Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Vocal. Is. King


The vocal is everything.  This may seem obvious to most music listeners, but I feel like after recording bands for the past 8 years it is often the most overlooked part by musicians themselves.  Myself not excluded (I am a slow learner). The vocal is the connection to the listener.  It needs to be felt, understood, and delivered with an authenticity that only comes from a place of real emotion.  It is what gives you goose bumps that first time you hear a line that hits you in the soul, consequently begging for many future plays on your ipod.

Sure you can argue that there are huge fan bases for dance music and jam bands.  But the effects of drugs are temporary.  I am talking “test of time”, pluck your heart strings, get you through the worst times in your life type songs.   Of course there are bands and songs that can just flat out rock your face off too.  AC/DC would be a good example.  But if you look at it even these songs have a message that connects somewhere:  “Rock n roll ain’t noise pollution, rock n roll ain’t gonna die!”.    Hell yeah!  I’m on board. 

I think, as musicians, sometimes we get fixated on our guitar parts, drum fills, and bass lines to a point that we lose all perspective on the purpose of the song at hand.  The vocal is king, and the instruments are it’s servants.  Get me a beer bass line.  Make me a sandwich guitar solo. 

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