Music
6 Malaysian bands tell the story behind their quirky band names
You no longer need to wonder why Jaggfuzzbeats.
What’s in a name? In the case of bands, it could be a lot. From Toad the Wet Sprocket to Dogs Die In Hot Cars, band names are very much an essential part of band-lore. One could argue Death Cab for Cutie’s meteoric rise could be initially equally attributed to their zany name, as much as their delicious indie pop sound. It’s never certain though.
Just look at Coldplay. Nobody’s going to be rushing to attribute their world-conquering antics to their tepid moniker. But we can all agree an ‘interesting’ name can get you noticed. And more importantly, what is the story behind how they got those names to begin with? Wouldn’t you want to know how Jaggfuzzbeats came to deciding on their name? As such, we tracked down a few Malaysian bands to find out just what is the story behind their zany band names.
Jaggfuzzbeats
As it turns out, Jaggfuzzbeats’ music is as eye-catching as their name but just how did these indie guitar pop-meisters’ name came about? “It was my brother Azim's idea”, said guitarist/frontman Azrul. “We didn't have a big list of potential names. My brother just came up to me one day and suggested the name because he felt that it described us best. Jagg being my Fender Jaguar, fuzz the effect pedal and beats would be Omar. We just took up the name thinking it'd be temporary. Then, as time goes by, the name just stuck and grew on us.”
The song you have to check out: ‘Symmetry’ because it’s the tastiest guitar tune you will hear this year.
The song title most befitting their band name: ‘Damncoldurban’. A bunch of words slapped together without spaces? Where have we seen that before?
Nice Stupid Playground
Borneo local indie old hands Nice Stupid Playground has been plugging away in the local indie scene for a best part of 20 years now but most of us have absolutely no clue how their name came about until now, “We were avid skaters back in the early 90s and we used to skate at this playground that we made into our ‘skate ground’ situated just next to the Sarawak State Library”, shared bassist and founding members John Boniface. “But the playground was built between two busy main roads. So it was normal for us to get shouted and honked at by motorists if we accidentally skated onto the roads. When we finally got the band together, we decided to name it after that playground, which was nice to us, but also fairly stupid because it was dangerous. Unfortunately demolished to make way for a huge mall sometime in the late 90s.”
The song to check out: ‘Stereo Girl’. It was fantastic 17 years ago, it is still sounds fantastic now.
The song title most befitting their band name: ‘Nineteen’. Probably the age they gave up skates for bandmates.
Capt'n Trips and the Kid
Psychedelic rock combo Capt’n Trips and the Kid may have one of the most zany names around but it comes from a perfectly coherent source. “I was watching a documentary at the time and it was Bob Weir's ‘A Long Strange Trip’, a great documentary about psychedelic rock band The Grateful Dead when I had heard Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir's kooky nicknames given to them by the Merry Pranksters, a group of travelling hippies,” shared band member Jes Ishmael. “Jerry Garcia was ‘Captain Trips’ and Bob Weir was ‘The Kid’. As soon as I heard those names together, I knew I had to name my band after the two driving forces of one of earth's best jam bands. Watching the film really sparked something in me as so many elements of it were a reflection of my life and I wanted to pay homage to it by naming the band something that would remind me of that moment of pure motivation and love.”
The song you have to check out: ‘Pond’ because it’s a six-minute opening track and we should always reward the brave.
The song title most befitting their band name: ‘Dharma Chakra Parachute’ because it’s the song title that sounds like it could’ve been named by the Merry Pranksters as well.
Kyogg
Local electro rock duo Kyogg not only has a distinct sound which merges electro pop aesthetics with organic guitar soul, the band also has a name that is uniquely theirs. This makes sense since it came to them in a dream. “Kyogg is a mysterious word that came to me in a dream back when I was living in Tokyo”, said Kimal, one-half of the band. “There was an old man in it and he was wearing a t-shirt with the word ‘Kyogg’ on it. He was asking us for our songs in exchange for his soul. I ran a search of the word online later and found that nothing has ever been named Kyogg. It a no-brainer for us.”
The song you have to check out: ‘Tree House’ because it sounds like it was written by a soulful space cowboy on a synthesiser. It’s actually even better than that description.
The song title most befitting their band name: ‘Volemore’ because like their band name, it could look good on someone’s t-shirt.
The Venopian Solitude
Red Bull Music Academy alumni The Venopian Solitude is really the work of one riotous woman, Takahara. After being kicked out of a cover band for being too outspoken (for example, she suggested they bin their boring name), she decided to start her own band and wanted a lengthy moniker for herself after being inspired by bands with lengthy names such as Asian Kung-Fu Generation and My Chemical Romance. “Venopian Solitude was the first thing that came to mind”, she shared. The word ‘Venopian’ started out as a random word without meaning but over the years she’s come to define ‘Venopia’ as an alternate world we go into, watch people and then come back out and tell their stories.
The song you have to check out: ‘Tenangkan Bontot Anda’. (Calm your butt) Need we explain?
The song title most befitting their band name: ‘Mother Nature and Father Man-Made’. Long band names, long song titles.
RYÖTJONES
Funk soul brothers in arms RYÖTJONES may put on an energetic and confident show but that confidence comes from a sweet back story that’s linked to their name. “The band’s name is based on a character I created to get over my stage fright,” shared frontman Kyrren Thomas. He shared it with the rest of the band and they all fell in love with it. “Our offstage persona is nothing like our onstage one. In a way, RYÖTJONES is an alter ego for all of us, including our audience. We want to tell them they can get out of their skin and have a little fun.”
The song you have to check out: ‘On My Knees’, because it’s the love song and make-out song of the year both rolled into one.
The song title most befitting their band name: ‘Dancing Shoes’. Like their name, just another excuse to let your hair down and dance.
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