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. 

[Mykesbass]

On 21/12/2024 at 20:35, Mickeyboro said:

Maybe at some point I can join the frontman club…but it won’t happen overnight.

There will be posts about you on HarmonicaChat!

[Mickeyboro]

41 minutes ago, Mykesbass said:

There will be posts about you on HarmonicaChat!

Thanks for blowing my trumpet!👍

[Bluewine]

On 20/12/2024 at 16:16, gjones said:

Successful bands are never democracies. If a charismatic and talented singer/front person is good at what they do, then the band revolves around them. All the successful bands I've ever been in have revolved around the singer/frontperson. Play what they want you to play and things will go smoothly, think you or any other band member has a say in the set and suddenly you no longer have a singer/front person. 

 

 

 

Agreed, our lead singer is also the band leader. We're so lucky. She has a genuine gift of gab and the audience loves her.

 

Ever watch a band comprised of 4 " old guys" with absolutely no personality or ability to speak or work up a crowd?

 

Daryl

[Mickeyboro]

7 hours ago, Bluewine said:

Ever watch a band comprised of 4 " old guys" with absolutely no personality or ability to speak or work up a crowd?

No, but I’m in one!

 

Happy Christmas 🌲

[Boodang]

Instrumental blues, no frontman, problem sorted! 

[Downunderwonder]

On 26/12/2024 at 03:53, Boodang said:

Instrumental blues, no frontman, problem sorted! 

Should that be

Instrumental blues, no audience requiring a g up between numbers, no frontman required, problem sorted!

[Newfoundfreedom]

On 21/12/2024 at 18:44, 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'm in a band made up of two married couples. Both the girls are amazing singers and neither have any ego whatsoever. It works wonderfully. 

[Downunderwonder]

31 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

 

I'm in a band made up of two married couples. Both the girls are amazing singers and neither have any ego whatsoever. It works wonderfully. 

Abbasolutely Fantastic.

[Stub Mandrel]

Without making any judgements, someone who is in a musical couple might not give an entirely unbiased view of how well it works? 😁

 

<ducks>

[Newfoundfreedom]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Without making any judgements, someone who is in a musical couple might not give an entirely unbiased view of how well it works? 😁

 

<ducks>

 

Maybe not. But getting together every week to play purely for the enjoyment of doing so certainly does. 

[tauzero]

4 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Without making any judgements, someone who is in a musical couple might not give an entirely unbiased view of how well it works? 😁

 

<ducks>

 

True, but OTOH Mrs Zero and I didn't always agree (or always disagree) and the fact we were a couple was never cited as a reason for anyone leaving the band. And stop calling me ducks.

[skidder652003]

We muddled along for 10 years as a three piece with our guitarist as lead vocals.

He'd be the first to admit that his voice was pretty much just ok.

Then out of the blue we found ourselves with a fantastic female rock vocalist.

The band (IMO) was completely transformed and stepped up several gears.

Luckily we kept pretty much the same style (Zep, Free, Bad Company etc) and she carries it off great.

Now 15 years togeather (5 with her) I can't imagine going backwards without a great frontman/woman.

Vocalists can be a bit fragile and sometimes need to be handled with care, like others have said I think you need a different mindset to be out front in the limelight.

But bands live or die by their vocalist and I'd rather bend to their needs (within reason) than loose them.

 

[diskwave]

7 minutes ago, skidder652003 said:

But bands live or die by their vocalist and I'd rather bend to their needs (within reason) than loose them.

Totally agree with this. Ive worked with some good frontmen/women over the years but the best ever was a guy I did a long funky/jazzy summer season with, but boy was he a live wire, not nasty but kind of on edge all the time. One night he stopped the band mid tune to berrate the bar manager over the pa which he'd had an altercation with earlier.....It was horrendous but we carried on and completed the contract as he was so good. 

[bassbiscuits]

Freddie, Bon, Ozzy, David Lee Roth, Steven Tyler etc. All legendary frontmen. I’m going to stick my neck out and guess some of them aren’t/weren’t the easiest people to deal with, and not great at conforming without putting their own stamp on it and their own ideas.

 

To many people a frontman is the visible face, voice and mouthpiece of a band.
 

Pretty unlikely to have a band in which a strong front person doesn’t stamp their identity in some way, so pick a good one. 
 

[Mickeyboro]

1 hour ago, tauzero said:

 

True, but OTOH Mrs Zero and I didn't always agree (or always disagree) and the fact we were a couple was never cited as a reason for anyone leaving the band. And stop calling me ducks.

I’ve played with a couple that could leave the personal stuff at the door.. and one that couldn’t.