Frontmen - who’d have em?

[Mickeyboro]

5 hours ago, Cliff Edge said:

 Singing lessons? For a blues band?             Interesting. 

Turning a blind eye to the irony, I do sing songs in our set to vary things/ give the main singer a break, but my voice wouldn’t stand up to two sets. I therefore intend to learn the best way to strengthen and conserve it. Maybe at some point I can join the frontman club…but it won’t happen overnight.

[Beedster]

5 minutes ago, Mickeyboro said:

Turning a blind eye to the irony, I do sing songs in our set to vary things/ give the main singer a break, but my voice wouldn’t stand up to two sets. I therefore intend to learn the best way to strengthen and conserve it. Maybe at some point I can join the frontman club…but it won’t happen overnight.

 

Singing lessons are a great idea Mick, not just to improve singing technique (pitch/tone/range/control) but also to protect your voice for things other than singing. I had short-notice surgery on my neck years ago - long story - and during the surgery my vocal chords were damaged requiring further surgery. I was told in no uncertain terms by the surgeon that I would need 6-weeks of not using my voice at all followed by regular speech therapy. The therapist was also a voice and vocal coach, and the stuff she taught me was well worth learning. I still do the exercise occasionally especially if I'm doing BVs for a gig. Enjoy the journey mate   

[msb]

Bands are such fragile things , there’s so many things that come into play. And yet when they work it can be so wonderful. I keep sideman status , and my needs are simple. If I see grief on a gig I pass. I simply want to concentrate on the music , without having to deal with a busy mind because I’m not happy about one thing or another. 
It is possible to meet up with like minded folk that can make great music. I wish you luck finding that.

[gjones]

7 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

That's as bad a generalisation as never joining a band with a couple in it. I was in a successful democratic band with Mrs Zero a while ago, exploding both of those myths simultaneously.

 

I've been in a band, with a couple in it, for the last 22 years and that works fine (an occasional domestic on stage between them both in the early days but not so much now). The wife is the singer the husband is the guitarist and the band is named after the wife. The arrangement is, the singer makes all decisions on what songs we play, and everybody else does as they're told. This arrangement works fine, as I don't think I  should pressurise the singer in any band I'm in, to sing a song they don't want to sing.

[musicbassman]

A band with a couple in it?

I worked in a band with a married couple in it once, and their marriage was clearly falling apart after he (drummer) had an affair. Although they were still living in the same house, she refused to travel to gigs with him, and I had to go over to their house and take her to and from the gigs in my car.  Sometimes we ended up travelling directly behind or in front of the drummer for most of the way there or on the journey home.  So silly!

[BigRedX]

IMO most bands are worthless without a great front person, and the rest of the band have to decide whether to put up with their foibles or be a bunch a musical nobodies (and probably without a band).

 

I've been lucky enough to have been in bands with some great front people over the past 45 years. I've also been in the lucky position where as the main songwriter from a musical PoV, a lot of my bands have essentially been partnerships between myself and the front person who adds the lyrics and vocal melodies to my musical ideas.

 

My current band is a great example of each member playing to their various strengths. Our singer/frontman is an essential part of that, and we acknowledge that without him we'd be nowhere near as popular. He's a great singer, knows how to keep the audience entertained between songs, and has a great image. Myself and our synth player write all the music (and come up with the initial song ideas) and I do all the drum programming whilst the synth player does to production work on our recordings. Without any one of us the band would not be able to function.

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

Without any one of us the band would not be able to function.

 

And I'd say that's the real secret in any band. As soon as one (or more) members are seen as easily replaceable or not pulling their weight then friction ensues.

[AinsleyWalker]

You'd think people would grow up by the time they reach your sort of age.... Singers are a different breed, I suppose...

[msb]

Couples … one of my first bands was with a lesbian couple , guitar , drums , and me.  It was the early 70’s , and eventually the drama was too much. I have to say there were some times that were hilarious though.