Unfortunate Band Names that hold a band back from mass appeal.

Meat Puppets

 

The Drive-by-Truckers

I think a lot of classic rock, punk and indie rock fans dismiss them because the name sounds like a country band. Also, it makes no sense.

 

Brings to mind hipster beards and alt-country.

 

The 4 Skins

Teenage Jesus and the Jerks

James White and the Blacks

Although to be honest it wasn't just the names that kept them from reaching the mainstream.

 

Which is valid. The band predates both of those labels.

 

Garbage. Totally captured the sound of the 90's, but that name leaves something to be desired. They still managed to achieve a respectable level of popularity in spite of it.

 

The Bloody Stools
The Crucif*cks
****
The Space Negroes
The Gerogerigegege

 

I struggled a bit with how to tell my (at the time) 12-year-old daughter about a great new album by the New Pornographers.

 

How about "Dumpstaphunk"

 

Caught them live once, excellent, so funky they had two bassists!

 

The New Pornographers! Such a great band with so much talent and a completely horrible name! I almost feel I have to qualify their name as "unfortunate" when I tell others about them.

 

I saw them at the Wanee Festival in Florida and they kicked my butt! Wish I could find their stuff on vinyl.

 

I was seeing No Depression and listening to Alt-Country a long time before DBT came on the scene.

 

Hell, the Butthole Surfers still managed to have hits!

 

Yeah, they would've played NHL hockey arenas if they'd been called something else.

 

It helps that they titled most of their albums "Fresh Aire".

 

No depression 1990, first truckers album 1996? I really don't think the Truckers are Alt-Country at all nor would they call themselves that. Perhaps Southern rock/country punk.

 

Dead Kennedys -In poor taste IMO. They got back together when JFK jr died

 

Totally stupid name. And anyone with even a passing familiarity with Victor Borge knows that "!!!" is pronounced: "fshwoop-pop, fshwoop-pop, fshwoop-pop" "Chk, Chk, Chk" would be " ' ' '".

 

I've been a huge Toad fan ever since Fear came out, in spite of the name. And I'm a huge Monty Python fan too! I agree.

 

Give a listen to the 60s band Nirvana.

 

The Butthole Surfers name was the best part about that band.

 

Elvis Hitler, for obvious reasons. They'd never have been huge, but probably could have build a Horton Heat size following but for their name. And, in a related name, an acquaintance's son is the lead singer for Elvis Depressedly.

 

I don't think it had much to do with the name, but rather the limited amount of exposure to a wider market; something that was going to be addressed until the car accident messed up their plans.

Yeah, they were fairly big around here because they got the airplay.

 

I love the name, but it has a jokey quality was far more fitting in their early days than it is now.