What’s in a name?
In the summer of 2021, a few friends got together in Ann Arbor, MI, to make a little music. No agenda, no expectations. With the pandemic finally in the rearview mirror, it just felt good to get out and live a little again. In short order, a couple more people joined the band and a song list came together. Before we knew it, friends and family were asking when we’d be playing out. You know…in front of other people!
With a couple of dates on the calendar, we needed to come up with a name for this little group of ours. After a few weeks and dozens of suggestions, we still had nothing. So everybody wrote down their three favorite names. There was no obvious first choice, but there was a unanimous second choice… Ain’t Dead Yet.
Perhaps we were trying to be clever… a tongue-in-cheek nod to the ordeal of the past couple of years. But as our song list came together, it occurred to us that many of the artists we cover – our idols and heroes – have already passed on. Ain’t Dead Yet, so let’s keep these great songs alive.
From our humble beginnings, we’ve been motivated to simply bring people together and spread some joy. To help people out if we can. To that end, we enjoy performing at the occasional charity event or fundraiser. Admittedly, the name Ain’t Dead Yet is a little cringy in that context – performing for people who are going through a difficult health crisis, or for people who have lost a loved one. But the more we thought about it, the more the name seems appropriate. As long as we are alive and kicking, we will continue to spread love and joy through music – to celebrate our heroes and honor those we’ve lost.
~ Ain’t Dead Yet
