Your Front Person

[tjh]

Originally Posted by modulusman

In my main band the frontman is a great singer, good guitarist and great MC. He worked as a radio DJ for years and is totally comfortable in the spotlight. He is the main reason we get paid well. The other band I play with the frontman is a great singer, guitar player but doesn't engage the audience at all. This is the main reason this band makes about half what my other band does.

^^ ... here you go .. modman sums it up perfectly .. anyone that is in doubt of the difference it can make is IMHO in denial .. it doesn't need to be the front man, but somebody on stage needs to step forward and run the show (from the audiences perspective)..

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by JumboJack

Why you would think there is a single person here that is jealous of you is beyond comprehension and coments like that are what make you the recipient of so much flack. If you could just go one thread without saying something ridiculous or inflamitory it would go a long way.

It's merely the way I see things.


Blue

[millsbass5]

"4. We have a veteran who comes off like a pro."

This describes our band's frontman to a "T". To be quite honest, the crowd could be just as entertained listening to him as they would with us playing. Now, that's definitely not a knock on us as a band, it's just a compliment to how amazing he is out front. He just has "it". Hell, I betcha he could run for dog catcher and get elected.

[mellowinman]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

Not trying to be a jerk, but... If what you say is true, why is he talking to the audience???

Because we need him to, while Krystal is tweaking the PA, or something while I am changing instruments.

Plus, he's "in training."

There's always hope!

[kanonfodr]

I've been lucky to have some amazing fronts in both bands I have worked with. It's not always about talent on whatever they do: vox, guitar, drums, etc but how they build a relationship with the audience. For a metal band with lyrics about everything that would shock my grandmother, it's off color comments and "Drink up!". For a Christian P&W band: Praise The Lord! And for the Top40 Cover band: Drink more, lay the bass player.

But also, don't forget about your role on the stage. I quickly gained a reputation for engaging the audience as a bass player: jumping off drum kits, jumping into mosh pits during the song, grinding on other people's wives...etc. But those skills would murder me in a Top40 cover band where I've got to last through 3 or 4 sets of music, or in a P&W band where extreme head banging is most likely to anger the preacher up front.

Peace,
Greg

[TinIndian]

I've been in my current band for 2 years. Our lead singer has a fantastic voice, but as a front man he is mediocre. He doesn't work the crowd and has a bad habit of introducing just about every song we do. For other reason's, the guitarist and I are leaving and starting a new band. The guy we have for front man in this project knows how to work a crowd and get people going. He is not as strong vocally as the other but he is still very good. He has more soul in his voice plus he can rap a little too.

Really looking forward to getting this off the ground.

[bluewine]

Our 29 year old female front is pretty good. She's articulate, personable, can read a crowd, socially relevant and most important she's likable.

Blue

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by TinIndian

... has a bad habit of introducing just about every song we do.

OMG!! Reminds me of a guy I played with some years ago... would announce EVERY song at least once, and sometimes twice or THREE TIMES! Drove me NUTS!

"Okay now we're going to play Turn The Page... By Bob Seger.......



"Turn The Page......"

-play, sing, sing, play.....

"That was Turn The Page. Now we'll do Hang On Sloopy...."

ARGGHH.

[TinIndian]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

OMG!! Reminds me of a guy I played with some years ago... would announce EVERY song at least once, and sometimes twice or THREE TIMES! Drove me NUTS!

"Okay now we're going to play Turn The Page... By Bob Seger.......



"Turn The Page......"

-play, sing, sing, play.....

"That was Turn The Page. Now we'll do Hang On Sloopy...."

ARGGHH.

I know. Incredibly annoying habit. I think he does it because he can't think of anything else to say.

If that's all he can come up with I wish he'd just keep quiet and move to the next.

[mellowinman]

We have this annoying frontperson* who will announce songs in a manner that has nothing to do with the actual song being played. For example, "Now we'd like to do something that's appropriate for the kids," and then we play "Big Ten Inch Record." Or, "for all you intellectuals in the house, we would like to do the fifth movement of Tchaikovsky's "Manfred Symphony in A," and then we play "Tie Your Mother Down." The joke's on them, of course, as the Manfred Symphony is in B minor, and, as you probably already knew, only has four movements.

Oh wait!

*That's ME!

[jonas_24112]

I think my front man was good back in the 70's and 80's, but now just out of date and cheesy. He's definitely socially irrelevant to the times and won't change. His home is a temple to Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Dale Earnhart (honest!!). We are moving out of classic and southern rock into more modern tunes and you can tell he's not happy. I'm just hoping he will quietly step down, but I doubt it.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by jonas_24112

I think my front man was good back in the 70's and 80's, but now just out of date and cheesy. He's definitely socially irrelevant to the times and won't change. His home is a temple to Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and Dale Earnhart (honest!!). We are moving out of classic and southern rock into more modern tunes and you can tell he's not happy. I'm just hoping he will quietly step down, but I doubt it.

That's why I stay around young people.

It ain't the summer of love anymore. Even I know that.

Blue

[droo46]

My band is number 2; our frontgirl is too shy. Most people tell me they wish everyone in our band was as lively as me.

Case in point: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7eTS...hdDJKw&index=5

[Lemoore-on]

We are going on 6 years now and he has improved steadily. He started out real shy.

At our normal gig where he is comfortable he is; 4. We have a veteran who comes off like a pro.

At a new venue he sometimes is;6. Our front person doesn't have the command over the crowd as much ad we'd like.

but again he gets better every gig. We had a small problem with him drinking early on because people always by him shots & he felt obligated to do them right then & there. The drummer & I talked with him about it & now he lines them up in front of the kick drum and shoots them after the last set.

He is a good looking 30 year old with good maners but has just a little bit of bad boy attitude. Chicks dig him.

[QORC]

Frankly our singer interacts TOO much on stage. Too much blabbing. We've had to have talks with him and reel him back in. Far too long of breaks between songs because he's in love with himself with a microphone

[gandsfjord]

We have a guy up front who's an expert at flirting with the girls, he brings 30 extra girls to each gig - his personal fanclub - and has a good rapport with everyone in the audience.
Problem: he's a very poor singer. Sings out of pitch - we're autotuning him as much as we can, but not enough - doesn't know the songs very well, throws us all into somewhat of a panic when he starts singing a chorus in the middle of a solo (when we're playing a verse say), ad libbing things like extending verses or choruses in a way we never did at rehearsal or ever even talked about. Maybe he's not deliberately ad-libbing but rather loses his way.

He does come to rehearsals, but I don't think he practices or even listens to the songs outside of group-rehearsals.

I'm actually for firing him, nevermind the 30 extra girls he draws in to each gig, but before I do that I need to have the rest of the band on my side. I don't trust them not to change sides in the middle of that argument however - which would break the whole band to pieces, so we're kind of stuck at the moment.

[QORC]

Look is important. Bringing in people is important.

but if someone can't sing, you'll ultimately fail and it will reflect on all of you.

[knumbskull]

up until recently i was lucky enough to play with one of the best frontmen ever... he was completely non-starry or "performer"-ish, but at the same time so likeable and funny that crowds loved him. great singer and player too, which always helps.

[dminer]

Originally Posted by RitchS

Pics or it didn't really happen.

I would be happy to oblige you with some pictures but, I'm not sure what you want pics of!
Pictures of her not engaging the audience? Pictures of the new singer? Pictures of the guitar player speaking into the mic? Pictures of her teaching?

[4001]

Our band's "front person" is the very best we could have ever hoped for in this band.
Nails Chris Cornell's voice, has tons of stage experience and is a professional.