How Important is good frontman in a band?

[Ric5]

HUGE! Frontman MUST engage the audience. If the singer is not the frontman, that's fine. Whoever is the frontman needs to be entertaining.

I played in a band where the lead singer was a pretty good singer but he was scared and drunk and did not engage the audience ... in fact pretty much every single member other than me would go into their own little world and simply play a memorized part and not relate to the audience at all. The whole band needs to be entertaining ... well maybe the drummer can hide behind his kit

 

[cableguy]

A mediocre instrumentalists with great vocals will do far better than great instrumentalists with mediocre vocals. A good front man/singer can take your band to the next level, but if you have a good singer, someone else can be the frontman.

Just to clarify - a 'great' guitarist does not forget the chords to a song.

A great vocalist will definitely take an average band to the next level. Same can be said for a great soundman as well......

 

[RiffwRiter]

Our band has a singer/rhythm guitarist that has trouble with frontman duties. He spends a lot of time at home tweaking his guitar tone. I have told him several times that no one is going to come back to see us because that guy was a great rhythm guitar player so he should focus his energy on vocals where he has some talent. It never changes though, so I have joined/formed 3 other bands so I have something else to focus on. One of those other groups died after a year, and the other two recently started up. I haven't left the first band yet. We have some songs that are fun to play and I like the guys so it keeps limping along.

 

[five7]

Great gig in the sky with 3 girls taking turns, nice!

 

[JRA]

i'm with those who are acknowledging the distinction between a lead singer and a frontman.

the OP (and others!) gets my vote and encouragement to learn how to be a bit of a frontman himself! good luck!

 

[basst scho]

to me, frontmen and -women dont matter at all

some of my favourite bands are instrumental only, and i dont give much about songlyrics in general...if i like the music, i always drift away from the lyrics to listen to the instruments.

i just wanna get hypnotized:

 

[logicman69]

Even if you are not the vocalist, you can get your own mic and be the front man between songs.

It takes practice, just like everything else.

This is what I do. My singer is a great vocalist, but very shy when talking to the crowd. She just doesn't know how to "work the room". So I tend to do alot of in between banter.

 

[vvvmmm]

Kinda depends on the genre, and the material, don't it?
I mean, Scofield hardly talks, and Roth doesn't stop.
Hope Sandoval hardly talked, Chrissie Hynde talks a lot.
But then, Daltry doesn't say much but Townshend does, and Jagger and Plant do.

 

[CarpeBasso]

I saw a concert "Kenny Loggins & Friends" the other night on AXS. What a frontman, what a singer still, at 70! He's a master frontman, even though with his musicality and singer/songwriter skills he doesn't have to be. He had the outgoing charm and energy of a thirty-something performer, and he had his audience going wild. No easy task, because they all looked like fellow baby boomers.

 

[Gringo Basso]

I can't believe the question was even asked? FFS, a band without a great front man will never be anything, period. The exceptions are too few to even argue IMO. This being a bass site, I think some of us are completely oblivious to reality. The kind of guys who cant or wont recognize this will be playing for 5 of their best friends, at those 3 gigs they do a year. That sounds harsh, but the music biz is beyond harsh, the sooner you get a grip, the better.

 

[basst scho]

I can't believe the question was even asked? FFS, a band without a great front man will never be anything, period. The exceptions are too few to even argue IMO. This being a bass site, I think some of us are completely oblivious to reality. The kind of guys who cant or wont recognize this will be playing for 5 of their best friends, at those 3 gigs they do a year. That sounds harsh, but the music biz is beyond harsh, the sooner you get a grip, the better.

i dont think its about being rich and famous, as this was the question

How important is good frontman for you? Will you leave a band if you don't like his voice and onstage presence?

i´m a beginner and havent played live yet (and our 5 songs we have so far have no lyrics yet, if there will be any), but i could´t play with a singer, when i dont like his voice

 

[mrcbass]

Uh, pretty critical for most situations. Jazz situations are the one exception where you may not have that "one person" that is almost always the focal point for the audience. Jazz is a bit different in that you often have multiple people taking turns being the focal point during any given song. Sure it's better if they can act as a front person when it's their turn, but not nearly as critical as is for rock/country/dance bands.

One of my projects is a blues/classic rock cover thing. Both myself and my brother (guitar) are capable singers, but not front men by any stretch. We aren't even dreaming of playing out until we find a decent front person. Yeah we could maybe pass on mics for a family BBQ or the like, but that's about it. Musically we're sound, but there's just no reason to embarrass ourselves pretending we are good enough to play out at this point.

 

[Perrygoround]

Angus is a great front man being the guitarist.
Gene is a good front man being the bass player.
ZZ top are great entertainers being a trio.
There are many ways of engaging the audience. But I agree is hard to find your own way to do it.
The singer of my n°1 band has a great voice, he also plays guitar, but is a shy guy. I was upset the first gig we did, he apologized before we started playing (something like «sorry, we are begginers, etc...). I told him never do that again ni your life. Not only was bringing us down, but also nobody wants to listen apologies or feeling sorry for the band. We are working in finding the way to engage the audiences whithin the framework of our personalities. Having confidence on the set and playing a lot helps. In 7 years since that incident, the progress has been huge. Confidence in what you are doing, and in your band-mates, is key.

 

[beatlebass64]

I don't think it's essential to have a front person, as long as everyone is good at what they are doing. In other words, if you have one singer they need to be able to sing (and in this case they will probably be the front person by default). The guitarist, bassist, drummer, whatever else should all be comfortable and competent in their roles, whether it is up front and center or more supportive in the background. Some groups have multiple singers and in that case maybe no one individual stands out as a front person, but what does stand out is someone like you described who isn't that great at singing or interacting with the audience. If they are assuming the role of the front person then the group is in trouble.

It sounds like you have the drive and desire to be in a good gigging band, and if this band is not cutting it then there is nothing wrong with seeking another project that better fits you.

I would stick with this one while you search though. At the very least you can use it to make your own improvements, and it goes without saying that should you leave it should be done in a professional manner.

 

[Strung_Low]

If you are a band that has a front person, ie. not instrumental, then this position is crucial. They must have charisma or some kind of stage presence along with their voice.

 

[Ric5]

The problem is really good lead singers are not common ... pretty good lead singers a little easier to find and there are a lot of us mediocre singers.

But then again Bob Dylan was a mediocre singer who was a good frontman

 

[fhm555]

The front is the focus of the show. They engage the audience, wind them up in the first set keep them interested in the second and third set, then wind them down in the last. You do not want a bunch of drunk girls wanting to dance and complaining to their drunk boyfriends about it while you are breaking down to leave.
While it’s great if the front is also the lead vocalist, they do not need to be a singer, just someone with the gift of gab and a friendly open personality. They are most effective if they are visable from anywhere in the room, but if it’s the drummer or KB player they just need to be a little extra sparkly when speaking to the crowd.
You would be surprised how far an excellent front can carry even a so-so band.

 

[MyTomomi]

Thanks for the suggestion guys. I've been thinking of picking up the microphone during the break since I think I can do the MC (talking to the crowd) better but it's just solving half of the problem. We really need a better singer.

He is a good guitarist in a sense that he have great chops and can do lead stuffs perfectly. He just sometimes forget the chords when he sings.

Why again did you post a video of a band that is NOT the band you are in or regarding? This clearly is confusing to accurately making a comment on your situation and in fact makes me second guess your level of professionalism.

I have to apologize for that. I will remove the video.

I do have some experience with this and have seen an otherwise well-connecting band fall apart due to poor vocals. Particularly an issue if the vocalist won't set their ego aside and either sings songs within their range or let a new vocalist come in in.

By the way, I'm also a Tomomi fan and currently covering one of her songs in my band

Hello fellow Tomomi fan. =)

 

[electracoyote]

I saw a concert "Kenny Loggins & Friends" the other night on AXS. What a frontman, what a singer still, at 70! He's a master frontman, even though with his musicality and singer/songwriter skills he doesn't have to be. He had the outgoing charm and energy of a thirty-something performer, and he had his audience going wild. No easy task, because they all looked like fellow baby boomers.

Sometimes, the voice and the songs are more than enough.

But for most cover bands I've been in, the front person sometimes needs to encourage people to get out of their funk and have a good time. Strange but true. A front person who knows how to connect to audience members and turn their frown upside down is like gold.

 

[MyTomomi]

Critically important. Maybe THE most important thing. But why quit this band before you have something else lined up. Keep playing but start looking for something better.

Yep. I'm still in the band but I'm already talking to someone about forming a new band. I'm still hoping that the band leader will change his mind and get a new vocalist/frontman.

If you do quit try and leave on good terms, in the future you might end up back in a band with one (or more) of them.

You also don't want them bad mouthing you to all the other musicians as it could make it difficult finding another band, word gets round and a bad reputation takes some getting rid of.

I will try my best to break with them in good terms. They are nice people and I want to be friends with them as much as possible.