Whatever creative explanation you have, that’s not why they’re named General Sherman.

Although the obvious inspirations might seem to be the famous Civil War general, the name was actually taken from a song.

“We didn’t think about [the Civil War reference] at all,” said guitarist Dana Halferty, sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication. “Nobody even noticed it.”

Even in the state of Georgia, where Sherman’s name holds historical significance, the name attracts no special attention. The association is completely unintentional, however.

“We thought somebody would notice,” Halferty said. “I think the place our name was most recognized was Richmond, Virginia.”

While in Richmond, the band members had to exercise tact while dealing with the owner of a Confederacy museum.

“We just avoided mentioning the issue,” Halferty said.

What would become General Sherman began over two years ago with keyboardist and vocalist Becca Smith, guitarist Dana Halferty and drummer Wayde Stover. Halferty and Smith went to high school together in Ankeny, and met Stover soon after. In the beginning there was no name and the musicians were simply experimenting.

“I think we were experimenting with our collaborative chemistry, as a band,” Smith said.

Smith, who has been studying music in some form since 4th grade, did the bulk of the writing for their five-track EP, “Dare I Say.” Excerpts, such as the soothing “Pretty Girls Pretty Boys,” can be heard on the band’s MySpace page.

After leaving the band in October 2004, Stover returned the next summer with his brother Scott playing the bass that completed General Sherman’s current lineup.

Smith describes the band’s sound as “piano-driven indie pop” – sweet, clean, and up-tempo. Smith’s piano provides the anchor for the songs, which are all three-and-a-half-minute pop singles. Her voice, trained by middle- and high-school voice lessons, highlights the icy clarity of their music.

Since their EP’s release, the band has been playing regular gigs. As students, Halferty and Smith have had to balance classes with their music.

“We’ve been doing it for a while, so it’s pretty easy to balance,” Halferty said. “We were way busier with [the band] last year than this year.”

The band’s most recent show was at the Gross Domestic Product festival in Des Moines, where they played alongside other top local acts.Their favorite venue to play is the Vaudeville Mews in Des Moines, but they have a soft spot for the Maintenance Shop as well.”They treat you really well at the M-Shop,” Smith said of the venue’s hospitality.

“Dare I Say,” their EP, was helped along by The Envy Corps’ frontman Luke Pettipoole. After seeing General Sherman play a show, he offered to help them record and ended up providing production assistance and backing vocals on the EP.

“He basically helped us organize the audio,” Smith said. “He knew our sound better than the engineer who was recording it.”

Pettipoole has recently been working with them on recording tracks for a full-length album and rather than using a traditional studio, they have been recording in a variety of locations based on acoustics.

Yet even with plans for a full-length album, the band’s future is somewhat hazy. Their next show will be May 25 at the House of Bricks in Des Moines. This winter, Halferty will be traveling overseas doing missions work, effectively putting the band on hiatus.

Despite her departure, Halferty says they will still remain devoted to their craft.

“I think music is something we’ll always be involved in.”