Nicholas Firgiuele of Gringo Star explains that it was never the band’s intention to name-check The Beatles' drummer. The “Gringo” reference was a nod to their outsiderish love of Mexican culture — the cuisine as well as the mariachi music — and the “Star” just sounded good. The real Ringo, who was born Richard Starkey, has stopped Gringo Star from copyrighting its name but is otherwise alright with its existence.
Atlanta-based Gringo Star plays Northside Tavern Thursday to celebrate the release of its debut album All Yall, whose scrappy, tuneful sound and concise songwriting recall The Kinks and Rolling Stones.
Read Steven Rosen's story on weird band names, "Mocking Monikers," here.