First came the idea to form a band, then came the need for a name.

That dilemma faced Gretchen Mertes and Steve Wessel, who sing and play guitar, about six years ago.

They turned to their dogs.

Wessel had a “giant white malamute dog called Big Boy,” says Mertes. She had a  “little tiny miniature schnauzer called Nina,” she says.

“So we just decided to stick our puppies’ names together and become Nina and the Big Boys,” says Mertes, the manager of Luther’s Table where the band frequently plays.

Nina and the Big Boys will provide the music at the opening-night gala Thursday for the Seattle International Film Festival at the Renton Pavilion Event Center at the Piazza downtown. Tickets for the opening-night screening and gala are $25 each, available at siff.net.

Ryan Mertes, Curtis Simuel and Jeff Brumley round out the band that plays an “eclectic group of covers” and   old standards, such as “Brown Eyed Girl.”

Nina and the Big Boys started as a worship band at St. Matthews Lutheran Church.

The gala is their biggest event ever and Mertes is looking forward to the exposure.

The band’s music lends itself to listening and dancing, Mertes said.

“We have a lot of fun when we play,” says Mertes, who will wear her string of pearls.