blog post Live on CBC Radio 3: Rebranding w/ The Zolas (formerly known as...)

wow, best blog intro pic i've seen in quite a while!

you beat me to the punch.

but i don't really damn you.  sorry.

great picture! 

Very topical conversation, as Smothered in Hugs *just* changed their name to English Words!  I am a bit disappointed, as I was really used to SiH, but it was a good time to change it, and their reasoning behind the change and the new name is good.  Listen to Grant's interview to hear all the dirt!

Martin

It took me forever and a day to give You Say Party! We Say Die! a listen because when I heard the name, I felt it was just trying way too hard. Conjured up the notion of apersona heavy band, lacking in content that suited my tastes. I am still am not entirely sold on the name.

But the music… I am glad I got past my hang ups.

Paper Lions opened for Young Galaxy at the Legendary Horseshoe Tavern in October, and damn if that wasn't as fine an opening act as I'd seen all year.

Aidan Knight opening for Patrick Watson in Vangroovy was pretty awesome as well.

The answer is Owen Pallett used to be Final Fantasy.

XL Retro CBC Tee please.

and we all jumped the gun anyway.  pity.  i hate having to be patient. but i like that martin and lee are giving away potential answers...

you're totally cheating and looking ahead.

cheater.

i know some people who openly "disliked" (i'm downplaying here..) chucky danger.

then paper lions comes onto the scene and those same people LOVE paper lions.

i laugh.

i was going to mention the SiH/english words, but martin is faster than i am.

Dayglo Abortions! I was fourteen and anything in your face was a good thing!

And don't forget Me, Mom, and Morgantaler! Oh Canada!

i was thinking the same thing.

PLEASE DISREGARD, TARIQ! (cause those are the only two i'll probably be able to guess... i heart t-shirts...)

any new band that comes out that has the words, crystal, wolf, wood, kids, girls or starts with japan in it usually makes my eyes roll a little but i still listen to and like a bunch of them.

Oh, and is the answer to the next one Stars?

speaking of smothered in hugs, i (shamefully) admit that i wrinkled my nose and may have said something along the lines of "seriously..?) when i first heard of them.

until i heard them play.

there have been bands that i've definitely judged based on their name, and really put off listening to them because of that. i can't think of any at the moment, though.

well, there's one local band which i still put off seeing, i'd rather not name them, though, because they are great people. just a seriously dumb band name. i feel pretty terrible, but from what i've been told of their sound, i don't think they're really my style anyway. i really do need to just suck it up and find out for myself, though. i think i'm scared i really won't like them, then my feeling of terribleness would be ten-fold.

avoidance, sometimes i'm the queen.

ooooo who who?  :)

I never liked Moist. I hate saying the word, so it was hard to listen to the band.

I once saw a country band at a wedding called The Tragically Hick...what's not to like there?

I do believe I read not to long ago that Fucked Up consciously chose the name to put limits on their commercial viability. I was initially put off by the overblown vocal tracks as well but have been turned into a really big fan after sitting down with the album and liner notes that included the lyrics. A lot of good stuff going on there. This is a mattyjames2001 line, but it bears repeating; "Anyone who sings 'it's hard enough being born in the first place, who would ever want to be born again?' in a song entitled Son the Father wins a listen from me"

Vailhalen

Hot Little Rocket weren't they?

band name turn on? Hey Ocean! is one for sure.

I listened because I dug their name. Turns out they were awesome.

well according to their myspace.. 

Drummer Joel Nye stayed busy with his other band, Hot Little Rocket

So perhaps that's where you're getting that from? 

One of my favorite Edmonton bands in the early 2000's was The Tom Cruise Missile but I suppose due to legal issues they had to change their name... and they went with Champion, Alberta. Not a better name, not a worse name but perhaps not as unique? At least the music wasn't affected. I miss that band.

Tee shirt AND sunglasses! Who scores?!!!

...but what about other musical re-brandings?  Like, for instance, working titles of songs or albums before they're released?

Who's the most famous rebrand?  I'd say David Bowie.  Original name David Robert Jones.

The scifi/cop show Fringe had a shoutout to David Bowie last season and called one of their villains David Robert Jones.  It makes such a great evil dude name with its blandness, doesn't it?

Interestingly, nobody took David Bowie's kid Zowie Bowie seriously until he established himself as a brand with his original birth name - Duncan Jones.  His movie Moon was released last year to critical acclaim.

Had to, in the same way that Charlatans had to add the UK to the end of their name. Bands already existed with those names in North America, when they crossed the pond.

They sucked with or without the X.

right...mmhmmm...yahhh.

i heart you tariq

...rather than the "changing names" aspect, what are the most successful bands, in terms of the name reflecting the music?

Metal bands. Thrash m., speed m. death m. etc.

Seems to me you know in advance what general kind of music Slipknot plays, for instance.

(Incidentally (bekuz of Strange Animal now playing), The Acorn's lead guy, Rolf Klausener, is opening for Kate Maki at the Sheep this Friday.)

... I'm obviously hoping the question is a repeat of previously mentioned info!

I dunno, clearly I answered that question back in post [5]... ;)

Dang right Hey!Ocean is a great name .

My daughters name is Ocean . It is also the name of a great little Lady I and my ex met out Vancouver way and named our first born after . :+)

If you re out there Ocean . HI !!! and now you know I keept my word . Hope you are well.

What any of that has to do with band names is beyond me but being the proud Dad I am I thought i d mention it .

oh and God bless the Ocean! It needs a bit of help me thinks .

Yah, I knew that Kane had left and then came back. And it made sense that without Kane's vocals they couldn't really be Grapes. But I remember loving the Grapes Being Here, owning a Ginger shirt, and then hearing that the Grapes had reunited - and never once leaving the G section at the record store.

I was quite fond of Sex With an Angel

Hawksley Workman...Ryan Corrigan, I am entering it as I hear it online at work out here in Calgary, AB

I once knew a guy named Daley Seaman. He changed his last name. Not really on topic, but sort of.

clearly not true...

http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/volcanoes/index_e.php

You knew a Daley Seaman in Regina?

...

HAHAHAHAHAHA

another Tuesday giveaway, another meeting I'm in.

 poor me

May be the most famous now. I don't think he was all that well-known at he time , hence the name change-to avoid confusion with the Monkee (if I remember correctly)

Man, that Treelines song sure sounds like the Strokes.

i tried wolf parade because of their name, and the summer of 2005 was a wolf parade-athon. good memories, and i still like them.

i think in 2005 also (not sure why all of my memories are from 5 years ago), my friend asked me if i wanted to go see a band like a five minute walk away, called hot hot heat. and i was all...no thanks...THEN the next month i liked them. but then maybe two months later i didn't like them again and that lasted forever. so i think i trust my gut name instincts, upon reflecting!

there was a pop company called seaman's beverages on pei.

i always felt a little bit disconcerted drinking it, and typically didn't. (but it wasn't very good, anyway..)

here's the link: http://vancouverisawesome.com/2010/01/25/songs-i-wish-id-written-zach-gray-of-the-zolas/

I know it because I wrote the rest of the article and my photos are up there.

Go read it!

Yukon BLonde = Alphababy

Alphababy

Alpha Baby!!

Yes I did! Well, sort of, I actually know his brother.

Sorry for the late reply. I'm actually doing WORK at work today!

damn computer freeze!!!

aaaand after reading that again I got the joke.... wamp wamp. haha.

yeah!!!

haha no worries.  I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off all day today.  Had a bake sale for Haiti at lunch and we got $1000!

where do you work? are you in my building? can you see me now......

yes indeed.  solidarity forever. do you ever go to the Blacksheep, btw?  that seems to be the only place I get out to shows these days...

mother

Mother

Mother

Yes it is a character in Zelda . Lame name .

I feel your pain aardvarkk

the dude from the zolas gave that one away

what was said the whale (ie ben & ty) before said the whale?

i'd (maybe) risk my radio3 tshirt that no one knows...

Manitoba!

snaiths manitoba

caribou = manitoba

the deers

Manitoba?

Manitoba

Caribou was Manitoba

Manitoba

In the works aardvarkk...in the works

You mean they don't give free things away every day Lee?  Damn!  he he.

you're going to TRY and make ash nervous about singing the anthems at the canucks game? shame. haha

(ps @blog... I'll be there!)