New Band Name Part II or Dr. Wanger and the Mental Midgets

So, off in the other room, my wife is blogging. You can go read it at T-Beri Blogs. Not to be outdone I felt it was time for a little blog action of my own.

On March fifth I blogged about my new band's search for a name. I told you that was the deadline for said new name and that we would have to have one picked by the end of the day. Well, not so much. We did play our debut show. On March seventh of 2012 we played a show at 2 My Place on Cortez Boulevard in Brooksville. We played 2 sets and it went pretty well, I think. Everyone seemed to have a good time. The only issue? The band name. I got frustrated trying to come up with a name that everyone liked and I put up a Facebook page for Rocket in Super8. That's what we went with. I want to book us some more shows but we really need a new name that everyone is happy with. Apparently all my suggestions are too long and complicated, and too "Science Fair Project" or something. Everyone says, "You need something simple." Here's the thing, bands have been naming themselves for longer than I've been alive. The simple names? Taken. If it's simple and it's not taken it obviously isn't any good. Since the show I have renewed my search for a new name with similar results to the last search. Wait, I thought of a great name. Oh, it's taken. By thirty-seven other bands. The search continues. So, here I am, begging you, my readers (yes, both of you) to comment below. Just give me a word. One word. Your favorite word. If you leave a word that ends up being (or being in) the band name, you win a prize (to be determined later) (Maybe a t-shirt or a sticker or both).

New Band Name

Today is the deadline for the new band to come up with a name. We're closing in on a month until the big debut show and it's time to start building a buzz and what not. You can't build a buzz if you don't even have a name.

Initially I thought we would use the name Fossils for Fuel. I've had it for awhile and have been wanting to use it for a couple different ideas but the others aren't in love with it. Plus, my flaming skull logo scared the drummer. Honestly, I don't think it's right for us myself.

So, I began searching for ideas. I started hitting up Wikipedia and thesaurus.com for ideas. Of all the names I came up with, my favorite by far is Rocket in Super 8. The rocket part should be self-explanatory but in case you don't get it, we're a "rock" band. You know, we're "rockin' it". Super 8, while some may say is a reference to a hotel chain, is actually a reference to old school Super 8 video cameras. So it's kind of retro, kind of sentimental. You know, we're "rockin' it old school", which works because it seems as though we will focus on classic rock in the cover stuff and the original stuff is very blues/psychedelic rock with a touch of Foo Fighters for good measure. Alas, the name is not a hit with the other band members. :(

Another old name idea that had come up in discussions, "Pilot in the Ocean", is a name I came up with a couple years ago. I have no idea where it came from but I liked the sound of it. When I got into steam punk I thought it would be a good name for a steam punk band. Apparently, they like this name. I don't dislike it, but I don't think it fits.

Just for the record, I hate naming bands. I'm not generally very good at it. Our band in high school was called "Eternal Illusion". After high school I put a band together that was going to be called "Next Day Heir" but eventually became "Scream 13". I once thought it would be cool to name a punk band "Courtney Killed Kurt". If we were a bunch of hot young Asian chicks I would want to call the band "Geisharai". Just for the record, that's not what we are.

My head is ready to explode. We need a name. Help. Please.

Spinning

It has been quite awhile since I last blogged. I can't say that there is really a whole lot going on in my music world right now. The cover band(s) have a few weeks off and I don't have any solo stuff going on at all. I do have a show with The Woeful Ones tomorrow night at Tre Amici in Ybor! I am, however, trying to be better about promotion and keeping people up to date about what's going on, even if that isn't very much, so in an effort to be more active I'm going to post about a new song that I wrote.

My wife will tell you that all my songs are about girls. She's not entirely wrong but but I do venture of the subject occasionally. That being said, this one is kind of about a girl but not really. On the surface it is written about a girl but really it's about a speaker. I know, I'm a geek. That's okay. For those that don't know there is a speaker called a Leslie Speaker. It isn't as popular as it used to be but some people still use it. Of course, it was designed to be used with Hammond Organs but guitar players fell in love with it and started using it with guitars. Jimi Hendrix did it. So did David Gilmore. You can hear it used with guitar in Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog songs. Stevie Ray Vaughn used it. Gov't Mule does too. The reason it is so cool is that the speakers inside either spin or are directed through a spinning part which makes a wonderful sound thanks to the Doppler effect. Have a listen to Temple of the Dog's "Say Hello To Heaven". The beginning of the song sounds the way it does because the guitar is running through a Leslie.



One of the best known uses of the Leslie speaker with a guitar is Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing".



Back to my new song. The song is called Leslie. To the average listener it is about a girl but it's really about the speaker. I love the sound of a guitar through a Leslie. So yeah, it's a love song.

I wrote the song with the intention of playing it with a band and using an electric guitar through, you guessed it, a Leslie speaker. I did play it a few weeks ago acoustically to positive reviews. Well, I should probably say review. There was a girl there that said it was her favorite song that I had played so far.

Anyway, here's the lyrics:

Leslie

She spins around my head – dizzying
& I have no place to hide
Don’t remember the words she said – admittedly
But still she lets me inside
Want to take her everywhere I go – take her with me
But she’s heavy like a word can sometimes be
I want to close my eyes when she talks to me
But I’m afraid she’d vanish from in front of me

Spin around me like a hurricane
Spin around me like a wheel speeding toward a cliff
And when your sadness makes you want to be still
I will keep you spinning – Leslie

She spins around my head – dizzying
& At that moment I need nothing else
In my head I know her love is fleeting
But I’m keeping that to myself



I’m keeping that for myself