Fronting a one-man band

Music fans like to view bands as musical partnerships. From the pretty-boy lead singer to the tortured guitarist to the overweight drummer whose kit is so far at the back of the stage that he's no longer visible, there is a perceived cohesion behind musicians who gather under the same-name umbrella. Equal stakes, equal investments, one-for-all and all-for-one--just a group of friends who used to practice in each others' garages and stick around for dinner afterwards. For some, this is true.

However, for others, the band is merely a collection of backing musicians providing the necessary rhythm to offset their sophisticated lyrics and well-crafted music--a way of masking their solo-artist-worthy musical talent behind a collective moniker. This is true not only for the egomaniacal frontmen of rock's more permanent groups but also for the individual talents behind rotating bands like Bright Eyes, Five for Fighting, the now-defunct New Radicals and the recently-fragmented Queens of the Stone Age. Indeed, while the concept of relying on constantly-changing, often paid musicians to fill out a quartet might seem to be the cure for the dueling egos that have fueled some of rock's famous feuds, as last week's announcement of Nick Oliveri's departure from Queens of the Stone Age indicates, when one of the few principal members decides to leave, the effect on a group can be highly catastrophic.

When the band is filled with easily replaceable musicians from various sources, the pressure on the man (or men) behind the act can be greater than if the creative energy of the group is divided among several individuals. This concern is even felt by Conor Oberst, the lyrical wunderkind behind--and sole permanent member of--Bright Eyes. Frustrated by his inability to find consistent band members, Oberst formed Bright Eyes as a way of continuing to record and perform music, which he had done since he was 13. As the project was initially inspired by the music, Bright Eyes enables Oberst's somewhat personal lyrics to take on a more universal tone. Still, as the sole songwriter, he remains constantly self-conscious, aware that the pressure is on him to write the sort of affecting lyrics for which the band is known.

It may have been a similar sense of self-consciousness that inspired the main force behind the New Radicals, Gregg Alexander, to disband his group after merely one album. Tired of fronting what he, and the rest of the world, would soon refer to as a one-hit wonder, he destroyed the group to pursue his other career as a producer.

While QOTSA have far from disbanded and will probably keep on rocking with whatever musicians they choose to replace Nick Oliveri and occasional singer Mark Lanegan, Oliveri's decision to bow out marks the fracturing of the group's central creative partnership between himself and frontman Josh Homme. Both members of the early '90s metal outfit Kyuss currently have side projects, yet Homme is considered to be the principal talent that propelled Kyuss into cult status and has also had a fairly prolific career as a producer. In this way, Josh Homme may have been the primary creative force behind the band. Still, Oliveri was an instrumental component of the group, one whose replacement--unlike finding a temporary drummer or vocalist--will require a change in the organization of the group and may increase the number of musicians passing through QOTSA's revolving door.

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