Lip synching has been a weirdly hot topic in rock and metal lately. Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie was accused of doing it live (much to his dismay), while Fozzy vocalist Chris Jericho took the side of backing tracks aiding artists live to fill out their sound. Now radio personality Eddie Trunk has jumped into the conversation with a pretty clear cut case of lip synching and an argument against it.
Trunk posted the below video of the band Santa Cruz playing the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, CA on April 6. The video clearly shows all the vocals continuing to play despite nobody being at the microphone around the 0:25 mark. Which isn't really a case of a band using backing tracks to fill out their sound – it's just straight up not doing the vocals. And Trunk is pissed about it.
"This is beyond words … everyone I guess just okay with this?!" said Trunk in a Facebook post. "As I've said and have been saying this has become an epidemic that needs to stop. So bad it's to the point this band doesn't event attempt to fake their lip synching. Stunning. Imagine paying to see a band you love 'live' and it's anything but.
"What's the point? Imagine you are a band that puts the work in to be live, and others don't, play to a computer , and fans talk about how great they sound… pathetic. It's the norm in pop, it's gotta stop in rock. Bands, fans and promoters have to care that a live rock show is live or it will only get worse. Madness."
It's hard to disagree with Trunk on this one, and I think it's worth bringing up Jericho's feelings again as well. It's one thing for a band to play their material live and have backing tracks fill out the stuff that the band physically can't (additional guitar parts, string parts, etc.), but to act like you're playing a live show while miming along to a pre-recorded track is just dishonest.
