Perfect Band Names

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“While I’ve picked up my guitar less than 10 times since college, I’ve become a sort of Dave Grohl of imaginary musicians, with enough names for a main band, several side projects and the supergroup I plan to form years from now with Dan the Automator and members of Journey.

My current Top 5 band names, in descending order of coolness:

5. Cabana Boy
4. Gondor Calls for Aid … And Rohan Will Answer!
3. M.C. Gordon Getty and the New Kennedys
2. Bastards!
1. Surefire Harbinger of Doom”
Got the perfect name for a band? It’s probably destined for failure, by Peter Hartlaub, SF Chronicle, January 26, 2005

Those are great names! I love reading about band names, and those band name generators you find online rock. But really, is it the music or the name?

Ringo: John thought of the name Beatles, and he’ll tell you about it now.
John: It’s just that it means Beatles, isn’t it, you know? That’s just a name, like “shoe.”
Paul: “The Shoes.” See, we could’ve been called “The Shoes,” for all you know.
(The Beatles: What’s in a Name?)

I think a good name for a band would be The Verbing Nouns.

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Maria is Co-Founder & Creative Director of Catchword Branding and has personally created hundreds of brand names, including Asana, Upwork, Vudu, and

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