How to form a rock band in two easy steps…based on true stories

1. Recruit friends

2. Procure a great band name

Note: I didn’t mention learning to play an instrument. Never let that stand in your way. This is rock ‘n roll, baby! However, if you don’t play an instrument, then you will need to sing and most likely gyrate across the stage. Don’t worry about those things either. The less your ability to sing, the more you will twist and shout.

At first, I was such an inept singer, I couldn’t even reproduce a song from the radio. When that happens, just write your own songs then no one will know if you’re singing the wrong notes. That’s how my first band, Comateens, came about, and we ended up innovators, which happens when you don’t actually play or sing according to standards. To prove what innovators we were, Left for Dead Records is re-releasing Comateens’s first single Danger Zone in October. Pre-orders here: https://www.leftfordeadrecords.com/.

If you haven’t the patience to learn an instrument, re-imagine one by figuring it out on your own. This is what left-handed Jimi Hendrix did when he played a righty guitar. And this is what I did on stage at Hurrah circa 1980’s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Yg_wD-fWLo.

Choosing a Band Name: 

One place to find a good name is in the literary world. The name Comateens was filched from a ’78 NY Daily News headline that read Comateens Live! Another place to discover a great name is on a friend’s list. (There are actually people who compile lists of potential band names.) When I formed Dizzy and the Romilars, my friend Bill kept such a list:

Bill explained that Romilar (a cough medicine still on the market today) once contained a narcotic that could easily make a person dizzy. That’s how he came up with the name. Fast forward to the break-up of the Romilars, an inevitability when individual members have divergent abilities and ideas, and the spontaneous birth of Venus Fly Trap. 

My good friend Patti Scialfa (you may know her as Mrs. Springsteen) was singing in a trio called Trickster. The other members were Lisa Lowell and Soozie Tyrell. They were street performers who sang only two songs (both written by Patti); Garden State Parkway and another whose title shouldn’t be mentioned in a family newspaper. (“Coitus Interruptus”, in case it gets past the editors.) Patti was initially invited to tour with Springsteen in ’84. Over a homemade going-away dinner prepared by Patti for Soozie and me, I dared to address Soozie, “Hey, I’m not the greatest singer, but I got songs. I’d love to sing with you on the street or wherever.” 

To my surprise Soozie was totally into it despite never hearing me sing a single note. Lisa, at the time, was in Germany touring with some other group. It was Soozie’s idea to have her join us to complete the trio. Without Patti the name Trickster was dropped. That’s when I blurted, “How about Venus Fly Trap?” because I owned such a plant. No other names were considered. 

When Lisa arrived home we quickly divvied up the name. There was no debating that Venus would go to Soozie, which left Fly and Trap. Truthfully, I wanted to be Venus, but really there was no contest. Luckily, Lisa ‘called’ Trap and I defaulted to Fly and in that moment another band was born. We played on the streets of NYC and in several European countries. We also sang back-up with Buster Poindexter a/k/a David Johansen of the NY Dolls. I eventually signed with two major labels, RCA and Epic. Lisa, Soozie and Patti are currently touring with Bruce Springsteen. 

That’s how it’s done folks and that’s where it can lead! You just need some willing participants and a list of good band names. To see and hear Venus Fly Trap in our heyday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I-Ob_OQrfc.

RAMONA JAN is the Founder and Director of Yarnslingers, a storytelling group that tells tales both fantastic and true. She is also the roving historian for Callicoon, NY and is often seen giving tours around town. You can email her at callicoonwalkingtours@gmail.com.