Fallen Angel is looking for a lead singer.
“We want a singer who has the looks and the pipes to match,” said guitarist Nathan Phelps.
They have interviewed at least a dozen candidates, including women, but haven’t found the ultimate lead singer.
Photo by Michael Donahue
Fallen Angel: Andrew Hatfield (from left), Nathan Phelps and David Troupe.
Age doesn’t matter, either. “How old is Sammy Hagar? He’s still got the golden pipes.
“The lead singer’s spot is essentially the make-or-break position in the band. We’ve all heard the rockin’ riff. You’re slamming drums and pumping bass at the beginning of the song, and somebody’ll say, ‘Yeah, this sounds cool. Let’s wait till the singer comes in.’ And that’s the deciding moment you like it or don’t like it.”
The perfect singer, according to drummer Andrew Hatfield, would be someone who shows up for the audition and says, “Are you in standard tune? Is it just like the recording? Do you want me to sing the main part? And when it goes to the chorus, there are two different parts going. There’s the main note, then the harmony note. Do you want me to take the harmony?”
“When they start asking those kinds of questions, you know before they even sing they know what they’re doing.”
And, Hatfield added, “A common disappointment is when you talk to someone via e-mail or text or phone call or whatever and you tell them, ‘Why don’t you learn those two or three songs that are kind of universal rock tunes that you would recognize? Standards.’ And they would say, ‘Sure.’
But when they show up, they say they know the first two songs or “they want to see if we can print the lyrics off for them. Then they concentrate on reading them and not concentrating on singing and it just goes downhill from there.”
Another problem is “their unfamiliarity with the microphone,” said bass player David Troupe: “They don’t know how to hold it: ‘Should it be on the stand?’”
“This is an audition for a job,” Phelps said. “Would you go to a job interview ill prepared?”
They also need to look the part, Phelps said. “When you go to a show, the look is something that can represent your sound without even hearing it. Without sounding superficial, as a band you’re on stage to give the audience something to look at. Which is the look. You’re eye candy as well as delivering the music at the same time.”
Some they’ve interviewed had “a decent-enough voice, but they don’t have the look to represent a rock band,” Phelps said. “And we all know what a rock band is supposed to be. We’ve all been to concerts at some point in the past. It’s cool, man, being a rock star. It’s basically the only profession where not only is it expected for you to show up to work loaded or wasted, but it’s absolutely encouraged at the same time.”
Meanwhile, Phelps has been doing most of the singing. “I don’t profess to be a great vocalist, but I grew up singing in grade school and middle school and took years of piano, so a lot of that helped in my ear training.”
His favorite singers ranged from “everybody from Sebastian Bach to Tom Jones.”
But he’d gladly give up the lead singer position. “Just think how much better it could be if I wasn’t stuck standing behind a microphone the whole night and actually could focus on my guitar playing.”
Fallen Angel went ahead and recorded its first C D, A Night in the Life ..., using Phelps as lead singer. Everyone contributed to songs on the album.
The Fallen Angel members admit they’re a straight-ahead rock-and-roll band. “We’re a throwback a little bit as far as our sound goes in that we all have our influences, but it comes together in a nice, tight way that says, ‘Hey, this is Fallen Angel,’” Phelps said.
“You want to go to a show and before you even hear the band crank up the first note, you see walls of amps, the big-ass drum set, the mic, the lights, the smoke. You know you’re gonna get your ass kicked before you even hear the first ‘E’ chord. And that’s something that says right off the bat, ‘Hey, you’re in a for a full night. I hope you’re ready.’”
Phelps came up with the band’s moniker. “I had this idea to come up with the name ‘Fallen Angel’ because none of us are perfect, but we all strive to be the best we can be.”
They didn’t want to use the plural “Fallen Angels” as their name. “That’s a little close to ‘Charlie’s Angels,’” Phelps said. “I know we’re pretty and all, but dang!”
Fallen Angel
9 p.m. Saturday at The Stage Stop, 2951 Cela. Angel Down opens. Cover: $5. Call: 382-1577.
Listen Up spotlights area performers. Michael Donahue can be reached at 529-2797.
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