General Music Chat

I'm curious..........
When you're looking for a vocalist for your band.....
lets say you play covers, and play the likes of AC/DC, Ted Nugent, Creed, Megadeth.......

Do you shy away from the notion of auditioning a female vocalist??

If so, WHY??

well i bet certain women can pull off that AC/DC voice, but i think creed is going a little too out there for me, personally.

i think creed is going a little too out there for me, personally.

Why do you say that??

Yes, I've seen bands that just do not want a female vocalist singing cover songs done originally by a male vocal.That is their perogative.again, I know of bands that always have at least one female vocalist. It seems that it is easier to find female vocalist that have the range,to do alot of the classic rock covers, compared to finding a male vocal that has the same range. Harder finding a good male vocalist, than finding a good female vocal. This can be a very contradictive subject. I myself, prefer a male and female vocalist in the same band. If your a good strong vocalist, then it doesnt matter to me if it is male or female. I think the question you are asking is, Do most people like hearing a female sing songs that are originally done by a male vocalist? I would want to see it broke up a bit if that were the case. Bonnie Raitt, Patty Smythe, Annie Lennox, are a few of my favorite female vocalist. I dont enjoy listening to a band where the singer sounds the same on every song. I like to see 2, 3, or even as many as 4 different vocalist in the same band. Hard to keep vocals strong if you are the only singer and you play alot. I am sure there are those that can do it though. Not me, If the band plays every weekend. I have to have help in order to keep strong vocals. Im not getting any younger either. Although, I am stronger now than I have ever been.

i think creed is going a little too out there for me, personally.

Why do you say that??

well first off, and feel free to disagree here, i personally think scott stapp has a horrible singing voice. it just doesnt do anything for me. so for me, i just don't want anybody trying to sound like that guy.

but either way, its such a low voice (mind you, its no barry white, but still) that i think it would be awkward for most female singers to try and sing an entire song with a voice that low and stay in tune. plus, i think that the effort and concentration that would go into singing like that would detract from the overall performance because more technical concentration usually means less passion or stage presence.

Female vocalists? If they have the feel of Lisa Gerrard (Dead Can Dance) Alison Moyet, Lena Lovich or Sheila Chandra, that's a winning sound to me. Why in the world would a female vocalist want to besmirch their voice with wanting to sound like Scott Stapp?

For Example; I dont think anyone would want to hear me perform "Pat Benatar-Hit me with your best shot" But I would try "Annie Lennox-Why". It can go either way. Ballads are easier to switch both ways, Like; "Masquerade" I like both, Karen Carpenter & George Bensons versions. Using a certain artist as an example, Does not mean you have to, Or even want to do it. The harder rock, In my opinion would take a little more serious thought & consideration, before I would add it to the show. Its not really all that complicated. A matter of choice & style.

Hi everyone !

Well, I guess the reason why I asked the question in the first place, is I've had past experiences........

I love many styles of music.... I can even rap !!
I have a very wide range when it comes to my vocals, although I have a deep voice for a woman.....like not husky husky....but deeper than an average females voice....anyhoo...

I can sing almost anything I want..... I'm a very soulful person, and it reflects when I perform..... I can sing: Pat Benatar, AC/DC, Creed, Megadeth, Metallica, Tracy Chapman, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, Van Halen, Nickleback, God Smack, Foreigner, Journey, Beth Hart.....the list goes on!

I guess what bums me out, in some instances....just because I'm female, people haven't wanted to give me the time of day --- without even listening to me!! It is unusual for a female to be able to sing in low tones and be grungy and stay in tune....BUT - YOU'RE LOOKING AT ONE WHO CAN!!!

In fact, a couple of my FAVORITE tunes to sing, cuz they're great fun is:
Man In the Box - Alice in Chains & Machine Head - Bush!! Both of those songs are easy for me..... and I guess most people really are surprised when they see me perform, cuz I'm just this tiny petite thing... With a Power House voice.....and sooooo FULL of energy that it's infectious!!

I just feel I lack in opportunity.....because I'm female, and I was trying to get a male perspective on why they won't even consider a female vocalist when playing that type of music!!

SO....on that note..... If you met a female vocalist that was capable .... what then??

I would hire you in a sec. Alice in chains is one of my favorite bands. And everyone wants to hear Man in the Box. It just tskes to much out of me to do that one. [A top request] I do "Stay Away" by Chains. A few others. I like a few off of their unplugged album also. -Little Things, Everything Zen, & Prizefighter By BUSH. Easy for me. You vocals are alot like mine, As far as projection & soul. Do you like Seether?, Sounds like you could tear up "The Gift". I like about everything they do. I too like about every style of music. Hard to say what is my favorite style. Like fooling around with Motown artist. Marvin Gaye, Ottis Redding, Temptations, etc. I dont see why anyone wouldnt want you as a lead vocalist, just because you are a woman. Some musicians can be very "Fickle" people though. I find from experience, It doesnt matter much if you are male or female, or what style of music you do. What matters, Is if you do it WELL. Just about any song, style, etc. will go over good with an audience. If the performance is GOOD.......Keep Rockin Lady........Peace.

Thanks V&B!!! Once ppl hear me, I don't have a problem ..... it's having the opportunity to being heard.... ya know?? Example: I see something posted on a board in a music store... Band looking for Vocalist... I call, and a guy on the other end said he wasn't looking for a female...didn't think it possible I could sing that stuff... blah, blah, and wouldn't even let me come over for an audition to prove myself...nothing!!

To me, it's unfair! Nope, haven't done any seether tunes.... I did Everything Zen also !

Yeah, it just sucks to be me..... way up here in BFE!

i realize where you're coming from about how its not fair to be judged without hearing your voice, but i think that if a band is specifically looking for a female vocalist, 99% its because theyre looking for someone that can hit higher octaves.


while its unfair, when youre trying out for a band, the final decision is theirs, not yours. when people see you coming to try out, they probably think that, even if you could sing lower notes, theres still a worry that youll be singing some songs in a higher octave, and you usually dont have that kind of worry with a male singer (although, of course theres guys with higher voices out there)

Hey Lady,

ding..........I just got the BFE from another one of your posts

I thought Id chime in since I have alot of exp.workin with female vocals.
I absolutely LOVE female vocals on ANY TUNE Last exp. was with Cindy about a yr ago. We were covering alot of Journey,Styx, Kansas, Boston, Doobies, REO, etc. Also , singing male tunes in her keys sure made the baritone easier.Heck , Her ex could tenor her...(falsetto)... still sounded good ...Yeah, she was billed as a top40 country vocal but did everybody. We got "the good gigs" becuase of her...Heck, Im back on the kit having 25yr flashbacks as she effortlessly nails those old tunes...
Yeah , Im a sucker for that high stack harmony too...Most of the Ladys I kinda know of now are contempory, diso/funk, and kinda stick to the genre thier best at....This place dies alittle more with each passing year.

John

Hey G! ..... KIDD!!

Well, guess I'll just have to quit whining about it I guess!! Really the biggest problem I have is living in BFE !! Sorry, I thought everyone knew what BFE was..... but, when ya don't live in an area that could be considered so..... !

So KIDD.... ya never did tell me the name of your band!!?? I guess that was on the other post......

I've always had great band experiences as far as our gigs are concerned..... what made me feel pretty special, was no matter where we went, we always played a packed house!! And ppl would drive from all over to watch us play!! Once they saw us at one place, they'd follow to the next....... We always learned new songs every week.... current ones, I think alot of ppl liked that about us.....!!

You guys ever hear of a place called the TUMBLE INN??

I knew a guy a few years back.....from Canada....vocalist..... JUST AWESOME!!! Let me think......his name was........JAY!!!
That man could sing ANYTHING!! He sang Alice N Chains and sounded just like em! And the thing that freaked me out the most, was that he sang Baracuda & a couple of other songs from Heart..... and OMG!! He was AMAZING!!!! I'd never seen a man sing tunes like that before and sound as amazing as he did!!

Sing whatever song you want to sing the way you want to sing it. It's ridiculous to sing any song like the original singer. If you're going to do a cover exactly like the original why not put the CD on a jukebox and liten to it? Anybody ever hear of personal interpretation? How about creativity? Johnny Rocker is right, get people to audition for you and forge your own band the way you want to do it. Rock on...fisherman bob