Mannyacs

Back-up Vocal~ Naming a band is a delicate, tricky affair. The name needs to be catchy and memorable. It should be enticing enough to attract listeners, then the music should make them fans. I’m always fascinated by the story behind a good band name and I do have a few favorites. 

For instance, Megadeth got their name from a handbill written by Senator Alan Cranston. Collective Soul got theirs from Ayn Rand’s novel “The Fountainhead”. Dire Straits got theirs because they were financially destitute when they finally got signed to their record deal. A truly incredible Instrumental rock trio called IRIS (featuring Pete Trewavas on Bass), crafted their name from the abbreveation for their project itself: Instrumentals Recorded In Stereo. Years ago, Stevie Ray Vaughn’s rhythm section formed a side band with 2 other guitar players and made a fantastic Blues/Rock album. They were going to call themselves The Angles, but they found the name was already taken. Since they recorded in A.R.C. Studios, they dubbed themselves ARC Angels. My favorite band, Marillion, took their moniker from Tolkien’s “The Silmarillion“. Concerns over getting sued by the Tolkien Estate, prompted them to drop the first 3 letters of the word and their band name was born. The inspiration for a name can come from anywhere. Sometimes it’s deliberate, sometimes it’s circumstance and sometimes it’s divine providence. In the case of our Bo and his solo outfit, the title chosen was clearly the result of those first 2 elements and absolutely NOTHING from that third camp. Throughout most of this current story, even I wondered what he would call them. I gained a much greater appreciation for the trial most bands face when they have to face such a mammoth undertaking. We’ve seen it in movies for years. Most films about music groups feature a scene in which all the members sit down for the dreaded meeting to bandy about a potential name. None of them agree on any of the initial prospects, but one finally sticks. Truth be told, even the origin of the DBS 3 band name was a bit suspect, even awkward. I came up with the name and I’m still the first to admit it. Ultimately, it grew on me so fast that overnight it found itself a super snuggly home in my heart and the Mannyacs tapestry. A magical band name like The DBS 3 doesn’t come along every day. I was granted a gift from the heavens with that one. 

As I read again through the Comics that made up the ebb and flow of this current tale, one fact finally became clear. Bo takes himself and his solo project faaaaarrrrrr too seriously to name his band himself. He would naturally shoot for something demanding gravity, levity…respect from his peers and the world at large. Bo would pick a band name designed to pronounce him as a genuine, studied musician…an artist with a mission in mind. Which is EXACTLY why his back-up musicians HAD to be the ones in charge of the band name. We all love a good “hard luck hero”. Our Bo found himself planted in that very role from the moment he was sewn into the mayhem of the Splendorland fabric. His solo record should serve as even further evidence of all the ways he suffers for his art. 

Finally, I deployed all methods at my disposal in my attempt to uncover whether or not there actually is a band somewhere in the world called “Mango Dragons”. My investigation produced zilch. It’s the same thing as bupkus. They both mean I didn’t find squat. So, allow me to advance my apology to any group out there currently using the name who have yet to be signed to a record deal. In addition, if there actually IS a band using the “Mango Dragons” brand, perhaps in the underground or crowd-funding realms with albums available and I just haven’t heard of you yet, by all means….drop me a line and let me hear some of your work.