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A bit of a predicament...

nicoli

nicoli

Apr 4, 2002
1,607
15
45
Whistler, BC, Canada
#1
OK, so my band has recently been receiving a lot of attention and have been invited to play a show up in Toronto in July showcasing for a number of labels. Three majors, and a bunch of minors. This is a wicked opportunity, but we're having some problems:

1) The demo people are finally liking was recorded in 1998, and the band was headed in a completely different direction at that point. Far more 'radio alternative' compared to our current direction of 'pop metal/hard rock' (heavy but still was good hooks. NOT hair metal). The one song people are interested in we haven't even played live in over a year

2) Our singer is not as good live as he is on CD - the stuff he did in the studio was like 20 takes / line to make it sound good. We've been auditioning singers for a while now but have yet to find 'the one'. It's possible we'd be up there with a poor singer thus hurting or possibly ruining our chances of getting signed.

As a result of these issues, there is a lot of thoughts colliding... our drummer wants to totally sell out and play the poppy stuff like is on the demo instead of the heavier stuff we've become used to belting out lately. He also is saying he'd rather pull out of the show than show up and be embarassed by a subpar vocalist. The other three of us are kind of wanting to stick with the heavy stuff and just go give'er to see what happens.

I'm of the opinion that this is a huge opportunity and pulling out would be the stupidest thing we've ever done, regardless of the singer we have performing the show. I'm also kinda treating it as just another show to go rock out at rather than a 'we need to get signed' type of thing, except at a way bigger venue than usual.

Anyway, sorry about the essay, I needed to vent. Anyone have any thoughts or opinions about this? The divide between band members is starting to grow and it's scaring me.
 
#3
SMASH said:
Play. Major labels will gladly tell you if the singer sucks and insist on - end even find - a replacement if that's a deal breaker.

Seems like the safest bet would be a mix of material, then hear what the labels prefer. Maybe some prefer your new stuff, and if not then you can decide what to play and if you're willing to change back for a deal.
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ditto. If you pull out you automatically lose.
 
#4
Majors are going to be looking for star potential over amazing talent. If your singer can sell himself on stage and comes across well it's not going to matter if he can't hit every note dead on. If he just plain sucks, then that's a different matter. Majors are also looking for sure fire hits.

Bigger minor lables are going to be looking for a tight band that sounds great on stage. Getting you out touring and building up a fan base is a big part of their marketing strategy. If the singer can't cut it live it may be an issue for them.

Just make sure you play your best songs regardless of the sub genre. It's better to play a short set with 5 great songs over a long set padded with filler.
 
#6
Mike88T said:
There are endless interesting, embarrassing but above all entertaining possibilities in going and only endless regret in not going, easy peasy.
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Yah, that's totally my opinion as well.

Thanks for the replies so far guys, keep them coming. Seems most of you are thinking the same way as me...

I guess we'd sort of gotten caught up in the idea of going with a unified style of powerful and heavy, showing them 'our sound'. The whole mixing of all our styles wasn't even something I have been considering up until the replies to this thread.
 
#7
Another thing to consider is that, if your singer sucks but the rest of the band and the music sounds good, they may still like your band enough and simply tell you guys to dump your singer.

Wouldn't be the first time the suits make a suggestion to drop one player that ain't cutting it. They'll see what's good and what could be improved and still sign the band, if the rest of it is marketable.
 
#8
I'd say keep with what you're doing now. There has to be a reason why you deviated from the sound you had before, and you probably won't be able to pull it off as well as your current stuff if you aren't as into it.

You've nothing at all to lose by doing the gig with your current lineup and sound. As mentioned, the label folks will probably ask if they're curious about any changes.
 
#9
Blisshead said:
If you pull out you automatically lose.
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Blisshead nailed it -- it's the best advice you can get. Beyond that, play your best stuff (regardless of whether it's old or new) and let it fly. Quit analyzing it so much. If you overthink this thing, it will come through in your performance and you will suck on stage, and THAT won't have a very happy ending, now will it?
 

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