at 18:00 on October 30, 2006, EST.

TORONTO (CP) - A thrifty Toronto band called Dollarama says the bargain store chain that shares its name has ordered it to shop around for another moniker.

Band member Aaron Bronsteter said Monday that the Montreal-based company has served the quirky collective with a cease-and-desist order. "We are currently seeking legal advice on this matter," Bronsteter said in a news release, adding that he doesn't feel the band's quirky antics harm the chain's integrity.

"As a band, we are unsure how playing to crowds of 50 to 200 people will interfere with a retail chain that we respect wholeheartedly."

The unconventional act performs with dollar-store finds such as foil pans, cheese graters, old music tapes or plastic tubs rather than traditional instruments.

The result is a sound their website describes as what happens "when you leave a bunch of 10-year-old kids in a room alone."

At live performances, the band invites its audience to bring noisemakers and join in, as long as the "instrument" costs no more than a dollar.

The band says it has established a strong local following and that nobody has ever confused anything related to their act with the store.

In the meantime, the band is preparing to release a seven-song debut album on Oct. 31.

A spokesman for the company Dollarama could not be immediately reached for comment.

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On the web:

www.myspace.com/dollarama