Court Yard Hounds “The Coast”

There’s a reason for a band name.

Some names are designed to be unsubtle. If you pick up an album by Black Sabbath, or Boyzone, you pretty much already have a good idea of what you’re going to be hearing, before Note One plays.

There are names that are slightly more subtle, but no less descriptive.

Like your indie rock to be literary? Listen to a band named after an unfinished Tolstoy book (The Decemberists).

Into roots music? You don’t have to guess that you’ll like someone called The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Unfortunately, many wonderfully creative musicians, are just plain lousy at naming their bands, saddling them with weak weak monikers.

I mean, most famously, if they weren’t so friggin’ good, a band with the horrible pun-name The Beatles, should be shunned.

And today, we can add to the list of bands that don’t seem to have tried very hard to name themselves (who’s alumni includes The Goo Goo Dolls, Monsters Of Folk, and Limp Bizkit): the Court Yard Hounds.

On the Cape, there’s a restaurant called The Courtyard, that has live music (and houses the mvyradio Sales office in the basement). So when I first heard the name, I kinda figured this was some local band.

But no, The Court Yard Hounds are actually 2/3rds of the (former) biggest name in Country Music, The Dixie Chicks. While lead singer Natalie Maines takes more time off, sisters Marti Maguire and Emily Robison cut an album as a duo. And it’s great stuff. But a totally lame name.

Then again, Dixie Chicks is probably a candidate for the club, too, huh?

For more bad band names . . .





Courtyard Hounds origin story