By Heather Matthews
Staff Writer

Recycled Percussion This Goff stown band’s name is clear-cut, informative and simple. It states exactly what they do and who they are. Justin Spencer, the group’s frontman, came up with the name when the guys performed at a Goff stown High School talent show 11 years ago. They play on items that are recycled from the trash, including trash cans, buckets, pots, pans and even the kitchen sink.

Last Kid Picked The original member of Last Kid Picked bestowed the honor of picking the group’s name on John DeGange. DeGange came up with a list of 50 names, and the group agreed on The Jackalopes. No one quite understood what Jackalopes were, and the name fell on deaf ears. The group went back to the list and decided on Last Kid Picked. Last Kid Picked referred to DeGange’s fifth-grade gym class and being the last kid picked for everything. But that’s not all it means, DeGange said. “It didn’t have to be a band name,” he said. “It could just be a way of life. T-shirt sales have been better simply because people can relate to being picked last.”

Scalawag There are a few different meanings for the term “Scalawag.” According to singer/guitarist/harmonica player Liam Spain, the one that most closely fits the band is “persons of poor behavior.” The name came after singer/guitarist Peter Gustafson wrote a song with the same title.

Dementia 13 Al Benoit of Manchester is obsessed with old, classic horror films and his bandmates work as an EMT and a mortician. The group cleverly combines country, rockabilly and punk music in songs about dark themes like death. In order to tie together the band’s interests and their sound, Benoit, vocalist for the band, suggested taking their name from the Francis Ford Coppola film about an ax murderer – “Dementia 13.” “I really like all horror movies,” he said, “but the old horror films really have had a strong influence on our band and work.”

Mama Kicks Lisa Guyer and Gardner Berry formed Mama Kicks in 1994, but for the first six years of performing, the band toured simply as Lisa Guyer and Gardner. (Drummer David Stefanelli was added to the lineup in 2001.) While playing at Spatt’s restaurant, Berry stopped to talk to an inebriated fan, who gestured to Guyer and said, “Whoa. Mama Kicks.” A few months later, one of the group’s regular venues suggested they come up with a band name instead of using their own names. “(It was) too Simon and Garfunkel-ish, I guess,” Berry said. “With the Mama Kicks story fresh in our minds, we tried it and people loved the name and so did we. The rest is history.”

In the 1980s, a trio of young rebellious punk rockers were desperate for a name. Reading through a magazine during a drunken binge, the lead singer came across an advertisement for a baby doll and thought the toy’s name was perfect for his band.

When Johnny Reznik woke up the next day, he had a hangover and one of the worst names for a band in rock history – the Goo Goo Dolls. And while the group’s lineup and sound have changed several times during the last 20 years, their cheesy name hasn’t. Not all bands come up with their name on the spur of the moment or while incapacitated, however. Many put hours into coming up with the perfect moniker for their act. But what makes a good name?

Jacob Brown, drummer for Nashua’s Secondface, said the best names are ones that fit a band’s genre and tell you at first glance what a band is all about. Rage Against the Machine performed songs of political protests, and you wouldn’t expect Metallica to play anything but heavy metal music.

“You can associate the name’s sound with the type of band they are,” he said. “We couldn’t call ourselves the Lillyhoppers. That wouldn’t really work.”

Korn, Brown said, is also a great band name because it transforms something like a “stupid vegetable” into something rock ’n’ roll.

“It’s the music that makes it cool,” he said.

Jayce Longway has been involved with the Manchester music scene for more than 20 years and has had the task of naming several of his own bands. While having a clever name doesn’t hurt, the best names let the music speak for itself, he said.

A name like the Sex Pistols or the Rolling Stones or The Faces doesn’t overpower the music, but instead complements the band’s style, allowing audiences to get just a hint of what the band is about.

“The Sex Pistols was a terribly abrasive name for it’s time, but so was their music,” he said.

In Longway’s opinion, some of the coolest names in rock have said very little about the group’s music, but have affected the music scene profoundly. The ska band No Doubt’s name brought a commonly used phrase from the West Coast to the whole country.

But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how cheesy, lame or great a band name is; it’s all about the music behind that name.

“A name isn’t the be all, end all,” said Joe O’Brien, president of Rat Pack Records. “Some may stink, others are great. If you’re name is a little cheesy, but at the end of the day you have people coming to your shows, that’s what it is all about.”

Vegas Temper
According to Rat Pack Records President Joe O’Brien, when bandmates Chris Taylor, vocals; Jimmy Mags, guitars; Keith Willey, bass; and Justin Pace, drums; were kicking around the idea of including the city’s unofficial moniker – ManchVegas – the name Vegas Temper just came together.

Betterman’s Rule
After hours of brainstorming, bassist Bobby Whitworth of Betterman’s Rule had some possible names for his group, but none of them really struck him. When he started sifting through his CD collection for inspiration, he came across the Beastie Boy’s song “Futterman’s Rule” off “Ill Communication.” He loved the fl ow, but didn’t think “Futter” was very rock ’n’ and roll. Trying to maintain the sound of the song title, Whitworth racked his brain for a replacement. He struck gold with one of his favorite songs – Clint Black’s “Better Man.”

“Perfect,” he said. “It wasn’t until after our fist gig that I remembered Pearl Jam also had a song named ‘Betterman.’ Then even later, we found out that Better Man is a male enhancement drug. Even Better. That means men with ED could potentially come across us in a Google search and buy a CD.”

Choosing the name was a “no-brainer,” Whitworth said. It fit with the direction songwriter Pat Page wanted to go with the songs and has come to mean a way of life, an attitude of living life well, sticking to your convictions and being good to people.

Manchester High School
Manchester High School is an inside joke between Jayce Longway and a bandmate. Both performers had been in competing bands for several years. The name not only shows they consider themselves alumni of the Manchester music scene, but also that they are proud to be from the Queen City. “It speaks volumes without it saying too much,” he said.

Crazy Jane
”Crazy Jane” is actually a recurring character in the poetry of William Butler Yeats, said Corey Paff ord. “Our singer Chris Enus had used it for a previous band and brought it up to us when we were trying to think of names. When nobody objected, it stuck.”

Traces David
Traces David isn’t your typical emo group. Instead of following in the steps of their famous emo counterparts, choosing a name such as Glory Fades, I’m Crying or Kill Me, frontman Dan Kennedy wanted the group to put a more positive message out there.

Traces David is a biblical reference to the story of David and Goliath. David is beaten, but grows and gains from his experience.

“He’s able to come back and take on Goliath with pinpoint accuracy,” Kennedy said. “So, while we may not be very good right now, and the world might suck right now, and love might suck right now, hopefully one day we’ll tackle the music industry, violence will cease and everyone will find love.”

Secondface
Secondface came from lead singer Mike R.’s attempt to name the band Two Face to reference the duality of people, their personalities and their responsibilities, said Jacob Brown, the band’s drummer. But Two Face had too many bad connotations, and the band wanted to have a more positive name.

“We’re all diff erent people than we are in the band,” Brown said. “It’s about going off in two diff erent directions to two diff erent places, but we left it open for others to get their own meanings from the name, too.”

Roxy Nightengale
The name for this all-original traditional rock quartet is a metaphor for an ex-girlfriend, said band member Jayce Longway. “Roxy is the ultimate stripper name, and Nightengale makes you think of Florence Nightengale – the ultimate sweetheart,” he said.