I’m putting together a new music project for which I am the songwriter and head of the project but I am not performing as part of the project. In the music circles I run in, pretty much everyone is mostly locked into a singer-songwriter model- so, it takes a little explaining on my part to really communicate what I’m doing with this new project.
I can handle the detailed description of my role, but I also am trying to put together a humorous short-hand explanation.
As the guy directing all the other participants, I am the . . .
Whip Cracker (Guy cracking the whip)? Too harsh and unpleasant sounding.
It struck me that “Coxswain” is nearly the perfect metaphor to use.
The only problem, the only problem, with “Coxswain” is that it is too silly a word and provokes inappropriate giggling.
So, if “Coxswain” is the perfect metaphor, what is the next best metaphor?
Sheepdog is great for people who have a real understanding of what sheep dogs do. I don’t know how fully appreciated a reference it is for us city-folk. Still, it’s one I hadn’t thought of on my own- and it’s pretty good.
Hmmmm, I like organ-grinder. Bonus for the musical imagery.
As in the Conservative Party’s Whip in the House of Commons ensured that all the Conservative Members of Parliament were present to vote for the money bill.
From a music recording terminology standpoint, how are you not The Producer? The person who takes the musicians and organizes them with the intent to record them?
If you are discussing someone in a band who manages things on stage - calling out tricky changes, catching mistakes and getting back on track, etc. - that is a role I usually play in my bands with many/most of our songs, and we refer to it as a Field General…
Producer and Conductor describe specific duties that I myself am not undertaking. But, they’d both be too specific for the purposes of this thread anyway. I don’t have any problem actually giving a descriptive explanation of my role- what I’m looking for is a shorthand humorous metaphor.