Why are we Stacked Like Pancakes?

Frontman Kellen McKay started the band in 2007, eager to put a ska band together in corn-town, Maryland. And now I’m going to make an awkward switch out of a 3rd-person biography. Why pretend someone else is writing this when I am? Why lie to you?

“How did you come up with the name?” is definitely the question we’re asked the most when we play shows. It’s interesting when we go to explain it to people because for some reason they expect an elaborate story and you can see the hungry anticipation in their eyes as syrup drools from their mouth. My mom likes to think that it’s because she was making pancakes for dinner the night I held the first rehearsal in my basement. I don’t quite remember that being the case, but I’ll give her some of the benefit of the doubt and tell people that anyway. Maybe she’s right, and the inspiration was subliminal.

I really like band names with catchy abbreviations. Reel Big Fish = RBF, Stone Temple Pilots = STP, System of a Down = SOAD, Red Hot Chili Peppers = RHCP, A Day To Remember = ADTR. I remember sitting down with the band’s first horn players (just two trumpets at the time) for a few minutes and brainstorming some of the stupidest band name ideas you could imagine. I liked the letter “P” in an abbreviation. I think at one point we were set on using the color purple. A minute later, we settled on Stacked Like Pancakes.

Over the years, SLP has shape-shifted and the band has seen upwards of thirty members in its history. The amount of horn players, the instrumentation of the horns, personnel changes with bassists and drummers, and the addition of a second guitarist are just a few developments to name. We’re not your average garage band. We are musicians, we are perfectionists, and we are performers. We’re not afraid to try stacking the pancakes differently.

Fast-forward to today. I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter how deep of a meaning or back-story there is with your band name – what matters most is the quality of the music you create and the connections you make with the people who come out to shows to hear it. The band name is a part of the image, but creating good music and sharing an experience with you matters first and foremost. SLP exists for you.

When we stand on a stage in front of you, we’re there to deliver a high-energy and high-quality show whether it’s a crowd of five or five-thousand. After you see our show, come talk to us and tell us what you think. Then tell a friend. We came up with the image in 2007 and today we’re committed to fueling our passion. Now it’s your turn to tell our story.