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Advice, please for a new lead vocalist/frontman


Donny Fontaine

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I've always been very musical and I have a good voice that works well across a variety of styles from standards to rock to R&B and more. I was in a garage band in high school - lead vocals and bass but I couldn't do both at the same time; I was a much better vocalist so we found another bass player. After high school, I didn't do anything musically for 30 years, then I started doing karaoke pretty regularly and getting tons of compliments from people.

 

A couple months ago I responded to an ad on Craigslist - a blues band was looking for a vocalist. I never do any blues songs at karaoke yet the genre was one of my first loves and my voice is definitely well-suited for it, so... I responded, auditioned, they were impressed, and I was in. The guys are all retired, 10+ years older than me and very talented. I've really been enjoying rehearsal but recently, things got interesting... What I thought was pretty much a garage band, putting together a song list to play some bars, etc. is actually a group of experienced, ambitious guys who have played blues festivals and other larger events - and that's their expectation for this band.

 

So, here I am, a talented (but not super confident) vocalist with basically no experience, and I'm supposed to learn/grow into becoming a frontman - the voice and focal point of a band that's likely to be playing to some fairly big crowds. I'm cool with that - I really like the idea - and it helps a LOT that they all have confidence in my ability to pull it off. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared/nervous/intimidated by the whole idea.

 

Every rehearsal, I'm realizing more and more how much responsibility a frontman has. What I'm really struggling with right now is the frontman's role during rehearsal. On the one hand, I feel like I should probably be starting to take charge. OTOH, these guys are so much more experienced than I am... it just doesn't feel right. On top of that, I have very little knowledge of music theory, so a lot of the time I'm just lost when they're discussing stuff. (Not a good quality in a leader, huh?) Mostly, I'm just trying to sing the vocals well and contribute any way I can...

 

I created an online spreadsheet with a list of songs we're doing and others that have been suggested - complete with links to YouTube videos, lyrics, and tabs. Recently, the band has started to struggle with arrangements - lead breaks stepping on each other (and vocals), vocals stepping on lead breaks, songs go on forever because nobody knows when/how we're going to wrap it up... So I made a section in the spreadsheet for arrangements and started documenting everything I was sure about (and guessing at the rest). I brought it to the guys' attention and asked them to contribute/comment/annotate/make corrections. Nobody bothered. I spent a lot of time on this and everyone just ignored it. Not only are the same mistakes still being made, but they (laughingly) complain after every song about how long it went. After one song, the guitarist even looked at me and told me that they were waiting for a signal from me - yet no one ever looks at me! I'm getting kinda pissed and frustrated but I'm not sure how to handle it. (And I still have this "who the hell am I to tell them" feeling...) Also, I don't want to come off as a troublemaker or a prima donna or someone with a bad attitude, etc.

 

I'd really appreciate some advice - not only on this specific situation, but on fronting a band well and effectively. Thanks very much for your time and consideration.

 

 

 

 

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First, don't confuse fronting a band with needing to "take charge of it". Were I you, I'd be more worried about the fronting the band part of this situation. And most of that comes with experience in front of a crowd. Not just getting up and singing one karaoke song and sitting down. You have to engage the crowd between songs, be witty and move like you belong up there. You have plenty to worry about long before "taking charge of it" should even be a thought in your head.

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Thanks so much for the input, trevcda. I hear where you're coming from and that's great advice (and believe me, I'm PLENTY worried about all of that!) I know I have those responsibilities and I think I'm up to the task - though I'm sure I'll make plenty of mistakes and have to learn some things the hard way.

 

The thing about this situation, though, is that we're making such slow progress on our song list because so much time is being wasted dragging 4 minute songs out to 8 or 9, and decisions that we make about arrangements in one rehearsal seem to go right out the window in the next. Should I just shut up and let the experienced guys work that out?

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Don't worry too much about fronting a band. I see very few lead singers who can front these days. By that I mean, they don't know how to rap to the audience, make natural sounding jokes, or get people excited to be there. I would concentrate on singing and looking like you are having a good time.

 

As to arrangements... I've been as a guitar player/vocalist, either a sideman or a front man for many years. I always just call the solos in each song - "alright people, here's Paul Piano on the keys". If you can't do that or the band doesn't want you to do that, then don't bother with spreadsheets. I would just claim ignorance, and say that you need to record the songs so you can memorize the arrangements. The first time the guys hear a rehearsal recording of Flip Flop and Fly with seventy-two bars of a really bad sax solo, they will realize they need to pull up their socks and get serious about the arrangements and distribution of solos. So again my suggestion is to record your rehearsals under the guise of "trying to get things straight".

 

Needless to say, you've got to phrase things and present things in your own way, but I'm hoping you get my drift.

 

BTW I did a couple of outdoor festival gigs this year, and although we had a good front man, we just barreled from one song to another. All he had to do was sing. If I get inspired I will post pics.

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Sounds to me like you practices are turning into jams. That is usually a lot more fun for the players than the singer. It also tends to happen, I think, when guys have been out of the band scene and into the jamming thing for a while. Someone needs to book a gig, even if just a local dive bar gig, and then your players should concentrate on tightening things up. It can also help to record practices and email that to the band. Hearing yourself go on and on can be and eye/ear opener.

 

As stated earlier there is no way the front man / singer needs to be, or should be, the band leader or musical director.

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As stated earlier there is now way the front man / singer needs to be, or should be, the band leader or musical director.

 

I'm going to third this sentiment. Don't confuse "front man" with "band leader". They are very different things.

 

Best way to dip your toe into fronting a band is to focus on singing well, relax, and just have a good time. Don't worry about being David Lee Roth with the acrobatics, or Michael Jackson with the dancing, or Bruce Springsteen with the stories. Just have fun singing with the boys in the band and that will come across to the audience.

 

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The thing about this situation, though, is that we're making such slow progress on our song list because so much time is being wasted dragging 4 minute songs out to 8 or 9, and decisions that we make about arrangements in one rehearsal seem to go right out the window in the next. Should I just shut up and let the experienced guys work that out?

 

Hmmmm. . . are you sure they are as experienced as they say? This does not sound like it to me. From my experience, people who are experienced don't want to rehearse at all. I play in two bands that never rehearse at all. It's wonderful.

 

I would suggest, relax and just let things pan out. I would try to focus the guys on lining up some gigs or getting your demo ready to submit to booking agents/production companies, etc. In other words, don't worry about the festivals until they come.

 

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If you know how to chart a song, even just for the arrangements, take notes when you agree on an arrangement during a rehearsal. And stick with those arrangements. Repetitiveness makes for habits, both good and bad. If you don't lock down an arrangement, it will eventually end up a train wreck.

 

I'm probably the wrong guy to ask about extending songs. I'm good if it's part of a medley or a mash-up. But I get pissed pretty quickly when people (my band or a band I'm watching) start extending a song out with long pointless solos. Need to kill more time? Learn another mother friggin' song! I get even more upset when it happens while we're playing and I have to stand there watching dancers check their watches as they're walking off the floor.

 

There's a big difference between experienced and lazy. Experience doesn't necessarily come with age.

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Hello!! I Agree with the others responses,

A Frontman has to be part MC you need to Read the crowd do a brief introduction and begin the setlist after a few jokes

Obviously you must have an agreed upon setlist

The band needs a PA,

at a minimum big eneough to fill a room with 35-50 people, ie a large powered mixer like a yamaha 512c or similar. and at least 2 12 inch pa speakers for mains. and a cmonitor or two. a

mic stand cables an dmic.maybe a graphic eq to vontrol feed back. guitar player can use his amp without going thru pa same with bass player canjust bring his amp. i

f your the vocalist be sure you renember the words to the songs and have your own mic You really should be the owner of the powered mixer and pa speskers. to start use the effects in the powered mixer and add rour own dedicated reverb rack unit later. start out with a wired mic at first and move

up to wireless later. put tjhe guitarist and bass player in yhe pa later on, same with the drummer youll eventually need bass sprakers, remrmber onlty15inch bass speskers fit in a car, 18 inch subs require a pickup or van to move.

 

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