# Bands that don't sound like their name **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 23, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927 "2019-06-23T13:20:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/21 "2019-06-23T18:46:19Z")
Dew Scented (god what a horrible name that is) are a German crossover-y thrash/deathmetal thing. An old local band called Bruised and Stupid would make you think, basically - punk, but no - wussy pop shit. Nice little 8-second’er from [Nice View](https://youtu.be/L8Ot4AsU7t0?t=664) From the same wonderful 7" (84 songs! dig it, man!) a nifty little five-second’er from [Real Reggae](https://youtu.be/L8Ot4AsU7t0?t=723) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/22 "2019-06-23T18:49:05Z")
The Dukes Of The Stratosphere sounds like a heavy metal prog band, but it was the name of XTC’s side project, perfectly emulating ca. 1966/67 psychedelia. (and XTC itself sounds like the name of a hip hop singer or maybe an electronic act, but not like an English new wave/post punk band.) ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/23 "2019-06-23T19:27:40Z")
[Trampled by Turtles](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGh-EvmZVCQ) ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/24 "2019-06-23T19:38:18Z")
Savage Garden sounds like the name of some kind of metal or heavy alternative band. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/25 "2019-06-23T19:38:40Z")
Reverend Horton Heat is not exactly gospel choir. Mannheim Steamroller is not a death metal band. ---
**Author:** ![Royal\_Nonesutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Royal\_Nonesutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Royal_Nonesutch)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/26 "2019-06-23T19:43:06Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia apparently agreed, saying that he felt the the name Grateful Dead “held them back” from greater mainstream popular and critical success in the early going. I always thought the name and even moreso, much of the imaging and artwork they used in self promotion was offputting and semingly a poor fit for their music, but given that in the late 1980’s-early 1990’s the band and their “scene” basically self-collapsed due to the various stressors of mega success, what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/27 "2019-06-23T19:58:46Z")
The Jesus and Mary Chain. Nothing religious or bondage-y about them. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/28 "2019-06-23T20:05:56Z")
**The Violent Femmes** Three white guys in an American Folk Punk band. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/29 "2019-06-23T21:39:45Z")
**Bram Tchaikovsky** , though I have to admit that it doesn’t exactly sound like a classical musician. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/30 "2019-06-23T22:18:08Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > The Dukes Of The Stratosphere sounds like a heavy metal prog band, but it was the name of XTC’s side project, perfectly emulating ca. 1966/67 psychedelia. > > (and XTC itself sounds like the name of a hip hop singer or maybe an electronic act, but not like an English new wave/post punk band.) I misspelled the name of the band, it’s[The Dukes Of Stratosphear](https://www.allmusic.com/album/chips-from-the-chocolate-fireball-mw0000651191), which sounds even more like space or prog rock mixed with metal. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/31 "2019-06-23T23:25:21Z")
Remember the relaxing New Age sounds of that World Music band from the early nineties, Nirvana? ---
**Author:** ![Wolf333](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf333/32/3460_2.png) [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/32 "2019-06-23T23:27:12Z")
Job For A Cowboy plays death metal. And You Will Know Us Bt The Trail Od Dead does not play death metal. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/33 "2019-06-23T23:33:01Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > 10,000 Maniacs I was waiting for someone to mention that group. Supposedly early in the band’s existence, they played some gigs before rowdy audiences who, on the basis of their name, assumed they were a heavy metal band. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2019, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/34 "2019-06-23T23:41:14Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > Jerry Garcia apparently agreed, saying that he felt the the name Grateful Dead “held them back” from greater mainstream popular and critical success in the early going. Yeah, Grateful Dead came to mind for me as well when making the OP. It’s a bit difficult for me to separate the name from the band and the music the play, since all my life the Grateful Dead was hippy jam band music, but if I had encountered the name with no context whatsoever, I don’t think I would have guessed they were a band that played an improvisational style of rock with American folk influences. My first instinct would be punk, followed by metal, followed by post-punk. (Of course, the band predates these genres. I’m not sure what I would have thought in 1970 upon hearing that name. Probably some psychedelic band.) ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/35 "2019-06-24T01:04:57Z")
Dixie Dregs. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/36 "2019-06-24T03:10:25Z")
1000 homo dj’s doesn’t sound like they’d play industrial…well, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/37 "2019-06-24T04:57:37Z")
> [@Royal\_Nonesutch](#): > > …much of the imaging and artwork [The Grateful Dead] used in self promotion was offputting and semingly a poor fit for their music… Yeah, what I found especially misleading was their ubiquitous poster of a long-haired skeleton playing violin, which, as a kid, I took note of before ever hearing them, thinking they were something heavy/wierd, but then their '78 SNL appearance (“Casey Jones”, I think) brought that impression to a crashing and most disappointing end. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/38 "2019-06-24T05:11:34Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > Incubus sounds like they should be a metal band. There was a well known death metal band in the '80s by that name. Isn’t it something they were the ones who changed their name. It’s tough to make money in the world of underground metal. [Opprobrium (band) - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opprobrium_(band)) ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/39 "2019-06-24T05:22:00Z")
Extreme. ETA: Just looked them up. Turns out their hit ballad “More than Words” was NOT typical of their harder style, so not really appropriate for this thread, though I’m guessing most people would THINK they are. Lesson learned! ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2019, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927/40 "2019-06-24T06:06:27Z")
Godspeed You Black Emperor! is not the heavy trip you’d expect from the name. “Post-rock” is the genre; I like it, not for everyone. Dreamy and long-winded. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-dont-sound-like-their-name/835927.md?page=3)