Name Taken was a rock band from Orange, California

Orange, California

Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...

. They were originally known as All That's Left in October 1999 until they discovered that the name was already taken; thus the name "Name Taken". The band started in the eighth grade where they would play shows in their amphitheatre at lunch. They later succeeded to record for such compilations as Atticus I and Warped Tour 2002.

Biography

The band began practicing in a basement in their drummer's house. The band, formed by four friends, had a great interest in and love for music. With each of the members being only 14 or 15 years old, they worked quite hard for their age, practicing nearly daily and working hard to find shows anywhere and everywhere that they possibly could. From backyard parties to church dances, they would take what they could get. After parting ways with one of their guitarists, Chad Atkinson, Blake Means and Bret Meisenbach (former drummer) headed into the studio to record a demo, still under the name, All That's Left. They produced, printed and sold "The Stupid Chad EP" completely by themselves. The band felt that their sound needed a boost, so, shortly after, they decided to add a second guitarist, Ryan Edwards. They also discovered that there was another band under the name, All That's Left, so they decided a change was necessary. The title "Name Taken" was chosen. In August of '01, with a newly reinforced guitar section and a new name, the band went into Love Juice Laboratories in Riverside, CA to record yet another EP. After 3 short days of recording, the EP "The Silent Game" was born. The recording was quickly picked up by Top Notch records and put into pressing and released roughly 3 or 4 months later. In the following months the band discovered that their drummer planned to leave Name Taken. The resignation was completely understood and on good terms, so the search was on. The band didn't have to look far to find just what they were looking for, Danny Valencia of Downey, CA. Now with Name Taken's line-up in full force, the band had been picked up by One Moment Management, appeared on numerous compilation CDs and showcased for numerous record labels. The band split up in 2005 after two years of touring to pursue their college education. Chad and Blake attended Cal State Fullerton, and Ryan Edwards is attending Berkeley.

In February 2007 they announced that they were due to play two reunion shows on May 5 and May 6, 2007 at Anaheim's Chain Reaction. Despite the fact that both shows were sold out, the band never regrouped to record a new album; nonetheless, they continue to post new songs on their MySpace page.

On November 28, 2007, a message from Blake appeared on absolutepunk.net saying that Name Taken would in fact not be reforming.

The lyrics to the band's song "Panic" are said to have been the inspiration for the name of the platinum-selling band Panic! at the Disco

Panic! at the Disco

Panic! at the Disco is an American alternative rock duo, formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2005. Since its split, the band's line-up includes Brendon Urie and Spencer Smith . Former members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker left the group in 2009...

.

Panic at the disco

Sat back and took it so slow

Are you nervous? Are you shaking?

Reception

• "Ignoring the uninspired power chord conventions of their scene, they chase each other across their respective fretboards forming tightly woven patterns." - AbsolutePunk review of The Silent Game
• "It's more emo on the brain...roils with the urgent, slickly produced fury that defines so much of this genre." - Allmusic review of Hold On
• "...an album that admittedly sounds a lot like every other emo-punk band in the genre, but still contains the energy and sense of melody that most of the other bands forget about." - Punknews.org
  Punknews.org
  Punknews.org is a website founded by Aubin Paul which launched in 1999. The website publishes music news and album reviews relating to punk rock, hardcore punk, ska, indie rock and heavy metal...
  
   review of Hold On

Previous members

• Juan Pereda - Drums (never played on any records)
• Danny Valencia - Drums
• Bret Meisenbach - Drums
• Rich Ornelas - Guitar (pre-recording)

Discography

• The Stupid Chad EP (Independent, ?)
• The Silent Game (Top Notch Records, 2001)
• Hold Your Breath, You Know How Long (2002)
• Bayside/Name Taken split
  Split album
  A split album is a music album which includes tracks by two or more separate artists. There have been singles and EPs released in the same nature, which can be referred to as split singles and split EPs respectively...
  
   (Dying Wish Records, 2003)
• Hold On (Fiddler Records, 2004)