Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! Local Musicians Navigate an Age-Old Dilemma

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"If we'd changed our name to The Bleeding Bled, we'd have to be metal," jokes Pittsburgh guitarist Jody Perigo. Her group, the buzz-worthy female power trio Align Alike, just renamed itself The Great Ants. Perigo explains, "We felt like Align Alike didn't even suit us anymore -- because we attached that name to the first songs we wrote, that were kinda girlie and poppy."

"One of the original names on my little list was Great-Grandparents," says Perigo, "so whenever we became a three piece, one of us joked around, 'Well, I guess we're the Great-Grandparents now.' We kinda just laughed about it." But then one member suggested the aunts/ants pun. "It's kinda girlie, but it's kinda goofy too -- if we're Great Ants, like the bugs, it's not too feminine."

With less sweat equity put into her group's name, Perigo says, "I don't think we have anything to lose, 'cause our friends will already know that we're changing our name, and people who've never seen us before won't care." Which raises a chilling point: On a local level, you can't escape former sins simply by changing group names -- they cling to you like a bad credit rating.

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Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes! Local Musicians Navigate an Age-Old Dilemma

THE ART OF CHOOSING a band name probably began with music itself -- right alongside the tradition of musicians holding down day jobs. After a double shift of hunting and gathering, our earliest a...

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