Singer-songwriter Stephen Sanchez released a deluxe version of his highly anticipated debut album, Angel Face. The deluxe version includes an additional 6 songs including his hit song "Until I Found You" featuring Em Beihold. Stephen began his tour which started on August 1st in Ohio and ends on October 29th in Florida.
What can fans expect from this tour? What has been the best or most memorable part of tour?
Stephen: It's different this time 'cause last year we just told the story outright. We walked everyone through. We were all ghosts last year, the troubadour died and the moon crest died because Hunter killed me and the rest of the band. We were making it so that we were telling the story as ghosts haunting these venues across the United States. Now we're taking it way further back, this predates the Angel Club shows but it doesn't predate the love story with Evangeline and the troubadour and the Connie Co show debut which is what set everything on the path on what we have been touring. What you can expect in the shows is the real thing as if you were back in the 50’s actually seeing Troubadour Sanchez and Moon Crest live on The Connie Co show on whatever date in between 1958 and 1964. We are playing through the years and it's really cool. As far as it relates to memories, when we played in Toronto it was so much fun. I got to be on the balcony and dance with a sweet little girl to "Put Your Head On My Shoulder" and sing to a girl. It's been a very flirty and very sweet and fun tour. Very memorable show for sure.
You've performed many iconic covers of songs, what is the process of choosing these specific songs and fitting them into the style and direction into your own shows?
Stephen: It just feels great to do that. As much as we want to pull people into the world we are creating. I think we have to put more of a timestamp on it as well. These artists exist in that world too. Covering those songs hopefully pulls people into it even deeper. It's really fun. Brooks is our music director as much as he is our guitar player. He does such a great job at making everything cohesive. When we do a song like ‘Pretty Women’ and we want to Stephen Sanchez-ify it, he does a really great job at making that happen. We always love putting a little more rock n roll feel to it. It's fun doing a bit of a nod to our heroes but also making it our own.
What are some places that you go to find peace and that yearning sensation yourself?
Stephen: I’m such a romantic as it is. So I'm kind of always operating out of that. I think I'm not necessarily looking for it either. It's either there or it's not. I never try to force it to be there. But I love when it is.
When you write through the lens of characters, how do you dive into their world and do you have any methods or techniques to get into their mindset?
Stephen: The characters have their own mindset and their own feelings for sure. I think that they are my feelings at the end of the day. I'm always writing them from a perspective that is exaggerated. There are some songs that are right on the nose like this is exactly how it is and how I feel and I'm just going to make these characters feel that. Then there are some that are a bit more intense and dramatic. It's all dramatized a bit more and those are just my feelings. I'm just thinking about my feelings and applying it to the story that's being written and the character.
Is there a special memory in your career that warms your heart when you think about it?
Stephen: I keep thinking about this one memory and it's probably because I just watched Almost Famous. But when I got off stage at Glastonbury, there's a million stories from that show that I could share. One in particular, I got off stage and Kate Hudson was waiting side stage. She came and ran up and hugged me and said, “You are so, so amazing,” and then she grabbed my face and kissed me on the cheek. I just looked at her and thought this is awesome, this is the greatest day ever. I just got kissed by Kate Hudson who is Penny Lane and also in How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. I just love her so much and she is such a babe and she kissed me so my life is set. Every time I think about it, I get the giddy crush vibe.
When you're approaching music, how important is storytelling? How does that fall in between the story, lyrics, melody and your own personal experience?
Stephen: Storytelling is so important to me. I find it really exciting to write from real stories that have happened in my life and real feelings. Then to hide behind a character a little bit so it feels like it lessens the blow of vulnerability for me. It also makes it really exciting. When we were touring really early on I was like heart on my sleeve, I wrote this about my girlfriend that I dated for two months and this is the song I wrote. It's a snooze fest at this point and I think everyone is doing that. To write a character that tells the story for you but it's a character people can attach to and love for a moment. Yes, it's Stephen Sanchez and we're seeing this artist but on stage, we’re seeing the character played. That feels a bit more unique and special. When it comes to making the next record it's like oh we'll have another character to play. With their stories and a different sound that goes along with that story. It's super important to me that that's the thing that carries the music. I don't want to be that guy that spends his whole career just regurgitating the same thing I broke up with someone and wrote this song.
Listen to Angel Face (Club Deluxe) HERE
See Stephen on Tour HERE