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As I mentioned recently two guys here, ie me and Barney, have started working together as a duo. We'll be doing the typical rumba + flamenco + latin thing and we need a decent name. Any ideas?
[when I used to play in rock bands, few things were as entertaining as a night down the pub thinking of suitable names for our band...]
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
Hi Jon, Look at the names of some of the songs on your Flamenco CD's... eg..."Azahara" is quite a snappy name. "El Ratón de Watford" is also good, but alas has been taken by someone else...
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
There seem to be four broad categories for rumba or "fusion" bands. One is the simple last name, for example, Strunz and Farah or Taber and Garibay. A bit tired, but there you go. Another option is to use a Spanish word which somehow describes your band or music. My friend's band is "Mosaico," a bit of a cop out I think because they are a "mosaic" of different influences and styles. My old rumba band was called "Compas", which was somewhat ironic since our compas really wasn't our strength. Then, there is the whimsical approach, but in Spanish, such as Gipsy Kings or Ojos de Brujo or Radio Tarifa. This is probably the Spanish version of Led Zeppelin or The Beatles. Finally, there is the gringo-fied way of using an English word or taking a flamenco word and Anglicizing it: the worst offender, perhaps, being "Novamenco".
I'm not sure where Firefingers fits in here... along these lines-
1. Boyes and Barney (sounds like a law firm) 2. Ida y Vuelta (probably taken, but it does describe your repertoire) 3. Trascanal (over the Channel...get it, over the English Channel!?) 4. Guitars of Fire or Puromenco
good luck, and if you choose #4...well, nevermind..
Posts: 1945
Joined: Jul. 12 2004
From: San Francisco
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
Here's my two cents. Something easy to remember and easy to pronounce-for your agents and your audience. I started a band 13 years ago. Didn't really care about the name, so the conga player, who obviously didn't want to be left out, said "How about Guitarras y Congas" I said cool. Well, despite doing a million gigs between then and now, many people can't pronounce the name, in fact most people can't. Even my agent mis-spells our name on the flippin contracts. Some people say "Guitarras why congas?" After adding a violin player a few years after forming, we find he feels rather uh, left out. But it was too late to change the name. The whole spanish affection does more harm than good. And we live in an area with a huge spanish speaking population, with three of four members spanish speaking. Still a mistake, should have gone with something simple. I like one word names. Anything that ends with "menco" should be banned! How about "J.B. Jams".....sounds kinda bluesy.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
I agree about the whole 'gbeing easy to prononce thing. The band I play in is called prensa o palike (and there a funny little story about a guy going into a hairdresser but that doesn't help) . which is cool but the english speaking crowd usually say'wot' and probalby more than not dont remember the name. We've not going to change it now but sometime i wish.....we had chosen something a little more catchy.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
Jon, I'd agree that Spanish names can be a bit tricky for us foreigners to pronounce. but then again an English name would would not convey the same "mystique", and a Spanish name would also seem to lend you some authenticity/credibility (if you think you need it!). I would try looking in the back of the Graf Martinez tuition book, as there is quite a substantial list of Flamenco-related Spanish words (and their English translations) in the back- you may find a word that sums your duo up. "Duende" would be good if it wasn't quite so common and someone else hadn't used it as a username.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
A while back our group used to be called (as a joke) Los Gamberos, i think it translates into something like , the rebells or the brakeaways. Because it was alot of pple from other different schools that broke away and decided to do they'r own thing.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to JBASHORUN)
quote:
ORIGINAL: JBASHORUN Jon, I'd agree that Spanish names can be a bit tricky for us foreigners to pronounce. but then again an English name would would not convey the same "mystique", and a Spanish name would also seem to lend you some authenticity/credibility (if you think you need it!)..."Duende" would be good if it wasn't quite so common
Oh, I definitely want something Spanish. Wasn't me that said that.
Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
How about... "Gitano Puro"? (that was a joke)
I think if you go Spanish, it needs to be something so simple and obvious that non-Spanish speakers can understand it. Americans are TERRIBLE at foreign languages, laughably bad--Idon't know how Brits are... Sometimes I regret taking Miguel de Maria as my stage name because it causes so many problems. No more than "Cho", though.
Jon, I got it...Seville. Or Granada. Or Barcelona. Those are names that even English speakers would be able to understand. They are familiar enough to be understood and evocative enough to entice. Since you guys play more rumbas, maybe Catalonia.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Miguel de Maria)
I'm not sure about "Catalonia" as there is a pop group over here called Catatonia, and the comparison might not be favourable... but then again, that could be a playful coincidence!
As for "Gitano Puro"... maybe "Dos Payos" (2 non-gypsies) would be more appropriate, and it also rhymes!
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
How about,
'Hispanyol et'
and when asked 'What does your name mean'? you can have a big discussion with the audience about his spaniel (spelling? - a breed of dog!) eating something.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Ryan002)
quote:
Los Muertes
Actually after last night's rehearsal attempt at Fandangos de Huelva, maybe 'Las Mierdas' would be more appropriate. Who said bulerias was the toughest palo?!
Current duo name shortlist is:
Morao (my favourite) Esperanza Esperanto (the overall favourite)
I liked Morao because of its Andalucian/flamenco connection but when my wife said "huh?" I realised it may not be the catchiest name . As Mark says above, we have to consider our audience and so it has to be something easy that sounds exotic.
Esperanto will probably win as it has some resonance with what we do - i.e. universal language, different cultural influences etc., but also sounds Spanish/hispanic.
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
Jon, Ojos de Bruja is a popular Nuevo Flamenco/Pop band in Spain...I thought you had heard of them as their name has been brought up from time to time on the Forum.
Rafa used the Spanish phrase "Ole tus huevos" in one of his posts which everybody though was great.
Read the off topic post "A totally nutty PC world" for a better explanation....
Posts: 1827
Joined: Jul. 8 2003
From: Living in Granada, Andalucía
RE: Name wanted for Spanish guitar duo (in reply to Jon Boyes)
quote:
ORIGINAL: Ron.M
Ojos de Bruja is a popular Nuevo Flamenco/Pop band in Spain...
Sorry to correct you Ron but Ojos de Brujo are not that popular in Spain. They are far better known outside of Spain, where interestingly they are continously promoted as a 'popular' Spanish band. When they played Granada I was there talking with the director of the Chicago music festival who had booked them for his US flamenco festival. Before the concert he had been telling local Spanish friends and family he was going to see OdB play and had been amazed that none of them had even heard the name of the band never mind their music. OdB are brilliant at marketing themselves but dont believe everything you hear about them.
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