Not many bands can claim to be named after a bad joke. But the members of Canadian rock band Moneen can — and the humor seems to suit them well.

“My girlfriend Lisa had a roommate named Moneen in university. My whole mission was to name a band after her to destroy her identity,” says Kenny Bridges, Moneen’s singer, guitarist and pianist. “She used to get e-mails all the time from people telling her they liked or hated the band, so I guess I won the battle.”

The band was formed four years ago when all of the members’ other bands either collapsed or, as Bridges puts it, realized they sucked. Since its inception, the members of Moneen have paid their dues, touring constantly in both Canada and the United States to promote themselves.

“Wherever people will have us, that’s where we’ll go,” Bridges says. “We’ve played dorm rooms, we’ve played in sheds, we’ve played everywhere you can imagine.”

Soon after forming, the band began to see its hard work pay off. After releasing an EP and a full-length on an independent Canadian label, and doing some non-stop touring, Bridges says Moneen began to gradually see more people at its shows. As more and more people began to take notice of Moneen, so did record labels. The band was able to negotiate a deal with Vagrant Records to record its second full-length, “Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right Now?”

With the record completed and in stores, Moneen has returned to what it does best — touring.

The band has been on the road since last May and has stretched through most of North America and the United Kingdom, exposing as many people as possible to its music and notorious live shows.

“We are stupid hyperactive losers; we let our energy build up on the bus sometimes, for better or worse,” Bridges says. “There have been times when things have been broken. It used to get to the point where everything would get broken. One girl got hit in the face once, but she said she was OK and we gave her lots of hugs afterwards.”

Although they might not smash their instruments every night, Bridges says fans can still expect the band members to deliver an energetic live set and hang out in the crowd afterwards.

“Not every band is as open to meet people as we are. We’ll talk to anyone, we just want friends,” Bridges says. “We’ll pay for friends if we have to.”

Who: Senses Fail, Moneen, Boys Night Out, The Beautiful Mistake

Where: M-Shop

When: 8 p.m., Friday

Cost: $8 students, $9 public