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What to do with lead singer?

#41
ChrisB2 said:
No, that's LEADERSHIP. It does not automatically alienate... people will get behind a good leader. [SIZE="-2"](Notice I said "good" leader.)[/SIZE]
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That is the kind of leadership Stalin would be proud of. A leader has to be trusted, not feared. This is a band, not a 3rd world dictatorship.

Besides, who is the leader of this band appears to a quetion, not yet answered. Even when settled, the leader would do well to remember that the others are not subserviant to the leader.

As free people, we don't HAVE to do anything we don't want to. Including play in the band of some control freak dictator.
 
#45
I don't know about the OP being a good leader or not, but the fact of the matter is HE AGREED TO ONE GIG A MONTH AND HE VIOLATED THAT. I'd be pissed too if someone assured me they would do something and went ahead and did something else behind my back.

I dunno how you're going to resolve this, but you gotta respect the people in your band if you want them to listen to you. From what I cal tell your singer is not crap when it comes to singing (if he was you would've mentioned that), he seems to have a right to be annoyed by this.
 
#47
ChrisB2 said:
LOL. I'm Stalin because I support the idea of leaders in groups? A bad leader is one who tells his group "this is how we are going to do things?"

:p :rollno: :eyebrow:

You guys are funny!

:D
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Never called you stalin, but he would be proud if you call that leadership.

You have an odd idea of leadership. I would tell you to F yourself for making a statement like that, in any band I was a part of.

You can lead, but you can't demand that I follow.
 
#50
Rudreax said:
I don't know about the OP being a good leader or not, but the fact of the matter is HE AGREED TO ONE GIG A MONTH AND HE VIOLATED THAT.
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According to OP, the agreement was MINIMUM of one gig per month. He stated that several times in this thread, don't know how it's being missed.

Right now he is standing at 1.6. I think that's reasonable. I think the singer is the one being a twit.

These are one hour shows people! The singer can't play five one hour shows in three months??? When they're hot right now???

Really. This is a no-brainer.
 
#51
ChrisB2 said:
According to OP, the agreement was MINIMUM of one gig per month. He stated that several times in this thread, don't know how it's being missed.
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There is a general understanding based off of the starting minimum IMO. 600 shows per month is a minimum of 1. One can realize the difference between a minimum of 1 show per month and a minimum of 5 for example.


ChrisB2 said:
These are one hour shows people! The singer can't play five one hour shows in three months???
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Is it an hour? What about getting equipment into his car, travel to and from the gig, setting up and breaking down?

My point was that the singer has some valid points that should be addressed and a knee jerk reaction of firing him would probably not have been in his best interest...
 
#52
Waterpilot said:
600 shows per month is a minimum of 1.
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"Minimum of one per month" means "we will play at least one show per month, maybe/probably more." Not 5 per month, not 600 per month (you sure have a way of exaggerating to make your point!)

We are talking about 1.6 shows instead of 1. BIG DEAL! Perfectly within reason for any reasonable person who understands the meaning of "minimum of one." IMO, anything less than four/month would be acceptable within the agreement.

This is ridiculous. The singer's being a twit. He shouldn't be fired, but he shouldn't be pacified either. If it is Snakeman's band, I say do as you see fit. Maybe he will react as Kevin Newsham would and relieve everyone of his drama.
 
#54
ChrisB2;7892478We are talking about 1.6 shows instead of 1. BIG DEAL! Perfectly within reason for any reasonable person who understands the meaning of "minimum of one." IMO said:
Chris, I have no problem conceiving that singers can be twits, but the ones that do so seem to be waaay better at it than has been reported by OP.

My guess is that the singer sees an increasing rate of gigs, isn't sure where the end point will be, & wants a band huddle to ensure everyone is aligned. Did you read anything about OP's singer that points strongly otherwise?

I'm fully with "making hay while the sun shines" & think the singer would also see the wisdom in that. Perhaps he'd agree to a short-term increase in gigging. Perhaps not.
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#55
you guys are all way too funny....lol

I thank everyone who weighed in on this discussion

there are a few things i need to also add to this discussion

We as a group have been offered to place said song on a soundtrack to a horror movie (of the eight movies to die for horror fest fame) which he is all for, however with that comes a corporate sponsor (Beer company) which requires we play a minumum # of live shows per year in our region....

our drummer has gotten endorsed by Pintech (he uses some electronic drums and triggers for his acoustic kit) which also requires a minumum # of shows per year

in reference to the set up and tear down....we currently have a studio set up in my house as I have the room.....however to get to my house is roughly a 45 minute commute for them from where they work...i do most of the tear down and loading and transport in my truck....as everything is already here

the Singer also just started a high profile high stress Job monday....(banking industry) I'm trying to be sensitive to this, but i also have a high stress job and the band is my release from this....i have two children and a grandchild and a wife that isn't dealing with my mid-life crisis as she calls it all that well....the Drummer also has kids an high profile job (cable industry high in management) and his woman is not on board at all.....the singer/guitard is newly married with no kids....

we had a chat before last night's show and agreed that we will finish the shows we have committed us to as well as the two shows i added...

as far as his voice he has kind of a Lane Staley thing going on albiet at bit more nasal

you are correct in the assumption that if the band were to have a leader it would be me, as i recruited these guys to play with me and set the general overall direction of the band....but i try not to play that card....or be that guy i try to make things a democratic as possible

I'm kind of a hard rock and Metal Snob....all of my influences are in this area (Sabbath, Deep purple, Alice Cooper, Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Fu Manchu, Slayer, Soundgarden, Ramones, Sleep, Kyuss, Monster Magnet) i tend to write very bizarre epic atmospheric heavy slow melodic songs (think Candlemass, Rev. Bizarre, Acid King...) again he tends to keep this in check by structuring my songs in a way that makes the a little more friendly to most audiences and adds the radio touches...of the bands existing original material i have written roughly 70% to 80%

where he is into Americana and lighter influences....Neil Young, SRV, The Boss, Eric Clapton, ELO, Moody Blues, Doors, Billy Joel....etc.

The Drummer has only played jazz in many forms previous to joing us....

together we write some really cool stuff that can't really be pegged into one genre...

I do like writing with the guy and he is a decent guitard (nothing flashy and over the top, but in the vein of Gilmour, Clapton, Blackmore) but the plain simple truth is if he can't or doesn't want to play the required number of shows that we need to in order to obtain the soundtrack and endoresment deals then i am going to need a new singer/guitard...or both

while i enjoy doing it for fun I also want the extra income and I enjoy playing out in front of an audeince...

so after we finish the shows we have booked we may have to re-evaluate our arrangement and go from there....
 
#56
ChrisB2 said:
This is ridiculous. The singer's being a twit.
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I agree.

Minimum of one gig per month, which might mean one or two gigs per month. VERY limiting, and if taken too literally, throws the whole concept off balance. I think the singer is too busy with other priorites to be in a working band if two gigs per month causes him to vent his frustration.

And I'm not a fan of the "democratic band" scenario either. Too many cooks, etc. Leaders need to make tough decisions that benefit the majority. A band leader should have the freedom to book 2 gigs per month instead of 1 gig per month without fear or reprisal from any of the others. And that is not a dictatorial attitude in the least.

It's the leader's vision, his project, and any musician who can't hang with what's required should move on. Find another singer.
 
#58
Snakeman1066 said:
... but the plain simple truth is if he can't or doesn't want to play the required number of shows that we need to in order to obtain the soundtrack and endoresment deals then i am going to need a new singer/guitard...or both....
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Well, just don't do anything stupid like firing him without his permission, or you might be compared to some of history's most vile, brutal dictators by your "friends" here on TB. :hmm:

Interesting story, congratulations on your success, good luck and KEEP US POSTED! (After all, we're just sitting here with nothing else to do... :( )
 
#59
JustDavid said:
HOWEVER I invite you both to strongly consider retaining the co-writing relationship.
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+1

Good songwriting partners are hard to find.

It sounds like the singer might even be happier without the incredible pressure of having to play two one-hour shows per month.

A good heart-to-heart and amicable re-working of the relationship would probably be a good thing.
 

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