Are You a Band or a Person?

I'm really getting annoyed at people who give themselves band names. This is coming up today because I was getting some early work done in my office (ok, my cubicle) this morning and a song came on our overhead called "Almost Lover." It's a dripping with sap, over-emotional song that is just the type that I really like. So I Googled to see who sang it. A Fine Frenzy is the artist. Turns out, A Fine Frenzy is just some Seattle chick named Allison.

Come on. You're either a band or a person. You can't be both simultaneously unless you discover the technology from the Michael Keaton movie "Multiplicity." It seems like a lot of these artists are "Emo" artists. Dashboard Confessional (whom I like) is another example. It started out as Chris Carabba. Now DC has actually evolved into a band with multiple members.

But it's not limited to Emo exclusively. There's a great rock example in Nine Inch Nails. "But Travis," you say, "I've seen NIN live and there's a band on stage!" Of course that's Trent Reznor's touring band. It's physically impossible for Reznor to perform all the instruments necessary to play one of his songs by himself live. But nevertheless, he is his band. Just not when he has to actually play something.

It's bananas and it's annoying.