Re: Mandolin Orange is now Watchhouse
The search engine point is a valid one, as that is indeed how fans find music and musicians. Also, brand recognition, which has been built up over the years, is a major consideration. On the other hand, the new name is something the artist feels deeply about. It's almost as if there's a divide between the wishes of the artist vs the audience. Whose wishes are more important? I would be on the artist's side if I liked the new name more. But I feel, as has been mentioned before, it's a bit generic-sounding. Mandolin Orange has some zazz, to go with history, brand recognition, and search capability. Good thing it's not up to me, or anyone else.
It seems to me that, generally speaking, a name change mid-career just throws people. When The Supremes changed to Diana Ross And The Supremes, it seemed odd - a sort of "why bother?" response was widespread, along with a suspicion there was some ego-tripping. I went through something like this myself once, a few years back, when I was in a band called The Real Malloys. First, the leader changed his stage name from Rob Sweet to Rob Ernest - kind of a backwards direction, IYAM. Seems there was someone else with that name on the mainland, where he did some solo gigs, and wanted to dispel confusion, so he changed his name, Ernest being his middle name. Then he changed the name of the band to Rob Ernest & The Real Malloys. Again, a backwards direction, IMO -that's quite a mouthful. And let's not ignore the implication of ego-tripping. The bass player and I felt relegated to lower status, sidemen supporting the titular star. Weird. In less than a year we were replaced, the new lineup went kerphlooey, and Rob left town. I'm sure there were other factors involved, but it all seemed so weird.
I'm not sure what is to be learned from that example. I think it's the old "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" advice. But again, it's not up to us.
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
Furthering Mandolin Consciousness
Finders Keepers, my duo with the astoundingly talented and versatile Patti Rothberg. Our EP is finally done, and available! PM me, while they last!
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