What does it take for a band to achieve success in the music industry? You will probably say a solid chorus, talented musicians or seamless music composition. Well, no doubt these are important to any band’s future. Sometimes a catchy name helps a band to grab attention in the overcrowded vaults of the Internet. A band name can mean the difference between fame and another five years of band practice in a friend’s garage.
Most of the eye-catching bands have interesting stories behind their group title. Whether it is getting inspiration from a sewing machine or a thesis, here are 6 intriguing tales of how the names of some popular bands came to fruition.
AC/DC
The rumors that the name is anti-catholic run rampant during the debut of this Australian band in 1973. However, this is not the truth; AC/DC doesn’t mean “Anti- Christ/ Devil Child” or “Anti- Christian/ Devil’s Crusade.” In fact, the story is more mundane, and the name is actually borrowed from an old sewing machine that had a sticker that read AC/DC. This was the sewing machine that was used by Angus Young’s sister for making his uniform.
Childish Gambino
One night while Donald Glover was hanging out with his friends, they just decided to give the Wu-Tang clan random name generator a try. After putting his name in, Glover realized that he had stumbled upon gold. This is how Childish Gambino was born, thanks to the name generator.
Shed 7
Do you know a railway shed is an inspiration behind the name of Rick Witter’s awesome band? While on their way back to York, a small outhouse in the sidings with ‘Shed 7’ daubed on it captured the attention of the Yorkie crew and they got the name for their band.
30 Seconds To Mars
Well, this name actually came from a thesis by a former Harvard professor that the group found online. The thesis described that human race is on an exponential technological curve that is 30 seconds to mars. They though the phrase best describes their music, and that’s it the band found its name.
Alt-J
When you open up a blank Google document in an Apple computer and hold down the “alt” key and hit “j,” it creates a delta symbol. This is the symbol that is rampant in all of Alt-J’s branding. It signifies the common theme of change in their music.
Free Cake For Every Creature
The love of baking inspired lead vocalist Katie Bennett to give this cute and quirky name to her band. She filed her music under this heading on iTunes, and the title is a sort of metaphor for love for everyone. If someone gives you a free cake, you will love them forever. So, the name makes sense.
Shakey Graves
Shakey Graves also has a fascinating story behind its name. It got its title from a chance encounter with a gentleman at the Old Settlers Music Festival. The man was brandishing a bottle of warm beer while sitting around a campfire with Shakey and his friends.
His friends humored him for a period of time, and he bid them farewell with a piece of advice that is “watch out for those spooky wagons!”
This was when the group thought it would be a great Texas guitar player name and then everyone around the fire started giving each other equally unique monikers. And thus the name “Shakey Graves” was born and he decided to stick with it.
Now that you know the real story behind some of your favorite band name, it’s time to indulge in the music you love. You can listen up to your favorite band and enjoy the royalty free music free of charge on many websites.
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