and wordplay of Puddle of Mudd”

Stick to a guy’s name or something you can say in a crowd of people without feeling like a dumb asshole.

I don’t want to share my iTunes and have someone go through and be completely appalled at the horrible names I have. Your name is a serious thing. It needs to have staying power. I think its safe to say that the more ridiculous your band name, the more likely it is that you’ll be featured on a VH1 show for one-hit wonders or 100 worst bands of all time.

Just keep this in mind as you move forward as a new band. If you want to be successful, it starts with a name that doesn’t make everyone saying it look like a high school dropout.

Thanks.