We've been auditioning singers since November....

[MasterG]

Sorta off the subject but people that say they can sing backup but dont sing lead. If you cant sing lead I sure as heck dont want you singing harmonies.

 

[leftyjohn]

When i go to auditions I am auditioning the band as much as they are auditioning me......I am picky and I do have a 3 strikes rule.....for...I AM the bass not you type stuff.....some people are offended that a bass player should such an attitude.....and how much does this gig pay???? Not a lot of money....I know, I have an attitude problem.....I like my attitude problem.

And when I audition someone for the "next" band I like to see what they are bringing, like the drummer who is into metal.....this is my exposure to music that I don't really listen to. And it is kind of fun playing new music.

 

[Eminor3rd]

I've never heard of a bar cover band losing gigs because of the way their singer dresses. Get someone who can sing and will show up to rehearsal and stop pretending like you're going on American Idol.

 

[mrcbass]

Sorta off the subject but people that say they can sing backup but dont sing lead. If you cant sing lead I sure as heck dont want you singing harmonies.

To continue your thread drift, these really are two different skills. Our lead singer is a capable front person. Average voice but passable and good at engaging the crowd. She's not very good supplying harmonies for the few songs our guitar takes leads on.

I'm a terrible lead vocalist but a passable back up vocalist - I have terrible range, but know how to use what I have.

Carry on...

 

[tycobb73]

We're all being trolled. This has to be a joke thread.

 

[Remyd]

We're all being trolled. This has to be a joke thread.

No joke - they really have been posting for quite a while

 

[J-Mags]

....And still can't seem to find the "right" one! We're "just" a cover band that plays classic rock, alternative rock, and a few country tunes. These auditions have become somewhat frustrating because we can't seem to find who we're looking for.

The four of us (drummer, bassist, two guitar players) are all in our mid-to-late 50's. We're not a start-up band, either; we are a working band and losing out on gigs at this point. Our singer quit back in late October and had been with us for over two years. It's not that he was a hard act to follow, we're just not going to "settle" on someone this time like we had in the past.

I don't believe that we're being overly particular/picky. We are looking for someone that is going to be the right fit for us; not only a good (great?!) singer, and has a decent personality. I think every band desires someone like that. So far we just haven't found that guy who fits in with us. And, yes, we're looking for a male lead singer.

Some have been cocky; full of themselves, and weren't the best of singers.

One guy we auditioned sounded like Joe Cocker, but with a burnt-out voice, and there was no way he'd make it through 4 sets. Another guy just couldn't sing very well at all. He was a nice guy but nerdy/geeky. He had a lot of energy but a lot of our tunes were out of his wheelhouse. Because of his nerdiness I would've been a little embarrassed to play a gig with him.

A guy we auditioned last week was 36 years old, had a very powerful singing voice, but he sang way too loud! As I stated, we do classic rock, and this guy is into heavier rock (Nickelback, Five Finger Death Punch, etc.), and so he put that kind of spin into his singing of "All Right Now", "Blue On Black", as well as a few others. We want to keep our classic rock songs sounding as such, not with a "modern" heavy sound to them.

A singer that I liked and felt was a decent singer was 61 years old. He didn't have long hair, which is OK (wouldn't have mattered either way), dressed the part, wore skull rings, and had tattoos up and down both arms and his neck. He seemed to have a decent personality and I thought he'd fit in OK with us, but one of our guys felt that he'd make us look like fools by the way he dressed, with his skull rings and tats, and that he was "over the top."

We cancelled an audition for this week for a singer that just sounded "way out there". He allegedly has a lot of musical experience, but after talking to him on the phone and hearing his life story and musical experiences, something just didn't feel right about him. The drummer felt the same way after I told the band about this guy, and he didn't feel right having him come into his house, since we practice and audition at the drummer's house.

I placed an ad on Craigslist and that's where a majority of our auditions have come from. I also placed an ad on a local Facebook band members page, and thought we'd have better luck by now with both ads out there. At this point I'm tempted to go to Guitar Center and a few other local music shops and ask the sales associates if they know of any singers that might be looking for a band to join. One of our band members suggested going to an open mic night.

You can check us out on Facebook: @redlinestl

Has anyone here spent this long auditioning a singer or other band member???

Y'all are way too self-conscious about people making you look like fools. You should immediately play a couple of shows with a singer who you think of gonna make you look like a bunch of jackasses. Then go back to auditioning singers.

 

[tycobb73]

No joke - they really have been posting for quite a while

Then they need to take the skull dude or learn to sing themselves. Not everybody can sing like mercury but they can be taught to sing tom petty in local bars.

 

[catcauphonic]

Main originals band took the better part of a year to find the last piece of the puzzle via CL. She was much younger and brand new to town. She stayed on for about the same amount of time and then bailed 3 weeks prior to our best venue booking yet Got a sub cuz the show must go on, and placed another CL ad.

Maybe 6 months later our drummer (who had been the one placing the ads) answered another new-to-town singer songwriter gal's CL ad after checking out her links.

So maybe you should try that tactic as well.

Oh, and I don't think it's unreasonable to have somebody come back twice or even a third time (in rare instances of tough choice.)

 

[Eilif]

To continue your thread drift, these really are two different skills. Our lead singer is a capable front person. Average voice but passable and good at engaging the crowd. She's not very good supplying harmonies for the few songs our guitar takes leads on.

I'm a terrible lead vocalist but a passable back up vocalist - I have terrible range, but know how to use what I have.

Carry on...

Yep two different skill sets and largely a personality thing. Being the front person takes a certain type.

My wife is an excellent singer. Great pitch, can sing different parts as necessary, and can quickly learn and nail those parts etc. However, she does not enjoy being center stage with the responsibility of leading and audience engagement.

She'll likely always be an ensemble singer but that's fine and as BGV she'd have been an asset to any group I've ever been a part of.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Sorta off the subject but people that say they can sing backup but dont sing lead. If you cant sing lead I sure as heck dont want you singing harmonies.

Don't agree. I can sing lead if needed, but nothing special. However, I have a good range (including high stuff), and stay on pitch - exactly what you want for backups.

 

[redwingxix]

I just searched for his band on Facebook.

If we want to get childish and rank people on how cool they look, I'd probably rank skull ring and tattoo guy above the cargo shorts wearing guitar players. Sorry OP. You're being too picky.

Yep. I saw that too. Ditch the shorts onstage and give skullfist a go. A good singer usually really elevates a good band. Good luck.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

....And still can't seem to find the "right" one! We're "just" a cover band that plays classic rock, alternative rock, and a few country tunes. These auditions have become somewhat frustrating because we can't seem to find who we're looking for.

The four of us (drummer, bassist, two guitar players) are all in our mid-to-late 50's. We're not a start-up band, either; we are a working band and losing out on gigs at this point. Our singer quit back in late October and had been with us for over two years. It's not that he was a hard act to follow, we're just not going to "settle" on someone this time like we had in the past.

I don't believe that we're being overly particular/picky. We are looking for someone that is going to be the right fit for us; not only a good (great?!) singer, and has a decent personality. I think every band desires someone like that. So far we just haven't found that guy who fits in with us. And, yes, we're looking for a male lead singer.

Some have been cocky; full of themselves, and weren't the best of singers.

One guy we auditioned sounded like Joe Cocker, but with a burnt-out voice, and there was no way he'd make it through 4 sets. Another guy just couldn't sing very well at all. He was a nice guy but nerdy/geeky. He had a lot of energy but a lot of our tunes were out of his wheelhouse. Because of his nerdiness I would've been a little embarrassed to play a gig with him.

A guy we auditioned last week was 36 years old, had a very powerful singing voice, but he sang way too loud! As I stated, we do classic rock, and this guy is into heavier rock (Nickelback, Five Finger Death Punch, etc.), and so he put that kind of spin into his singing of "All Right Now", "Blue On Black", as well as a few others. We want to keep our classic rock songs sounding as such, not with a "modern" heavy sound to them.

A singer that I liked and felt was a decent singer was 61 years old. He didn't have long hair, which is OK (wouldn't have mattered either way), dressed the part, wore skull rings, and had tattoos up and down both arms and his neck. He seemed to have a decent personality and I thought he'd fit in OK with us, but one of our guys felt that he'd make us look like fools by the way he dressed, with his skull rings and tats, and that he was "over the top."

We cancelled an audition for this week for a singer that just sounded "way out there". He allegedly has a lot of musical experience, but after talking to him on the phone and hearing his life story and musical experiences, something just didn't feel right about him. The drummer felt the same way after I told the band about this guy, and he didn't feel right having him come into his house, since we practice and audition at the drummer's house.

I placed an ad on Craigslist and that's where a majority of our auditions have come from. I also placed an ad on a local Facebook band members page, and thought we'd have better luck by now with both ads out there. At this point I'm tempted to go to Guitar Center and a few other local music shops and ask the sales associates if they know of any singers that might be looking for a band to join. One of our band members suggested going to an open mic night.

You can check us out on Facebook: @redlinestl

Has anyone here spent this long auditioning a singer or other band member???

Over the years I’ve contacted a lot of talent, as well as finding gigs for myself. That said, the best way to find talent is to network, network, network. Hit every music store and booking agency in town and let them know you are looking, what you have to offer, and what you expect a prospect to bring to the table. Go out and see some bands you like, and ask them if they know anybody. You will be amazed at what may turn up.