Possum Hiss wrote:We are currently auditioning names

Texas Schoolbook Depository

Crotch Rocket

Fat Shit

Boating Enthusiast

I kinda hate them all, but TSBD is a cool set of initials.

IMHO, "Possum Hiss" is better than any of those. It reminds me of Ailing Raccoon which rules much booty.

Possum Hiss wrote:We are currently auditioning names

Texas Schoolbook Depository

Crotch Rocket

Fat Shit

Boating Enthusiast

I kinda hate them all, but TSBD is a cool set of initials.

Boating Enthusiast is definitely the best of these.

itchy mcgoo wrote:
IMHO, "Possum Hiss" is better than any of those.

Yes. Possum Hiss would be a great name.

I am in a band called Possum Hiss.

I'm Sorry Possum Hiss, you cannot use the name Possum Hiss.

Possum Hiss doesn't like the drama developing over the ownership of Possum Hiss. Possum Hiss has decided to squash the beef and end the feud by allowing you to use the name Possum Hiss and donating $50,000 to the Harlem Boys Choir in order to show the youth of black America a better way.

I've talked about the naming of my band about 1,000 times on this board, but for some reason chose to ignore this when making this inane post. Please ignore this!

Possum Hiss wrote:We are currently auditioning names

Texas Schoolbook Depository

Crotch Rocket

Fat Shit

Boating Enthusiast

I kinda hate them all, but TSBD is a cool set of initials.

I vote for Crotch Rocket. I love it.

My band is currently called Silver Stars. Use of the definite article is optional and somewhat discouraged. Seeing as it's comprised of only me at this point, it's quite possibly crap. But I like the sound of it, and the robots don't seem to mind it. When there were people around, it was called Fur. That is crap.

The only band I've ever been associated with was Naked Drummer, the gimmick being, had we ever got as far as an album cover, that everyone was nudey except for the sticksman. It seemed like a good name at the time, almost 15 yrs ago, now I'm not so sure, but I am certain that we would have ruled

Plus I'd have "warmed myself up" for the LP sleeve.

burun. Not Crap because it's a Japanese onomatopoetic term for the sound that breasts make when you unhook/take off a bra.

warbulator Not Crap because I misread it on a bus in Hong Kong, jetlagged out of my mind. The bus sign actually said "Wan Chai".

I've played a lot of gigs as a sideman for avant-jazz bands with very unfortunate names. Those names were Crap.

The next time I have a multi-member band, I will take a cue from John Lurie and call it the Jodi Shapiro National Orchestra. That way I have to take responsibility for the crappiness, if it exists.

joshsolberg wrote:I am now in The Transmissions, a name created before I joined. I like the name, but the pluralness of it makes it a bitch to come up with proper sentences: "The Transmissions is a band from Los Angeles, CA."

Allow me to assist, as the subject of the plurality or singularity of bands as entities is something Ive engaged editors about repeatedly. Here is what they said to me (and insisted I write).

Bands can be either singular or plural entities, depending solely on the type of band name. In the case of a band name like Fugazi or Shellac, it's a singular entity -- "Fugazi is a band from Washington, DC." However, in your band's case, it's a plural -- "The Transmissions are a band from LA." If you want to talk about Fugazi (or any other singular-band-named band) as I typically think of them, a collection of individuals, then you need to say something like "The members of Fugazi" to let readers know that youre talking about the individuals and not the indivisible singularity that the band is. Y'know, because of its name.

I still hate this seemingly arbitrary distinction and preferred to refer to all bands as plurals, as I saw all of them as collections of individuals. I presented lots of cases where the plurality of the name didnt equate to the individuals' status (Ringo was a Beatle, but is Wayne Coyne a Flaming Lip? And what about Bright Eyes?) and related how that was unimportant in the end, as all bands were, at their basis, collections of individuals regardless of whether the band's name was singular or plural. Unfortunately, it was all to no avail. Since it grated on my editors' grammarian nerves so, I eventually relented. Or, more precisely, was forced to relent.

Anyway, hope that helps. Your band name = plural.

endofanera wrote:

joshsolberg wrote:I am now in The Transmissions, a name created before I joined. I like the name, but the pluralness of it makes it a bitch to come up with proper sentences: "The Transmissions is a band from Los Angeles, CA."

Allow me to assist, as the subject of the plurality or singularity of bands as entities is something Ive engaged editors about repeatedly. Here is what they said to me (and insisted I write).

Bands can be either singular or plural entities, depending solely on the type of band name. In the case of a band name like Fugazi or Shellac, it's a singular entity -- "Fugazi is a band from Washington, DC." However, in your band's case, it's a plural -- "The Transmissions are a band from LA." If you want to talk about Fugazi (or any other singular-band-named band) as I typically think of them, a collection of individuals, then you need to say something like "The members of Fugazi" to let readers know that youre talking about the individuals and not the indivisible singularity that the band is. Y'know, because of its name.

I still hate this seemingly arbitrary distinction and preferred to refer to all bands as plurals, as I saw all of them as collections of individuals. I presented lots of cases where the plurality of the name didnt equate to the individuals' status (Ringo was a Beatle, but is Wayne Coyne a Flaming Lip? And what about Bright Eyes?) and related how that was unimportant in the end, as all bands were, at their basis, collections of individuals regardless of whether the band's name was singular or plural. Unfortunately, it was all to no avail. Since it grated on my editors' grammarian nerves so, I eventually relented. Or, more precisely, was forced to relent.

Anyway, hope that helps. Your band name = plural.

The editorial decisions of journalists, needless to say, do not always reflect standard rules of English usage. The rule in English is that singular nouns, even those referring to groups, get treated as singular unless you're specifically referring to members of the group. For instance, "The crowd is getting restless" or "That is a nice couple." On the other hand, one should say that "The couple were arguing." A single entity cannot argue with itself (unless it's crazy), so the plural is used since one obviously means that two people were arguing.

So, technically, "The Transmissions is a good band," but "The Transmissions are hitting on members of the audience"--unless, of course, they do this collectively.

Then again, it would sound odd to say "The Transmissions has a new album out on Sub Pop," so I don't know...