‘Evangeline,’ Who? Stephen Sanchez Is The Real Angel Face

With his otherwise ruffled hair slicked back and a satin red shirt paired with a black and white polka dot tie, one would assume that through accessing a Zoom press conference, we’ve traveled to the decades Stephen Sanchez is always raving about—the 50s and 60s. But if that were the case, wouldn’t a gun-slaying Hunter mask himself into the picture? “Hide behind a character so it lessens the blow of vulnerability,” he muses. He’s painted a visceral world that even comes to life at his stage shows. 

The Moon Crests

It’s there where spine-tingling ghosts haunt the venues. A trend has been sparked, such as taking the listener along for the ride, replicating the “real thing.” And closing the door to the 2020s when the stage lights dip. Covers are a part of this picture, having played a rock n roll iteration of ‘Oh, Pretty Woman’ various times. He suggests it’s because these artists exist in this world, so it’s only natural for them to come to life. 

Perhaps even giving an Almost Famous moment. Although that would be more so in the direction of his performance at Glastonbury last year, recalling a tight-curl Kate Hudson coming up to him afterward. She’s like one of us, raving about him while serving up her twist by hugging and kissing him on the cheek. It’s too cute here. His words tangled upon getting another movie she’s in mixed up, 10 Things I Hate... Er, we mean How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. 

Club Deluxe

Present a bumbling Stephen in front of us, and we have questions, too! Particularly surrounding Club Deluxe. On the extended iteration of Angel Face, it becomes not just an album title but a lyric, spotted nestled in the opening verse of ‘The Other Side.’ We ponder if that was deliberate. Most artists call for that special leitmotif moment in the main body of work. But Stephen’s so tied in the characters of the tale that he’s creating, even the angel herself, Evangeline, that it was, in fact, deliberate.

He wants us to get to know the characters first. That’s true, and he doesn’t enjoy playing favorites. The first batch of tracks were written together, and then later, when he knew there was more storytelling to do, he backpeddled and wrote the other five. Bring a couple of rewrites into the picture, such as how the original form of ‘The Other Side’ was a tad naughty, and we’ve sparked up a conversation for an investigation into these tracks. Another journalist later references our question! 

Overall, in that hourish gap, we’re reminded how much of a romantic crooner Stephen is. His thoughts are often shuffled into metaphors and therapy-styled quips. “Find someone who writes a story with you,” he urges us. But if you’re wondering if there’s still time for internet slang between those Shakespearean sound bites and gravitation toward the elderly folk (he pitches about creating a podcast centered around grandparents and older musicians telling their stories), there is. He brings up everyone’s favorite word at the moment: demure. “Having a crush is not demure or mindful,” he laughs. 

Whisking Us Back In Time

Stephen hits the road again in a few days, performing in New York and supporting a loving heckle before ending up in Walt Disney Theater. Yep! As Disney nerds ourselves, we’re fangirling for two reasons here and wonder if we’ll see a photo of him with Mickey’s gloved hand slung around his shoulder. Are you going to a show? Let us know on our socials, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Surely, a new friend is waiting for your comment. 

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