Singing drummers

The Eagles
Lightning Bolt
The Romantics
The Carpenters
Husker Du

The question is : does the singing drummer go at the front of the stage or stay at the back? And if they stay at the back, then who is the official frontperson?

ok here is a question about singing drummers ?

which is cooler , headset mic or just mic on a gooseneck stand ?

discuss...

And that little dude who sang Mmmmbop.

RINGO! (sang while playing, at the back, everything...)
Keith Moon! (barbara ann)

Moe Tucker (Granted, would leave the drum stool for her bit, then return and resume drumming...)

that SO TOTALLY does not count

But it was Dave Clarkes stuff, therefore he was boss.

Elvin Jones grunts a lot.

Mel Torme was a great fucking drummer, but I don't think he ever did it at the same time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qobJdLPUSw

This isn't going to be anyone's cup of tea around here, but Landis Expandis of the All Mighty Senators is one of my favorite frontmen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UANtfg_TULk

Georgia Hubley from Yo La Tengo (the band was mentioned upthread), one of my favourite female voices in rock music, one example with Tortoise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6tpg_FmsiU

When I think of singing drummers I first think of Gil Moore of Triumph
But apparently I am the only one.

Jen Twynn Payne is lead vocalist and drummer for The Courtneys, a Vancouver band.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aM_ekGGg6f0

are there any drummers who also play bass at the same time

Dave Grohl does this on Nirvana Unplugged, iirc.

When I think of singing drummers I first think of Gil Moore of Triumph
But apparently I am the only one.

Au contraire, there's a youtube clip upthread.

I posted about the 24th Street Wailers in a rockabilly thread and got no response, but this gal plays drums AND sings like early Etta James.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYJh3d6BLFY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6srcWeDh_o

are there any drummers who also play bass at the same time

Yeppers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dyVEBOFxHg

^ Thanks for posting this, I've got a new favourite band.

that band Cowboy Mouth I saw on Ellen 11 or 12 years ago

Kurt Reil of The Grip Weeds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRl878m9mzE

Grant Hart, Levon Helm, Don Henley, Stewart Copeland, Phil Collins are all fine by me. It's probably no one's first choice but sometimes it happens.

Gooseneck stand is goofy, particularly if it goes over your head in a dramatic arc. No thank you. If you're even remotely clever you can get a normal boom stand to serve adequately. I do this pretty frequently.

A headset seems nice in theory but doesn't let you cough or belch or anything (unless you have like a mute pedal but that's probably even more distracting).

See I feel like the above band (Grip Weeds) would be much better with a front person vocalist, I don't feel like singing drummer works with their style at all.

John Cowsill

I saw an interesting 2-piece band open for Neil Hagerty at the Casbah in San Diego, in the early 2000s, and wish I could remember their name. It was a guy with glasses on a drum kit, singing, and another guy playing guitar (I think). Their songs were mesmerizing.

I’ve always remembered (sort of) the closing lyric to one of them:

“And the thing I most regret / Is that I ever, ever had / Just one cigarette”

are there any drummers who also play bass at the same time

Yeppers

― MaresNest, Saturday, July 8, 2017 10:21 AM (one year ago)

Also -- this video is all kinds of awesome

Giorgio Tuma
Phil Wright from Paper Lace

are there any drummers who also play bass at the same time

Oh yeah, a friend of mine does this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0y9xWFRGnW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBC4SGe9kyQ

Don't actually know if that is worth watching sorry.

dean fucking spunt

dean fucking spunt is possibly the only good singing drummer (source: the heart)

my heart reminds me that yukihiro fucking takahashi is also in the god tier of singing drummers

John Cowsill

Ok, now this is just getting ridiculous (singing-bass playing-synth playing-drummers)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yWdsmKDfsM

wtf haha

reminds me of the 'one-man bands' you used to see on the metro...except this is a full rock band

lol at Bruce Johnston occasionally remembering to pretend to play the keyboard in that Cowsill clip

Surprised that John Garner of Sir Lord Baltimore isn't on here. SLB's 1971 Kingdom Come is what would now be called proto-metal I guess---tagged as heavy metal when that was still a new, esoteric rock critic category---real good, and the follow-up was okay; way later when they were mentioned in CREEM again, somebody wrote in to say that Garner had become a Christian EMT and wedding singer. Then about 12 years ago the third album was finally released, earlier sessions re-worked with Christian-themed lyrics (considering the title of the debut, maybe this was always in there, but originally over my head if so). Kingdom Come's re-reissue on CD is prob OOP by now but worth looking for.

Listening again---if you want visionary caveman vocals x drums for the wedding, Garner is your guy! Or was (RIP).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6srcWeDh_o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJ3Mns6NmHY

ctrl+f "Anderson Paak" 0/0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRWgtYtrrj8

https://i.imgur.com/zD6FF57.jpg

SLB update from Rolling Reissues 2020:
Sir Lord Baltimore finally getting an official reissue of their lps as a 3cd on April 24th. Through Cherry Red .
That includes a 2006 reunion lp.

I think all cd releases to now have been bootlegs.

― Stevolende, Wednesday, March 11, 2020 2:31 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTIHKcEM7sY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6Un0xRjGlk

Cool. She never got mentioned or just further evidence?

Oh I don't know, didn't check.

... she did 16 years ago but good to see some proof.

Albert Bouchard and what's his face from Times New Viking

^ Adam Elliott. And does Dennis Wilson count?

Adris hoyos from Harry pussy

How have we not acknowledged Neil Peart? Karen Carpenter was more the (on-stage) drumming-singer, though Midler's show used to incl. a parody of that.

Meg Baird in Heron Oblivion

Did Neil sing?

drumming singer vs singing drummer hmmmmm

Why did I incl. Peart? Sorry, Geddy Lee!
Karen Carpenter the singer who sometimes drums (or "drums," as Midler would put it). Carpenters' main drummer, at least on tours, was Cubby O'Brien, ex-Mouseketeer. Also sang the Mickey Mouse Club theme song with his comrades as child, though don't know if he was already drumming then.