Revitalising a band - adding a lead vocalist/co-writer/co-leader

[alexclaber]

A while back I ended up singing as well as playing bass because I got sick of failing to find a decent vocalist to work with, however I've come to the conclusion of late that it would really take our band to a better place if we had someone with vocal talents and more frontpersonness fronting us, allowing me to step back a bit and be the slightly eccentric bassist/backing vocalist and also be much happier hustling for gigs as they won't be so me-centric. I'm the main writer in the band but I'm more than happy to share the writing - likewise I'm kind of the bandleader but I've got plenty of other stuff to keep me busy (cabs cabs cabs cabs cabs cabs cabs aarghhh!) so I'd be glad to divest some of that responsibility.

So how to find one of these singists? Even if they're big into the writing as long as they're happy sharing the material evenly and there's a synergy between the styles we'd be more than happy to practically be a quasi-backing band which grooves hard, has tons of dynamics and can sing too. Conversely if they just want to sing and not write then I'm happy with that, though I'd appreciate some melodic input - am a better lyricist than tunesmith. Has anyone else done this kind of thing, having an established band that's been gigging a few years, has done some decent recordings and then not actually had anyone leave but has taken on a new lead vocalist to replace a singing instrumentalist?

We had our first practice after I make the decision to not be the lead vocalist anymore on Wednesday and it was a really cool experience to go back to just playing bass - I even took a fuzz pedal along! I think we might start recording the first full-length album that we'd been meaning to do, can certainly get the bass/drums/guitar down live and then start overdubbing sax and backing vocals, whilst we wait to find the right person. Would also like to expand the line-up a bit more in other direction - another horn of some sort, maybe a percussionist.

Any ideas?

Alex

[acidbass]

If you're not comfortable being the frontman, you'll undoubtedly enjoy your role in the band so much more by stepping back and doing your bit on the bass, it sounds like you've made the right choice on that front.

With regards getting a new frontman - I don't think it'll be as easy as it sounds. A new singer can totally change the sound of the group as a whole. You'll have to be prepared to accommodate his/her new style, musical tastes, expectations, ambitions etc, and try to work with him/her on that. In saying that though, there are plenty of lead singers out there who yearn for a ready-made, full band to hook up with, especially one that has been playing together for a length of time and is therefore tight and has a few contacts locally.

Best of luck with your search anyway Alex, and let us know how things pan out!

Danny

[alexclaber]

[quote name='acidbass' post='583991' date='Aug 28 2009, 08:12 PM']If you're not comfortable being the frontman...[/quote]

Well I've certainly enjoyed being the centre of attention but I guess I've just realised I don't have the 'X-factor'!

Alex

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='583977' date='Aug 28 2009, 08:02 PM']I think we might start recording the first full-length album that we'd been meaning to do, can certainly get the bass/drums/guitar down live and then start overdubbing sax and backing vocals, whilst we wait to find the right person.[/quote]
I'd be really wary of doing that. A change of vocalist can change the feel of a song slightly. It might just be the odd push or pull here and there, but it could result in you having to re-record the bass/drums/guitar and [i]especially[/i] the backing vocals -- if they follow the phrasings of the lead vocal line (i.e. it's not just sustained "aaah"s and "oooh"s), I wouldn't even bother thinking about them until you've got your vocalist sorted.

[alexclaber]

Good news, we've come across a female vocalist that's interested in having a jam and seeing how it works.

Alex