Beat:
Starting your band name with "beat" says "It's very hard to dance to our music," and "We will spend our career playing at 'local band' venues."

Flaming:
Obviously, some well-respected groups have made prominent use of the word "flaming" in their names. All the more reason why you shouldn't, really. What are you trying to tell your audience? Whether you're saying that you're a ferocious live band, or that all of your members are openly and flamboyantly homosexual, show, don't tell. And if you're making some sort of hot rod reference...well, that's just sad.

Electric:
Sure, it trips nicely off the tongue, but doesn't really enhance your band's name unless you're playing somewhere where people don't actually have electricity. More often than not, it conjures thoughts of home appliance shops.

Brothers:
Use of the word "brothers" has thankfully dropped off since the mid-nineties, when audiences began to realize that few actual brothers are willing to place that much emphasis on their relationship.

Sister:
Another way of saying "There are no women in our band." Note: this should not be confused with the word "Sisters", which denotes either a group of actual sisters, a group of women with a solid and age-old bond, or a group of men with a lazy sense of irony.

Stars:
Of course, they could be talking about those pretty, twinkly things in the sky...but we suspect there's another meaning in mind. Sadly, the name won't make it so, or we'd see a proliferation of bands named "The Band Everyone Throws Bags of Money At" and stuff like that.

Hard:
If this refers to your playing, remember: show, don't tell. If it refers to anything else, neither showing nor telling is required. Please.

Burning:
While it's not quite as annoying as "flaming", this can be a dangerous word to use -- if only because so many people associate it with Itching and Swelling. Which, incidentally, would be interesting words to use in your band's name, as long as you aren't offended when nobody wants to get too close to the stage.

Gentlemen:
This says either (a) we wear suits on stage, (b) we play exaggeratedly archaic alt-country, or (c) we swear a lot.

White/Black:
Are you taking a side in the eternal battle between good and evil? Paying homage to the stark aesthetics of monochromatic filmmaking? No. You're just being unoriginal. Perhaps, in the last days of the earth, the White Stripes, the White Octave and White Town will square off against the Black Halos, the Black Crowes and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, but we doubt it.

Rock:
If you are more than fifteen years old and your band has the word "rock" in its name, and it's not the funniest damn use of irony the world has ever seen, you might as well give up now.

Super:
This reminds us of laundry detergent for some reason. "What, regular-strength Furry Animals won't do the job?"

Plastic:
This was amusing and ironic during the seventies. It is now thoroughly played-out. Can we suggest using the names of some of the new, trendy man-made textiles in your band name? That'll make you sound like you're fashion industry insiders, which might help you get dates with models.

Stereo:
Of course, lo-fi is trendy, so by calling yourself "stereo" something you're going against the trend, which is ironic, and that's very hip, but deliberately doing "hip" things isn't hip at all, and... continue with this circular logic 'til your head explodes.

Experience:
Unless you do something truly unique, and perhaps a little harrowing, you have no right to put "The" in front of your name and "Experience" after it. For instance, if your band name can be dropped into the phrase "Somehow I survived the experience," and people know what you're saying, you may continue using the name. Wesley Willis, in other words, is more than entitled.

Murder:
It's up to you, of course, but be warned: if you put the word "murder" in your band's name, you'll draw every hygienically-challenged asshole in a 150-mile radius.

Big/New:
Music buyers are far smarter now than they were in the eighties. You need not fear that your audience will confuse you with the "small" or "old" versions of your band.

Red (hot):
Used by itself, or in tandem with "hot", "red" in your band name sends the same message telegraphed by animals with brightly-colored genitalia. It is intended to convey virility in the absence of other, more obvious signs. This is why a lot of women slept with members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I mean, seriously, why else would Flea get laid? After realizing that a lot of their friends inadvertently slept with Flea, women are being a lot more careful.

Björk:
Just don't.