Generations of Musical Bands

For decades and decades we’ve heard, “Just what is that noise the kids are listening to? It’s not music!” I heard my parents say it, and I admit, I've said it myself about the music my kids like to listen to.

OK, I’ll admit it; I am over 50 and perhaps not hip or a member of the “in” crowd nowadays. And yes, I know that when I was young we had some bands with unusual names like Steely Dan, AC/DC, Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show, and Earth, Wind,& Fire. And do you remember Motorhead, The Kinks, the Cure, Kiss, Triumph, The Village People, and Genesis?

But have we really changed all that much? At least, are the band names that outrageous and more unusual these days? I thought it might be fun to look at the names of some of the modern band names, and perhaps try to determine if there is any sort of pattern or similarity between the old and the new.

In years gone by we had bands named for places: Kansas, Chicago, Alabama, America, and Boston. Currently, there are new bands also named for a place: Alabama Shakes, The Suburbs, Swedish House Mafia, Stalagmites, Steep Canyon Rangers, and Carolina Chocolate Drops. OK, not so bad yet.

We had groups of family members who formed bands back in my day.  Perhaps you've heard of The Jackson 5, The Everly Brothers, The Osmonds, The Allman Brothers Band, The Backstreet Boys, Doobie Brothers, The Oak Ridge Boys, and The Beach Boys.  I must mention my mom's favorite:  The Statler Brothers.  I discovered new family-named groups: the Jonas Brothers, Blood Brothers, The Chemical Brothers, Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and The Okee Dokee Brothers...and possibly Twisted Sister belongs in this category!

OK...there is also a new band called OK Go and another called Fun. (don’t forget the period…it is part of their name…some kind of trademark infringement compromise). In the 70s we had Yes, The Sweet, Heart, Toto, Poco, and Gentle Giant.

But not all of them are so nicey-nicey sounding. What of Black Sabbath, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Grateful Dead, and The Victims from the 70’s? Today we have: Sistema Bomb, Arcade Fire, Them Crooked Vultures, Vampire Weekend, Alice in Chains, Skeleton Suite, Evil Blizzard, Anthrax, Megadeth, Death at Sea, and Poltergeist.

A play on animal names has often been used when naming bands. You of course have heard the Eagles, the Monkees, and the Beetles. How about T. Rex, Whitesnake, Scorpions, Sweathog, Three Dog Night, or the Pussycat Dolls? Today, animals are still in the mix: Bird, Gnarwolves, Hookworms, Band of Horses, Toucans, Ratking, Malawi Mouse Boys, and O.W.L.S

Then there are the inanimate objects that find their name into names of bands: Pontoon, Pins, Chain of Flowers, Bloom, Cracker, Broken Bells…those are from today but from the 70s I remember going to a concert by Bread with an opening act by Jelly.  And Meatloaf was a real favorite--the band, not necessarily the food.

OK, let’s move on to those names so good they named them twice: Duran Duran; Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs; Everything, Everything; Ra Ra Riot; Mary Mary; The Ting Tings, Django Django, and Saint Lou Lou.

There are an alarming number of bands that seem to be in code: ZZ Top, ELO, U2, BeeGees, UFO, BTO, Status Quo, a1, B1A4, 2D14, M83, SWV, Blink 182, Sum 41, 311, 911, 2PM, 2AM, JLS, SS501, B5, N Sync, Plan B, TVXQ, and R.E.M…(pause, take a deep breath!)

Let’s not forget those with colorful names: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Green Day, Blue Oyster Cult, Cream, Maroon 5, The Black Keys, and the Moody Blues.

Similar to Prince, King Crimson, and Queen in the 70s, today we have more royalty: Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum, Throne, and Casting Crowns.

Yet other musical group names seem to be rather nonsensical or just make you wonder what it means. Perhaps you've already figured out why these groups were named as they were: The Guess Who, Jefferson Starship, Journey, The Velvet Underground, ABBA, Creedance Clearwater Revival, Dire Straits, Uriah Heep, Nirvana, The Doors, Rush, and Grand Funk Railroad. So now, tell me what is the meaning of these names: The Time Jumpers, Eminem, Stone Cold Pilots, Sundowners, Angel Haze, Chips for the Poor, Braxton Hicks, Doldrums, Dirt Box Disco, Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Grascals, The Minx, and Scott and Charlene’s Wedding? 

Hmm...And would Scott and Charlene’s Wedding ever play a concert fronted by Braxton Hicks…or would that be too weird?

Then there are those bands named perhaps for family names: The Maccabees, Foster the People, The Band Perry, Hanson, Dave Clark 5, and Wilson Phillips.

Perhaps an insult to proper English: Dysfunkshun Junkshun, Styx, Limp Bizkit, Fidlar, Chvurches, Skrillex, Korn, and Linkin Park (also a challenge to my spell-checker!)

Finally, let’s wrap up with some of the most odd names—in my opinion anyway: Depeche Mode, Guns ‘N Roses, A-ha, Pearl Jam, Bullet for My Valentine, Skillet, Nickelback, Hootie & The Blowfish, Screaming Trees, and Smashing Pumpkins. And two more that make you wonder why: Caught in the Act. Busted.

So it seems that this new generation is not all that different from mine—at least not in the naming of the bands. There will probably always be nonsensical or familial patterns, and ever puzzling band names—now and then!  Enjoy the tunes!