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Finding a Lead Singer... Whats important to you?


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Quote Originally Posted by SeniorBlues

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In my experience, it's the lead singer who is looking for a band, not vice versa. You'll be doing his (or her) songs, for the most part.

 

+1 to this... because personally, after working hard to develop all the characteristics that OP listed (assuming I'm not fooling myself), I sat down and said "Now that I have all that, why, exactly, should I go audition for dive bar bands? It'll just be a big time sink, for not much reward. Instead, I'm gonna write my own stuff and see where it leads, because I can always find players. Meanwhile, if a cover band spot falls into my lap and they are willing to play the songs I've already learned, and I can pretty much just show up and sing, then I might go with it. Otherwise, it's not worth it."
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I basically built my band around me as singer *and* guitarist, so I had to pick songs that I can do well on both. I have considered auditioning for other bands before in the past, but I usually started the bands where I was the singer.

If it were reversed and I were looking for a singer to sing in our band as the last piece of the puzzle, they would have to be very versatile, have a great vocal range, charismatic, good-looking, in decent shape and very, very comfortable onstage and with talking to the crowd. This is my biggest problem as the frontman. I'm more of a sarcastic one-liner kind of guy than someone who can make the whole room love the band, although I have done that as well. It's a little more inconsistent, though.

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Quote Originally Posted by SeniorBlues

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In my experience, it's the lead singer who is looking for a band, not vice versa. You'll be doing his (or her) songs, for the most part.

 

Agreed. Depending on where you are as a band, you'll probably have to make some compromises. The OP's wish list is nice, but if you do get lucky and get your fantasy singer, unless you're gigging heavily and making lots of money, they'll want to trade up sooner than later and you're back where you started.
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Quote Originally Posted by rangefinder

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+1 to this... because personally, after working hard to develop all the characteristics that OP listed (assuming I'm not fooling myself), I sat down and said "Now that I have all that, why, exactly, should I go audition for dive bar bands? It'll just be a big time sink, for not much reward. Instead, I'm gonna write my own stuff and see where it leads, because I can always find players. Meanwhile, if a cover band spot falls into my lap and they are willing to play the songs I've already learned, and I can pretty much just show up and sing, then I might go with it. Otherwise, it's not worth it."

 

I agree. I developed as a singer in a metal band, and now that I'm comfortable doing it, I just prefer the solo thing if I'm going to be doing covers. It's hard enough working around five schedules for my main band. It's just easier to do what I want and be able to practice and gig at my own leisure.
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Quote Originally Posted by Lee Knight

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The best way to find the singer of your dreams is to be good enough to steal one from another band. That is how it has always been done.

 

Good enough . . . . and gigs on the books. Some guys really do need the money. . . but I guess that relates more to cover bands than originals. You didn't say which.
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Quote Originally Posted by Lee Knight View Post
The best way to find the singer of your dreams is to be good enough to steal one from another band. That is how it has always been done.
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Whenever I see a band and the singer is the standout member, I know that band won't be together with that singer very much longer.

Here lately I've been on the lookout for gigging bands with weak bass players. Got a few in mind already, for down the road.
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Quote Originally Posted by SeniorBlues

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Good enough . . . . and gigs on the books. Some guys really do need the money. . . but I guess that relates more to cover bands than originals. You didn't say which.

 

How can a band be "good enough" and NOT have gigs on the books? And how would the singer even know that kind of band exists? The real cats pick their players from the scene, from having seen and heard them gig.
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Quote Originally Posted by SeniorBlues

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Good enough . . . . and gigs on the books. Some guys really do need the money. . . but I guess that relates more to cover bands than originals. You didn't say which.

 

It's a cover band. We play Rock covers from 70's,80's,90' and today.
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I've resigned that any singer who is truly great at singing and entertaining with the right amount of ego, attitude, and flamboyance is ultimately the same person who is prone to drug/alcohol abuse, band abuse, typically unreliable and irresponsible, unpracticed, unprepared, and a general pain in the ass. And that's the good ones.

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Quote Originally Posted by Kramerguy View Post
I've resigned that any singer who is truly great at singing and entertaining with the right amount of ego, attitude, and flamboyance is ultimately the same person who is prone to drug/alcohol abuse, band abuse, typically unreliable and irresponsible, unpracticed, unprepared, and a general pain in the ass. And that's the good ones.
This. I was in a band with a singer who was very talented, but his home life was a mess. Moved every few months, changed jobs just as often, was into drugs, you never knew if he was going to show up for practice, he didn't own any equipment and never helped with the set up or tear down for shows.

The singer in the band that I'm in now isn't quite as talented (still a good singer though) has a stable home life and job, doesn't do drugs, is usually the first one to practice, owns his own equipment and is Johnny on the spot to help set up and tear down at shows.

After dealing with the previous singer I've learned that I'd rather have somebody who isn't quite as talented but is dependable over someone who is extremely talented but is a flake.
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Quote Originally Posted by stratotastic View Post
Agreed. Depending on where you are as a band, you'll probably have to make some compromises. The OP's wish list is nice, but if you do get lucky and get your fantasy singer, unless you're gigging heavily and making lots of money, they'll want to trade up sooner than later and you're back where you started.
I agree. A band is kinda like marriage. The rich guy has the hot wife, usually, and the poor guy has the not so hot wife. If the rich guy loses his riches, the hot wife is usually gone, and if the poor guy gains them, he usually trades up. We tend to end up with what we are comfortable with and what is, generally speaking, a "peer".

Bands are similar. If a mediocre band somehow lands a fabulous member, be it singer or whatever, they had better improve or they will lose that person pretty fast. When I joined my main band they were also planning on getting a lead vocalist. I joined as a bass player with the ability to sing some lead as well. But as the band (and I) figured out what I could do vocally, they kept assigning more and more songs to me as lead vocalist. Frankly, I surprised myself.

We are no longer even looking for a lead singer. Between us we have all the vocalists we need for the various styles. And I've got the "front man" personality so we don't need that either. Here is the kicker, though: The whole band got better because we got a glimpse of what we can actually do. Everyone is practicing more and we are all surprising ourselves. But all that being said, as with the marriage example, this is possible because we are a cover band with day jobs and musical peers. If we were doing the casino thing and making our living from this, I would not be good enough for lead vocals, nor would any of the other members.

One other thing: I've heard better singers in karaoke bars than a lot of the lead singers for bands. In fact, one of the things that caused me to entertain singing in a band was hearing a lead singer trash "born to be wild", which I can ace pretty easily. At the time I didn't even play bass. Then there is the playing bass while singing lead thing. That's a subject for another thread, however, but it brings up the versatility of a "dedicated lead singer", assuming you can find one without band destroying ego (which is the gorilla in the room).
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Quote Originally Posted by Kramerguy

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I've resigned that any singer who is truly great at singing and entertaining with the right amount of ego, attitude, and flamboyance is ultimately the same person who is prone to drug/alcohol abuse, band abuse, typically unreliable and irresponsible, unpracticed, unprepared, and a general pain in the ass. And that's the good ones.

 

I'd have to agree. It tends to be the wild, somewhat crazy guys who turn out to be the best frontmen, at least in the original band world.
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"After dealing with the previous singer I've learned that I'd rather have somebody who isn't quite as talented but is dependable over someone who is extremely talented but is a flake. "
Sooooo True!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go for what you can count on. Dont assume what you offer is pure Gold....he/she may really think you need to improve. Its always true on both sides. Be cool about it, let people be people..find someone who "belongs in the band"..givem em some time to develop as your singer. A great front person is not someone who has a 6 octave range, or never forgets a line...Bille Holiday had about 5 good notes,,,and Sinatra forgot words in "Strangers in the Night". Dont be a weiner, meet alot of people, take in the one that belongs and get on with it. GtrGeorge

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Quote Originally Posted by jimiv View Post
For me, it depends on what kind of band you are trying to be. If its a kumbayah buddy band, then vocal quality is not as important as getting along with each other and minimizing drama and playing solely to have a good time with each other. If you're trying to make a splash and compete with A-listers and private event types for bigger money, vocal quality is primary and you cannot attract a top drawer singer without top drawer players. For original bands, I also think top vocals is a must but with the twist that the vocalist needs to have a unique sound/tone to his/her voice. Like when you hear him/her you immediately say, "oh yeah, that's so and so."

Anyway, for me, I will put up with a lot of {censored} to play with a top vocalist, but you have to have excellent players with gigs to even get someone of that caliber interested. Do they come with issues? Sometimes, but are those issues overbearing and so insufferable as to completely derail your project? Maybe, but it is a case by case situation and I, for one, am always willing to go down the road with the talent and see where it leads. So what if they are chipping a little at something. Aren't we all to some extent? If it becomes unbearable, then you make a switch. By then, assuming you have the topdrawer backing band, there is always someone in the wings ready to step in and it is usually the sub you have been using.
And top guys tend to get protocol as well. Not all lead vocalists are clueless. There are guys that get the biz of the bar. If a guy has been around a bit, he may be a flake in lots of ways, but... my experience is that they have also taken to their role of shmoozer off stage as well. Not a bad guy to have in your camp if you're like most musicians I know. And that includes me.
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