How Did Chumba Get With Wamba?
For a rock band, choosing a name is a mighty ritual, one of the most important decisions to be made (right up there with T-shirt design and determining which obscure cover song will go on the B-side of the first single). The band name is a snapshot, a logo. It’s a summary of what the band sounds like, what it stands for, what it’s about.
The ideal name should not only convey the band’s essence, it must also speak eloquently to the consumer who hasn’t yet heard the band’s music.
Given that, you’ve got to wonder what the members of Toad the Wet Sprocket were thinking when it came time to cross this bridge. Or what, pray tell, inspired Smash Mouth? Or, most important, what the heck were the members of Jimmie’s Chicken Shack smoking when they came up with that name?
Unlike the Ralphs and the Petunias of the world, the bands listed below were not handed these names at birth. Out of all the rich linguistic combinations available, they chose these names. They have no one to blame but themselves.
Jamiroquai
Where it came from: Combination of “jam” and “Iroquois,” inspired by singer Jay Kay’s veneration of the American Indian tribe.
How does it fit? Well, for starters, they could use some tribal drums.
Save Ferris
Where it came from: Slogan emblazoned on the Wrigley Field scoreboard and other scenes in the John Hughes film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
How does it fit? Just listen to their needless ska remake of Dexy’s Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” and you’ll realize they cut a few classes in Originality 101.
Chumbawamba
Where it came from: There are two stories. 1. A band member dreamed he saw the sign “chumba” over a ladies’ room, and “wamba” over the men’s room, and didn’t know which to enter since neither word made sense. This resonated with the co-ed band. 2. It’s simply a nonsense word.
How does it fit? There’s nothing nonsensical about this funk-pop band whose politcal agenda is “Anarchy!”
311
Where it came from: Police code for indecent exposure.
How does it fit? To a T. The band is way overexposed.
BR5-49
Where it came from: The phone number for Junior Samples’ used-car lot on the country variety show “Hee Haw.”
How does it fit? Like “Hee Haw’s” quirky blend of hillbilly kitsch and country traditions, BR5-49 looks like a hammy homage to farm life, but its music is a spirited nod to Hank Williams’ legacy.
Smash Mouth
Where it came from: Football jargon used to describe a game with extremely aggresive blocking and tackling.
How does it fit? Like a jockstrap. This California punk-ska band known for “Walkin’ on the Sun” wouldn’t know subtle if it kicked them in the end zone.
L7
Where it came from: A 1950s euphemism meaning someone is a “square.”
How does it fit? It doesn’t. The all-female quartet is the very definition of punk-rock cool.
Matchbox 20
Where it came from: Dates back to the days when drummer Paul Doucette was a waiter. He and the guys were sitting around, he saw a matchbox on the table, someone was wearing a jersey with the number 20, and the rest is, well, history.
How does it fit? This would be the time to mention the band’s “childlike” sense of pop, childlike as in Matchbox cars. But really, who has the stomach for it?
Veruca Salt
Where it came from: A bratty character in Roald Dahl’s novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
How does it fit? Fairly well. This Chicago rock band’s singers, Nina Gordon and Louise Post, sometimes act like brats onstage.
Toad the Wet Sprocket
Where it came from: A Monty Python’s Flying Circus skit about a fictional inept rock band.
How does it fit? So-so. Toad might be boring, but at least it plays its instruments well.
Jars of Clay
Where it came from: 2 Corinthians 4:7, which reads, “We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
How does it fit? All-surpassing power indeed: Few Christian rock bands go platinum and score alt-rock radio airplay, MTV rotation and stories in Rolling Stone and Spin.
Jimmie’s Chicken Shack
Where it came from: A Harlem restaurant where Charlie Parker washed dishes and Malcolm X hung out before he became a Muslim.
How does it fit? The strongest link seems to come from the name’s inherent good-time quality and the band’s high-energy, ska-flavored rock.
Portishead
Where it came from: The gray, misty coastal town in England where band member Geoff Barrow grew up.
How does it fit? Like a glove. The band’s gloomy trip-hop feels like a dark fog.
Wu-Tang Clan
Where it came from: Nickname for a clan of martial-arts actors including Bruce Lee.
How does it fit? Like a fist in yo’ mouth. The Clan’s rap is tough and lethal.
Sons of the Desert
Where it came from: “Sons of the Desert” is the title of slapstick comic legends Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy’s 1933 film.
How does it fit? Like a square peg in a round hole. Sons of the Desert’s music is glossy country-pop devoid of personality - and humor.
Foo Fighters
Where it came from: A term World War II pilots gave to sightings of mysterious fireballs that seemed to follow their planes.
How does it fit? There’s nothing mysterious about the group’s straight-ahead punk-pop.
Catherine Wheel
Where it came from: Name for a pinwheel-shaped firework item, though the original was a spiked wheel used to torture St. Catherine in 1225 A.D.
How does it fit? Knowing how melodramatic this English band is, the original meaning makes for a better fit.
Counting Crows
Where it came from: An old British poem that said life is as meaningless as counting crows.
How does it fit? Perfectly. Brooding singer-lyricist Adam Duritz fancies himself an existential poet.
Everything But the Girl
Where it came from: A London furniture store that bragged about its ability to sell you anything but the girl behind the counter.
How does it fit? Awkwardly. If they had started with a name that better described their early-‘80s folk-pop, Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt might have broken through in America earlier.
Son Volt
Where it came from: Mixing the names of bluesman Son House and the Memphis soul label Stax/Volt.
How does it fit? Not so well. The Uncle Tupelo offshoot leans more toward country than blues or soul.
Crystal Method
Where it came from: The band mightily denies there’s a connection, but gosh, “crystal method” sure does sound a lot like glitzy speed drug “crystal methedrine.”
How does it fit? Crystal Method makes dance music. Some dance music fans often stay up all night. You figure it out.
Old 97’s
Where it came from: The old country-folk train song “The Wreck of the Old 97.”
How does it fit? It’s right on track. The Dallas band’s country-punk rhythms sound like a locomotive at full speed.
Geraldine Fibbers
Where it came from: A famous stripper from Ohio. How does it fit? Husky-voiced singer Carla Bozulich strikes provocative poses in publicity photos.
Sneaker Pimps
Where it came from: Named for an employee in the massive Beastie Boys organization whose sole function was to acquire Adidas sneakers.
How does it fit? You’d no more expect to see Sneaker Pimps’ singer Kelli Dayton wearing sneakers than you would expect to see the Beastie Boys having to shop at Foot Locker. As if.
Spring Heel Jack, Spring Heeled Jack
Where it came from: Jack is a mythical British character who jumps great distances - over fences, rooftops and so on.
How does it fit? Apologies to the dance-music band Spring Heel Jack, but the name really does fit the bouncy, ska-loving Spring Heeled Jack better.