names / band
Looking for a name for a band
Band names break the rules of business names. Specifically: weirder is better. The best band names are nouns and adjectives that have no business being together.
- Two nouns that don't go together ruleArcade Fire. Vampire Weekend. Cigarettes After Sex.
- A verb + the noun ruleDrive Like Jehu. Why? Because it's fun.
- A definite article + an unexpected plural ruleThe Strokes. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The National.
- A specific cultural object ruleBelle and Sebastian (a children's book). Iron & Wine (a hardware-store sign).
- A misheard phrase ruleSteely Dan. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Most band names started this way.
- A made-up word ruleBeyoncé. Radiohead. Coldplay.
- A name that sounds like a person but isn't ruleFrank Turner is a person. Joanna Newsom is a person. Stage names work too.
- Avoid 'Project' or 'Collective' ruleUnless you're an actual collective.
- Avoid 'The Such-and-Such Experience' ruleHendrix earned it. You haven't.
- If it makes a fifteen-year-old groan, you're close ruleCheesy is the genre.