Emo-inflected pop/punk act Name Taken formed in October 1999, originally named All That's Left, when its members were still in their mid-teens. Starting off as a quartet, the Orange County crew eventually parted ways with one of their guitarists and the remaining members -- vocalist/bassist Chad Atkinson, guitarist/vocalist Blake Means, and drummer Bret Meisenbach -- recorded a demo. The Stupid Chad EP resulted, and shortly after the band independently released it, they added in second guitarist Ryan Edwards to fill out their sound. Around the same time, another band called All That's Left was uncovered, and the guys mended the situation by becoming Name Taken. Less than a year after the switch, in August 2001, the group entered a Riverside studio to record another EP. The Silent Game was picked up by Top Notch Records and released three months after its completion. Following this EP, Meisenbach made his exit and was replaced behind the kit by Danny Valencia. A bunch of compilation appearances surfaced before Name Taken hooked up with Long Island's Bayside to release a split album on Dying Wish Records in 2003. The band next joined forces with Fiddler Records for their April 2004 debut full-length, Hold On. Fans of similarly earnest pop/punk acts like Saves the Day took to the record, but Name Taken's modest success was short-lived. The band broke up in 2005, playing their last show that June, so certain members could go back to school. Name Taken reunited for two shows at Anaheim's Chain Reaction in May 2007, dubbed simply "refresher courses" by the band; the second show was added when the first sold out in less than two days. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
Name Taken was a pop-rock band from Orange County, California and formed while the group was still in high school. The main lineup included Chad Atkinson (Vocals/Bass), Ryan Edwards (Rhythm Guitar) and Blake Means (Lead Guitar). While they were active, they had three different drummers; Bret Meisenbach, Danny Valencia, and most recently, Juan Pereda, who did not perform on any records but played their live shows. Before embarking on a planned European tour, the band split up in 2005. On May 5th and 6th, 2007, they reformed shortly to play back-to-back shows at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, CA. Paul Riscalla, formerly of Dead Letter Diaries, played drums for the show. Both nights sold out. Despite playing some newly written songs, the shows were a one-time event and the band currently has no plans to continue. Atkinson and Means are currently attending a Cal State University at Fullerton while Edwards is attending U.C. Berkeley.
The band's discography includes The Stupid Chad EP (Self-released), The Silent Game (Top Notch Records, 2001), Bayside/Name Taken split EP (Dying Wish Records, 2003), and Hold On (Fiddler Records, 2004). Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.