Epigram crosstime parade

I really enjoy band names. They can convey so much with a few words. Their music notwithstanding, who could forget She Wants Revenge, the Refreshments, or the New York Dolls? Names are very personal; they can be obvious or arcane (the Jackson 5, U2), sober or silly (Nirvana, the Bare Naked Ladies), cerebral or juvenile (the The, the Go! Team). Some band names disappear without a trace after a few gigs, and some become so big they take on a life of their own. Off the top of my head, here are some good ones:

Staggered Crossing

the Plain White T's

Cold War Kids

Iron and Wine

Metric

Joy Division

Panic! at the Disco

Aerosmith

30 Odd Foot of Grunts

the Clash

the Postal Service

the Doors

the Beastie Boys

No Doubt

Counting Crows

the Pretenders

Iron Butterfly

Arcade Fire

Vampire Weekend

Smashing Pumpkins

Pink

Ill Scarlett

Sum 41



Now let's compare that to these stinkers:

Kid Rock

the Monkees

Bow Wow

Gob

the Eagles of Death Metal

Sugarland