How to audition a singer?

swatguitar85 · #1 11-30-2004, 11:38 PM

Anybody have some good tips of ways to audition a singer? The old singer in my band decided to leave, so we are trying to find someone new and trying to figure out how to audition whoever we find.

Chris Brooks · #2 12-01-2004, 07:28 AM

For a melodic rock project that I'm involved in, we advertised and networked until we had a ****load of singers to choose from. We then organized a rehearsal studio for a day and gave each singer two songs to learn, and an allocated spot on the day for the audition. We had a run through of each song (recorded for future reference) and then created a short list from there of who we wanted to hear or speak to again until we found the right guy.

This is probably not the way most rock bands find a singer but our management did it this way and the good thing was that when the worst of the worst came down, 10 minutes was the longest we had to listen to them before shuffling them out.

screamndemon69 · #3 12-01-2004, 08:08 AM

recording them was a good idea.
as extremely important it is that the singer sounds great, you have to know they can front a band as well - i guess it also depends on the type of band/music your playing. the new singer we brought in, when ours recently left, has great stage presence and works the audience into a frenzy. our last singer (still a good friend) wasn't much of a front man. these things are important when you need a minute to tune or RUN to the pisser or get a beer or something!

a bad frontman can be a deal breaker in a rock band.
my other band mates actually played with this guy for 12yrs, so i knew he should fit in w/out a hitch. we didn't even rehearse before our first show with him - but we let him know that the two-nighter stint he walked into was still only an audition - he passed with flying colors!

Two hands31 · #4 12-01-2004, 11:30 AM

I think getting video of the auditions is probably also a good idea, along with recording them. Just so you can watch back and check out their frotnman/woman abilities.

screamndemon69 · #5 12-02-2004, 08:11 AM

good thinking twohands31! having a video recorder running and letting the auditionee know that it is running will also tell how nervous they might get or how they would react under pressure.

swatguitar85 · #6 12-02-2004, 01:15 PM

Thanks for all the advice guys. Now I just gotta figure out what two songs to choose.

ken · #7 12-06-2004, 10:18 PM

Don't forget earplugs, Tylenol, a cattle-prod, and a life jacket for all the testosterone you'll be swimming in.

swatguitar85 · #8 12-07-2004, 02:15 AM

Haha...say that now. We tried out this guy a week ago....terrible just terrible. I'm sitting there playing listening to him sing, and at first it didn't sound bad, of course i couldn't hear him so well. So I told him to turn up his mic, bad idea, I should've told him to turn it off. I think that my tone deaf mother can find tonic better.