Does a group REALLY need a front man

behindthenotes · #1 08-22-2008, 09:33 AM

Hi Guys

We have posted this as our weekly discussion and would be keen to hear your thoughts.

Does a group REALLY need a leader ?

The front man, the boss, the leader, the mac daddy, the main man.....can a group exist as a collaborative or is it essential to have a front man calling the shots?

Which of these situations do you prefer to work in ?

Pilgrim · #2 08-22-2008, 09:38 AM

The one I play in is a group effort, but we have defined roles within the group. One guy books, another sets up practices, I play bass and set up the PA, etc.....

behindthenotes · #3 08-22-2008, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

The one I play in is a group effort, but we have defined roles within the group. One guy books, another sets up practices, I play bass and set up the PA, etc.....

How about the writing ? is that collaborative also ? are you able to contribute or told what to play ?

SteveC · #4 08-22-2008, 09:51 AM

I think so. Everyone can/does contribute, but in the end, there is usually a focus at the gig.

FuturePrimitive · #5 08-22-2008, 09:57 AM

A front man and a leader/boss man are two different things. I consider a front man the guy (or in our case) the girl that is singing and doing most of the crowd interaction. As for calling the shots, that's much more of a collaborative effort.

::::BASSIST:::: · #6 08-22-2008, 10:10 AM

It depends. Did the Beatles have a frontman?

I actually think a band works better with a leader. Sometimes its best to have one person make the decisions rather than the decisions becoming a source of friction between 4 people.

bongomania · #7 08-22-2008, 10:12 AM

In the case of a "boss" role, it is critical that that role be established -and agreed upon- very early in the band's formation, otherwise there will almost certainly develop resentment among the band. I've known a lot of steady-working musicians who really preferred having an established boss in the band, as that meant less work for them.

As far as a charismatic front person, I do think a band needs to have at least one charismatic person on stage; if they don't, there needs to be some special circumstance, like the whole band is in costume, or there is a big visual show, or the music is so good or unique that it doesn't need a person to represent it. IMO any band that thinks they are too cool to need some extra charisma onstage is fooling themselves.

Largedon · #8 08-22-2008, 10:29 AM

I don't think you need to have a clearly defined leader, but everyone should have their jobs to fill. Who's gonna maintain the PA and fix gear, who's gonna handle merch, who's gonna book gigs and handle money, PR and advertising, etc. Generally the person booking will end up being a leader type in the band just because of the role and the personality type it generally takes to fill that role. Make a list of the jobs needed and assign them to people who have the skills to succeed in those roles.

Don't be afraid to sit down as a band and have a meeting. For a band to really be successful it must be run as a small business, with collaboration, thoughtful discussion and clear goals (both short and long term). Sorry if I sound "preachy", but you see so many potentially good bands go down in flames or just never really reach their potential due to lack of organization.

baalroo · #9 08-22-2008, 11:10 AM

It depends on the genre and what you mean by "need."

My own group, for example, is a mixture of noise, freak folk, drone, and pop. There are three of us and we all play multiple instruments and sing (for example: I play bass, acoustic guitar, keyboards, drums, trigger samples, and various noise oddities all within the confines of single songs) . We also have a projector that shines collected videos and images onto us as we play. No one person is ever featured and we all consider ourselves equal members of a collaboration. I think having a frontman would actually hurt the entire concept of what we're doing, thus we do not "need" a frontman.

OTOH, when you start talking about bands who's goal is to be a mainstream group then a frontman is neccesary, since the most important aspect of being a mainstream act is to meet the lowest common denominator of expectations of an average consumer... or, to put it another way, to deliver a familiar product. Since a frontman is a key component of consumer expectations for a mainstream music product, then yes these groups most certainly "need" a frontman.